Russia has long struggled with overcrowded children's housing and a large number of orphans in need of homes, due in part to continued changes in government during the past many years.

These challenges were further brought to the country's attention when in 2012, after years of international adoptions, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a ban on Americans adopting Russian orphans.

But for more than a decade, a small orphan village south of Moscow has been experimenting with what the founders think may be a novel solution to support both foster children and the families who take them in.

And now the Russian government is also pitching in financially to help support this experimental community.

We visited the Orion community village to film this story after receiving an email from a viewer asking us to looking into adoption and foster care.

Do you have a story you've always wanted filmed about Russia? Send your story ideas to us via Twitter, external using #bbcpopup or by email at bbcpopup@bbc.co.uk.

This weekend we filmed a piece on dachas, a story which was recommended to us by a dozen or so viewers. Dachas are Russian country homes. To say they are hugely popular is a gross understatement. It seemed as if all of Moscow was in the countryside this past weekend at these traditional homes. 

We were told traffic is part of the experience. Story to come...

We visited a Russian orphan village yesterday for a story suggested by a viewer on adoption and foster parenting. Below are some of the raw stills from our video shoot.

Image source, bbc

We journeyed around Moscow, collecting one last batch of story ideas for our trip across Russia. 

Do you have a story you've always wanted filmed in Russia? Get involved with our team now through our website and send your story ideas to us via Twitter, external using #bbcpopup or by email at bbcpopup@bbc.co.uk.

Last night we held a meet-up in a venue in downtown Moscow, where we asked residents to think up stories they'd like us to cover while here in Russia. Some of those ideas ranged from a look at families separated by the conflict in Ukraine to a piece on nightlife in Moscow to a profile of a local psychologist.

But another intriguing part of the night involved screened a short film we made in rural Kenya for our new Russian friends. It was fascinating to bring those we've met around the world face to face for the first time.

We've arrived in Moscow. What a beautiful city!

Our team is working this month with Moscow-based producer Emma Wells , externaland Russian video journalist Max Lomakin, external. You can expect a heap of fascinating and beautiful stories from these two.

It's day one in our new home, which typically means that it's time to comb through the story ideas you've sent us. We've received well over 100 suggestions from around the world, pointing us towards stories to cover in Russia.

The ones we're researching this morning include children's homes, mushroom picking, dacha culture and end-of-life cancer treatment. So we've started with quite a range of different ideas.

Remember, we'll be in Russia throughout the month, travelling by train to Novosibirsk and back. If there are any stories along this route that you'd like us to chase, please  get in touch using hashtag #bbcpopup , externalor via email at bbcpopup@bbc.co.uk.

Image source, Google

Russia is our next stop! Our team of Russian, British and American video journalists are excited to film story ideas suggested by our audience. If you have a story you'd like filmed, please get in touch via Twitter, external or by email at bbcpopup@bbc.co.uk.

We'll announce our next stop in the coming days. In the meantime, here's a hint: this nation has quite a few statues of animals in public parks. One specific statue is of a rodent wearing glasses.

Any ideas what country we're referring to? Tell us on Twitter., external

Image source, iStock

For the former headhunting tribes of northeast India, tattoos were given using thorns and ink. These intricate and painful marks were symbols of each kill, given to the warriors by the women of the village. But now the tradition is vanishing as young people move away from the practice.

After this suggestion came up during our town meeting in Delhi, we travelled to the state of Nagaland and went on a 15-hour road trip across the state with tattoo artist Mo Naga to a village to meet a former headhunter.

What do locals from Delhi think of US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's controversial statements on immigration? We hit the streets to ask if Indians would visit the US if Trump becomes president. Here's what we were told.

On a train journey in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, our fellow passengers told us the perks of travelling on the country's extensive rail network.

This story was suggested by a Twitter user, who asked us to cover the music scene in Mumbai.

During BBC Pop Up's first week in India, we received hundreds of story ideas from different parts of the country - but we were lacking more suggestions from the south of India. So we decided to put a call out on social media.

Thankfully, it drew a huge response and we found one idea that seemed to keep coming up - the link between films and politics in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

At a time when reality TV star-turned-politician Donald Trump is bidding for a US presidential nomination, former film stars have been ruling Tamil Nadu for nearly five decades. Why are these celebrities becoming successful political leaders in the state? Christian Parkinson and Vikas Pandey travelled to the city of Chennai during the ongoing busy election season and here's what they found out.

"If you look over your shoulder, you turn into stone."

According to local legend, this is what happens to any visitor to the Kiradu temple in Barmer, Rajasthan, who stays at the temple after sunset. Would we be willing to go and check the place and the "curse" out ourselves, asked a student in our Delhi town meeting.

After some hemming and hawing, Vikas Pandey and Christian Parkinson volunteered to take up this challenge on behalf of the Pop Up team. And off they went on a road trip to Barmer in Rajasthan. 

They met the chief of the village who still believed in the legend - but also met a local official who was worried because the legend was driving away tourists. He wanted Pop Up to disprove the "curse" so that tourism would develop in the area.

What happened in the end? Thankfully, Vikas and Christian made it out of there post-sunset without turning into stone - but not before a minor scare from a squawking peacock.