Going hungry to feed her child

Very quickly, we have seen desperate needs arise because of the COVID-19 crisis. 

Igor, Tanya, and daughter Sophia are in our Stop the Cycle program. Their life is already challenging. Igor is an orphan, and Tanya comes from a dysfunctional family. Sophia has been sick for over a year, and leading up to the crisis, Igor had been injured and unable to do his job at the food market for two weeks.

After Igor had been back at work for one day, the markets closed. They tried to live on Sophia’s state stipend, 860 UAH/month (about $31). But that’s only enough for diapers and a few days of food for Sophia. They needed to pay for utilities, medications, and food for a month. 

Tanya borrowed 50 UAH ($1.80) to buy food for her daughter, while she went hungry herself. Finally, she turned to us. She simply had no one else to ask.

Staff member Yulia shared, “In cases like this, we respond to the situation with caution and, having provided ourselves with protection, we go out to help.”

We brought groceries, diapers, and medication, and prayed with them. Later we’ll look at long-term help for those affected by the crisis, but right now, we’re making sure no one is hungry and meeting other urgent needs.