Keeping a Family under one roof
When our former Foster Parents, Sasha and Oleyna visited recently they had just spent a week in Kiev and brought to our attention a family living close to Genesis House who were in urgent need of help. Coincidently the parents’ names are also Sasha and Oleyna (both common names in Ukraine) live with their four children. This young couple had attempted to build a small house of their own as they had outgrown their shared accommodation. Like many Ukrainians they were living on their building site it to avoid theft of materials. They had made two small rooms habitable after building the shell of the house and then put on the roof. Unfortunately, due to severe weather and I suspect using the cheapest of materials they could afford, the roof collapsed and the rain came in. They are now living in the two small rooms of the building shell with a tarpaulin for their roof.
A house without a roof
This will not stand a Ukrainian winter and if Social Services inspect their living conditions, they will take the four children into care resulting in the family being split up and the possibility of the children going for adoption. Sasha and Oleyna are wonderful parents, Sasha works and Oleyna works at night when the children are in bed. Unfortunately, they do not earn enough to repair the damage before winter so we feel the need to help this family for the sake of the children and to prevent them being taken from a loving family into a care system that is already overloaded. We estimate that the cost of repairs, windows, doors and heating to be around £5,000, a small price to pay to keep this family together. Their children already play with our children at Genesis House and Natasha and Oleg have become friends with the parents and share clothes, garden produce etc. with them.
One of the things I have learned from our work in Ukraine is to try to prevent families from being broken up if possible and to show parents that someone somewhere cares not just financially but with love and compassion and not being judgmental.