Valya and Sergei at camp, 2019

Sergei’s life-changing camp experience

Dear Emily,

Good news! A generous friend has offered a $5,000 matching grant for summer camps. Every dollar will be doubled to make an even bigger impact on young people like Sergei.

We met Sergei through his little sister Valya in late 2018. He’d graduated from the orphanage and was finishing college, so he’d been struggling by himself for many years. He shared this testimony about camp last summer:

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to go to summer camp at the sea. For the first time in my life, I saw the sea, which I’d only heard about. But the most important thing I’m grateful for is the team that organized this camp. Every day I was inspired….

“I’ve never liked being ‘taught’ or people imposing on me. So I loved the unobtrusive, friendly atmosphere with smart people surrounding me… people who for the first time in my life I felt I could trust.

“I began to live with great desires for my life. I abandoned my previous lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, and constant partying. I really saw that God loves me very much and wants me to have order in my life.”

At camp, Sergei deeply connected with loving Christians who’ll walk with him through every challenge he faces as an orphaned young adult.

Now, just $82 doubles to provide a week of camp. Would you prayerfully consider donating any amount toward this life-changing experience?

With our gratitude and trust,

The Last Bell Summer Camp Team

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Dima T. (above) lost his regular job because of the quarantine, and already hadn’t been paid for weeks. He’s moonlighting as a loader at the market, but can’t get many hours. When we reached out, he’d run out of food and everything he needed for hygiene and cleaning, even garbage bags and dish soap. And he’d been walking everywhere. So we brought him groceries and other supplies, and offered help with transportation to job interviews or medical appointments.

Most of the youngest orphans we know are students, so they’re not dependent on income from work. But some of the scholarship money that pays for food, toiletries, and other essentials has been delayed, and medical care is delayed because offices are closed to non-emergencies.

Many teen orphans are staying in the villages with different relatives. But many are still at their trade school or social dorms with nowhere to go and nobody to help them. One staff member shared the names of seven teens to whom she’d taken food packages in just a couple of days; even during quarantine, we helped someone pay for medical tests. Our food packages are especially important for growing teen guys who are always hungry!

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Investing for the Future

As we get to know them, orphan youth will become more comfortable reaching out. Our persistence right now lets them know we truly want to help and they haven’t been forgotten.

Keep checking this page for information related to Last Bell’s ministry to orphanage graduates and the coronavirus pandemic. Last updated: 3/24/20

This is a difficult time for everyone. For those at risk or already struggling, like the orphanage graduates we serve, the situation seems especially bleak.

Ukraine faces the same challenge as the States. Large gatherings are prohibited, businesses shut down, church services canceled – including the churches where many of our orphanage graduates find community.

The Kyiv metro is closed. The first death was in the Zhytomyr region, now in a state of emergency along with several other regions. Buses are limited, and everything but grocery stores and pharmacies are shut down.

The Kyiv Post is a good source of COVID-19 news in Ukraine.

Our Response

Health and Safety First

Our first concern is health, so we’ve canceled our monthly Stop the Cycle meetings and closed our Day Center. Shelter residents are only going out for fresh air. Young orphan students often have little understanding of hygiene; they are a higher risk to themselves and to others. We’re educating them about hand-washing, social distancing, and valid news sources.

Meeting Emotional Needs

Orphanage graduates have already experienced trauma and neglect. Now, the adults they trust are unavailable. They face the same social isolation as everyone else, but many lack the mental and emotional tools to handle it.

Usually, each staff member has an active caseload of five orphanage graduates. But dozens of students attend youth meetings and events, and now we aren’t seeing them. So we’re making a special effort to let these youth know they are loved and part of our community.

We’re still meeting with some youth one-to-one, and extensively online and by phone. We’re actively reaching out to orphanage graduates of all ages, individuals and families, and responding to emotional needs and crises.

Meeting Physical Needs

Many orphanage grads work entry-level jobs in cafes, shops, and other places where hours may be cut. We’re ready to help with groceries, even rent if needed. Most Ukrainians use public transportation, so with buses limited, we’ll use our two vehicles to help orphanage grads with transportation, if, for example, the closest grocery store is closed. We’re working to source hand sanitizer for our youth. We’ll keep flexing to meet new needs as they arise.

Using the Time Wisely

Right now, our small Restoration Project crew has the supplies to keep working. One project is crew member Tolik’s home. But they’re also helping renovate the Day Center while students are away, including the installation of new tiles in the living room, thanks to funds from a supporting church.

