Keystone Human Services International

Keystone Social-Educational Foundation for Social Assistance to Children and Families (KFCF)

The Keystone Social-Educational Foundation for Social Assistance to Children and Families (KFCF) is Keystone Human Services International's avenue for services in Russia. Established in 2006 as a registered NGO in the Russian Federation, KFCF promotes initiatives to further the independence of people who are in need of service due to disabling conditions, situations of poverty, abandonment, institutionalization and other adverse societal conditions throughout Russia.

As Keystone Human Services gained experience and knowledge in the provision of community-based human services, our vision began to expand: to truly honor our commitment to the rights of all people to grow, make choices and be valued and contributing members of the community, we realized that our mission would have to grow to encompass the global sphere. Through the shared experiences of participants in our international internship programs and our own fact-finding missions, we began to understand the significant problems facing children in Russia and former Soviet republics of Eastern Europe.

In 2004, the impact of political strife on children in these regions was brought to the fore of global consciousness by the school hostage crisis in Beslan: on the first day of the new school year in this town in the southeast Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, separatist terrorists took over 1,200 primary school students, teachers and parents hostage in a three-day siege, resulting in over 300 deaths. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Keystone dispatched experienced mental health professionals to train and assist the exhausted Russian support staff – and it was this work with our Russian colleagues that drew our attention to the strife-ravaged region of the North Caucasus.

KFCF's principle initiative is the USAID-funded Comprehensive Systems of Care for Children and Youth in the Northern Caucasus project.

Learn more about the KFCF project in the North Caucasus.