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My interview with Sasha & your impact on his life

Written by Emily on . Posted in Camps, Educational Outreach, Featured, Last Bell Blog.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Sasha about his life and experience with Last Bell. He’s really smart, and it’s always interesting to talk to him!

After they graduate from orphanages or foster care, most young people like Sasha are left alone with adult problems. They don’t know where to go, where to turn. Sasha was living with a really big problem, too – a broken collarbone. Then he found Last Bell. He tells his story in the video below:

Give for orphaned youth in 2023

Just when Sasha needed it most, your gifts provided him with mentorship, medical help, and a path forward.

In 2024, we’ll meet many new orphaned youth like Sasha. If a significant adult doesn’t appear in their lives, they’ll be alone in a world at war. But you can give them a place to feel safe, get support and advice, and receive the necessities of life. You can make sure they aren’t facing life alone.

Give Today

We are extremely grateful to each and every one of you who support Last Bell. Here in Zhytomyr, your gifts mean orphaned youth can be healthy, well-fed, well-dressed, receiving all the help they need—even in wartime.

With gratitude,

Yulia Nesterenko

PS: All of us on staff see that Sasha’s peers respect him and follow him. Because of your support, Sasha’s tranformation will ripple out to many other lives! This December, will you give unexpected hope to our youth?

Success for Shelter Moms

Written by Emily on . Posted in Featured, Videos.

Shelter Crisis Housing is a home where orphan moms can stay in a true emergency and receive comprehensive help for their families. But how do we know this model is effective?

Eight of the moms who started the Shelter program have completed the steps and accepted all the help we provide. All eight are now in stable housing and able to care for their children. That’s a 100% success rate for those who follow the program.

Donations for the Shelter program lead to:

  • children at home instead of an orphanage
  • moms able to provide safe, loving households
  • healthy family stories replacing generational abuse and neglect
  • a post-orphanage community founded on God’s love

That’s worth celebrating! In this video, we welcome you to walk through the doors of the Shelter to learn, laugh, play, and heal with our families:

But wait, there’s more!

Orphanage graduates from all Last Bell’s programs benefit from this residential home.

Our Restoration Project crew has breakfast and lunch at the Shelter, along with morning devotions. Sergei (RP foreman) and Anna (Shelter staff) demonstrate a positive model of marriage and child-rearing. The guys sometimes babysit or help residents move in and out. The RP apprenticeship keeps them busy, but the Shelter weaves them into our larger community.

Students in our Educational Outreach program may stay at the Shelter if their trade school dorm is closed for a school break, or between holiday visits with friends or relatives. Orphanage graduates of all ages stay when they’re in Zhytomyr for medical treatment or work on documents. Or they just drop by for a hot meal and conversation!

Orphan moms from Stop the Cycle (Shelter’s umbrella program) wash laundry at the Shelter, take showers, pick up groceries, sit down for meals, and just stop by to visit. Donated clothing, coats, and shoes from American friends, as well as diapers, medication, and vitamins, are stored, sorted, and handed out at the Shelter. Moms and students alike drop by for used clothing. Oksana Pankyeyeva offers counseling and individual consulations at her Shelter office.

So many friends added bricks to this amazing building. Many thanks to the original donors who helped us purchase it; the staff and youth who filled it with laughter and love those first years; the RP crew and other workers who converted it into crisis housing; the staff and volunteers who serve our residents now; and current donors who put sheets on the beds and borscht on the table.

May God bless your own giving and receiving of hospitality this season!