How You Can Help

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 sick staff members (no COVID-19 yet), and one recovering from minor surgery. We need our whole team! Pray that income and housing will be stable for orphanage grads. Pray also for mental health and spiritual growth, even when no one can attend youth meetings or church.

Pray for former orphan and part-time staffer Anya Hrobust. Zhytomyr’s hospital is sectioning off a ward for patients with cold, flu, and COVID-19 symptoms. Anya will be the receiving doctor starting in late March.

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. 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?

The Future

As of mid-March, two volunteer trips, an English camp, and a series of Dad camps have been canceled. We’re still making decisions about July and August camps, but making contingency plans as well; these are an important part of onboarding orphanage graduates and we will need to develop relationships with them in the absence of camps.

Keep checking this space for updates related to the COVID-19 outbreak and our work with orphanage graduates. Thank you!

Camps for Orphanage Graduates

Dear friends,

Life has changed dramatically for everyone – whether you’re working from home or on the front lines, caregiving, applying for unemployment, keeping your business afloat, or just trying to buy groceries. I’m grateful you’re reading this letter amid all these challenges.

For us, the pandemic means adapting our daily work with orphanage graduates, and our plans for summer as well.

At this time, we intend to continue with summer camps, while we anticipate shifting as needed. Faith is “our handle on what we can’t see” (The Message). I have faith that God can work in our adapted plans, helping our youth heal and experience His deep love. For now, here is our camp schedule:

• July 20-26 is our Stop the Cycle camp for orphan moms, dads, and their kids at the Black Sea. We expect 25 parents and 30 kids.
• August 3-9 is Educational Outreach camp at the sea. We expect 40 youth.
• August 24-28 is our rescheduled English Language Camp at our own Day Center. Because of the uncertainty of international travel for our American friends, our backup dates are October 5-9. We expect 50 orphanage graduates of all ages.

We have backup plans, too. We can postpone further or create special day trips. Many of our youth are very isolated, and more than ever need something to look forward to!

The total cost for camps is $24,000. Just $165 sends one lonely orphanage graduate to discover a safe, loving community. (UPDATE 5/24: Thanks to a $5k matching grant, now just $82 will double to send one orphanage graduate to camp!)

I invite you to give with faith—that God will meet your own needs, and work through our adjusted plans. Nonprofits expect to see at least a 20% drop in donations, so if you’ve never given toward summer camps, this is the year!

Many thanks, and God’s peace to you and your household,

Megan Hershey
Executive Director

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For fourteen years, Last Bell has been investing in orphanage graduates. One of our great joys in the midst of this crisis is watching men and women we know and love give back to their communities.

Tanya

Tanya grew up in an orphanage in Zhytomyr, and was part of a Last Bell residential program before she got married and moved to a village.

She’s now a mom of two little girls and faithfully attends our Stop the Cycle program. Tanya’s been sewing masks from medical gowns and cloth diapers, and distributing them to her neighbors and her husband’s colleagues.

Victoria

Victoria, one of our Stop the Cycle moms, turned to us for help. The father of her daughter Vlada lost his job during the quarantine. They can’t pay rent and will move in with his parents.

We brought diapers, food, and baby food. But in the midst of her need, Victoria also passed along books, prenatal vitamins, and Vlada’s old clothes for other moms.

She’s part of a real community, where we take care of each other!

Anya

Anya (left), a doctor and part-time Shelter staff member, also grew up at Orphanage #4. She’s working at the hospital in Zhytomyr, at the front lines of the fight against this disease.

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.

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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. 

Dear friends,

We’d hoped Ukrainian director Andrey Pankyeyev would be in the States this spring to visit supporting churches and have those special one-on-one conversations. We love seeing you all in person!

That isn’t possible right now, but we still want to connect with you personally. So on April 30th and May 5th, we’re hosting Zoom conversations with Andrey and with Executive Director Megan Hershey. Andrey will share how Last Bell is adapting our service to orphanage graduates, and Megan will share about current operations and finances (15 minutes all together). Then we’ll open up for questions. We’d love to hear from you!

We’ll have two options:

Thursday, April 30th, 2 PM
Tuesday, May 5th, 10 AM

Please RSVP to emily@lastbell.org, especially if you might need technical help. The day of each session, we’ll email the link to the Zoom call. This will go out to our whole list, so please feel welcome to join us even if you haven’t RSVP’d.

See you soon!

The Last Bell Team

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.