Month: March 2020

March 25, 2020

Friends,

This is a scary time for everyone. But we’re not helpless! We can pray, we can follow all the guidelines to keep each other safe and healthy, and we can reach out online or by phone.

Here are some ways to support orphanage graduates and staff during this crisis:

Pray

Please pray for health for our staff, youth, and families, including the small children at the Shelter, where illnesses get passed around. Pray especially for staff members Lena V., who is sick (not the coronavirus), Yulia N. and Anya C., recently recovered, and Lillia, resting after minor surgery. Pray for former orphan and staff member Anya H., a doctor; next week, she’ll become the receptionist for a new sectioned-off ward at the Zhytomyr hospital for patients with cold, flu, and COVID-19 symptoms. Pray that income and housing will be stable for all orphanage graduates. Pray also for mental health and spiritual growth, even when no one can attend youth meetings or church services.

Write

This is a great time to write a note of encouragement or prayer for orphanage graduates or staff. Children could draw pictures or write letters for our Stop the Cycle kids who are similarly stuck at home. Teens and young adults could write to orphan students. Email notes or photos of drawings/letters to Emily and she will pass them along. Feel free to be creative!

Give

Orphanage graduates are vulnerable during a crisis. Some will lose income. Many have pre-existing health conditions. We’ll help with groceries, utilities, housing security, transportation, and other needs. In medical emergencies, our staff are on the front lines, advocating and paying for medical care. If your income isn’t affected by the pandemic, would you consider a gift to meet these extra needs?

Thank you for reading and reaching out while you stay in! Keep watching your inbox for stories about how we’re serving our youth right now.

A Visit to Katya in Bykovka

Last week we introduced our new Stop the Cycle Mobile Unit. One of our first destinations was the village of Bykovka, 1.5 hours away over terrible roads. Once a resident of Shelter Crisis Housing, Katya F. still brings her kids to our monthly meetings for moms by walking 2/3 mile to a bus.

“The village has little connection to the world,” said one staff member. There’s no post office or store; a bus delivers food once a week. Katya receives state funds for her children, but there’s nowhere in Bykovka to withdraw money.

We know Katya’s kids aren’t going hungry. So they’re better off than some families we know. But Sasha, our Mobile Unit driver and a dad himself, said it touched his heart to see how they lived: bare rooms, children without socks or shoes. “Praise God this winter was really warm,” he said. Katya’s water isn’t safe so she gets it from a neighbor, and the house needs some work.

We’re so glad we can reach these remote villages and better meet the needs of orphan-parented families. Many of you donate used coats and boots, a huge help. Financial gifts help us provide groceries, pay for fuel, and in so many ways allow us to serve these vulnerable families. Thank you!

Using Everything Wisely

The Mobile Unit also transports moms to medical appointments and government offices, to church, or for outings in the fresh air; picks up donations from local friends; and transports our Educational Outreach staff to distant trade schools for Life Skills Lessons.

Stop the Cycle Visits Orphan Moms

When an orphan becomes a mom, she needs a lot of help. Some of the moms in Stop the Cycle are too far away to visit us often. So our Mobile Unit is going to them!

Nina, Valya, and Anya were glad to see our new Mobile Unit arrive. These orphan moms live in villages far from Zhytomyr, in difficult circumstances. They were grateful for the groceries, diapers, gently used clothing, and other supplies we brought.

Visits help them feel loved and not so isolated. Staff member Sasha shared that the three moms served their visitors not only tea but something to eat as well – a sacrifice for them but an important gesture in Ukrainian culture.

This is also an important opportunity to take stock of a mom’s living conditions, which she might be too shy to share. Her home might need minor renovations or insulation for winter. Many villagers don’t have a clean water supply, so we check on that as well. And we learn about the safety and health of a mom’s relationship with her boyfriend or husband.

Our Mobile Unit is an expansion of holistic care for orphan families. Watch for our next blog with details about Katya, one of the first moms we visited.

You’re Part of the Team

Your prayers and gifts make it possible for our staff to meet the deep needs of orphan moms. Thank you!