Judy and I met these three orphan sisters last summer at a church operated orphanage in a city just outside Kiev. There were a dozen or so children living at this home. As we were visiting with the director, a couple came to the gate to visit. Come to find out, it was the parents of these three girls.
The director told us both the husband and wife were alcoholics and could no longer care for the children, so the parents brought them to the orphanage to be cared for several months earlier.
Once a week or so, these little girls parents would drop by and spend a little time with them then leave.
In the picture to the right, Judy and pastor Nadia are ministering to the mother with one of her children standing close by. It was heart breaking to say the least. This woman has no hope, you can see the hopeless expression on her face as I snapped the picture.
The husband didn't want his picture taken. He did listen to me speak about our responsibility as fathers. I asked him if I could pray for him and he said yes, so I seized the opportunity. We later learned they came and took the children and have not been heard from since.
How Family Aid International is helping...
Most orphanages lack many of the basic needs for the children. For instance, last fall we learned the most pressing need in the orphanages in Chernihov was shoes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, sanitary napkins, soap and shampoo.
A worker at one of the orphanages described how the older girls would use the cotton from discarded mattresses as sanitary napkins. Since November of last year, FAI has been assisting three orphanages by purchasing these items on a regular basis.
Anatoliy and two volunteers from a local church are taking inventory of supplies purchased by gifts to FAI from American supporters.
Several hundred toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste were donated by Dr.'s Stan and Audrey Crawford of Grove, Ok. This past April, the Crawford's visted the Chernihov orphanages and are planning on returning early next year to conduct dental clinics for the children.
I took the supplies that had been donated with me, packing it in my luggage. We purchased the sanitary napkins, soap and shampoo at the wholesale market in Kiev. Its much more economical to purchase the needed supplies in the market in Kiev as opposed to paying the airline for extra luggage.
Actually, the director of this orphanage was much happier than he appears in this photo. He cooperated with us fully, guaranteeing us permission to minister to the children in the future.
Local churches in Chernihov cooperated with us and purchased leather shoes for the children. As the children outgrow the shoes, they will passed down to the younger children until the shoes are completely worn out.
FAI has an ongoing program of purchasing shoes for the children at these orphanages. Partnering with us is a local shoe factory that sells us the shoes at factory cost.
Over the past 10 months, FAI has conducted 6 Christian Business seminars with over 1100 attending. In August, FAI will host seminars in the following 5 cities: Kiev, Chernihiov, Bakhmach, Konotop and Romny.
Sunday Adelaja, Pastor of Embassy of God church in Kiev, has endorsed the business seminars as a powerful tool to release God's blessings in Ukraine.
"I, Andrei Berezenets, write to you with big and sincere honour. I am not very good in writing letters but this letter I write with a big pleasure because it's aim is to share with you the thoughts that visited me after the business-conference that you held in Kiev on the 1st of June.