Genesis House family trying to escape war...

Dear friends and supporters,

As shelling got ever closer to our Kyiv foster home, Genesis House, we had no alternative but to evacuate seven of our children, aged between 7 and 17, leaving foster father, Oleg and 18-year-old Aleksey behind to face a future no-one is able to imagine. Having said a heart-breaking goodbye to her husband, our foster mother, Natasha, faced a gruelling 12+ hour train journey with the children across Ukraine in crammed carriages to get to the Polish town of Chelm. They arrived on 10 March, exhausted, but safe and are being looked after thanks to the generosity of Polish social services, who are faced with finding refuge for millions of desperate Ukrainian people, forced to flee their homes and country. As we work hard to establish what needs to happen next for our family and secure proper accommodation, we thank you all. We want them to live as near normal a life as possible, in safety, and where our children can go to school, have access to healthcare, transport, and most importantly, to be part of a Ukrainian community, albeit in exile. Without your overwhelmingly generous giving, we would not be where we are today, with funds ready and available, not just to support our Genesis House family, but to offer tangible help where we can to try to make a difference in these appalling times. Since the brutal invasion of Ukraine, we have received countless donations, so many it is difficult to acknowledge each and every one. Every pound given matters. It matters so much as the work ahead of us will take every ounce of fundraising we can muster. Please stay with us as we face this uncertain journey together. We don’t know where it will take us, or how long it will last. What we do know is that we could not do it without you. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us care for our children as their whole world turns upside down. We will, of course, keep you updated as plans are made for settlement in a new home for however long that will be.

May God bless and keep you.

Pictured on their long journey from Kyiv to Poland, our children Bogdan, Stas, Vlad, Anya, Katya,

Timur, Artyom and foster mother Natasha.