Local grad teaches in Ukraine

A local grad works to support Ukrainian kids living with and affected by HIV.

By: Liz McKeone Peterson | From the issue: January 2013

Photo: Courtesy of Abby Anderson

Abby Anderson with second-graders, who are learning English in Lubny, Poltavs'ka Oblast, Ukraine.

When Maple Grove native Abby Anderson, then 17, decided to earn a little extra cash by lifeguarding and teaching swimming lessons through the Maple Grove Community Center, little did she know that she was setting in motion a passion that would take her halfway across the world.

Anderson, a 2007 graduate of Maple Grove High School, has been serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine since September 2010. She lives in eastern Ukraine, in a town similar in size to Maple Grove. Officially, her role as a Peace Corps Volunteer is to teach English, American literature and American cultural studies to elementary through high school students. But unofficially, her teaching extends far beyond the walls of the traditional classroom. Anderson spends her evenings, weekends, and summers working with kids who are living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

“Ukraine has the highest rate of HIV infection in Europe,” says Anderson. The physical ramifications of life with HIV are staggering, but Anderson says that the social stigma and discrimination that accompanies any association with the disease can be equally devastating, especially for kids and teens.

Anderson has a heart for supporting those who face the disease, as well as desire to break down the stereotypes associated with HIV, so she has spent the last two years working with two HIV training projects. The first is a summer camp with a holistic philosophy; through medical and psychological sessions, art therapy, leadership sessions, and team building activities, kids find support in all forms.

“This camp is the one thing that keeps them going throughout the year,” says Anderson. She describes the camp as a place where kids feel respected, encouraged, and able to relax. As co-director of the camp, Anderson is charged with fundraising and managing volunteers, in addition to working with the kids.