Standing by Families

Galina is invested in the lives of several families. She cares for them like a mum – a supportive role model that her orphan mums never had before they met her. She seems unfazed by their constant difficulties which are often complicated and painful. Any inconvenience that she could feel about the frequent late-night calls and texts she receives is not apparent, and she has been doing this for over 10 years now!

In this voluntary role, Galina is supported by her husband, her adult daughter and by us. But, without your support too, it would be impossible for her to help her orphan mums in all the various ways they need her.

Some have practical needs.

Oktyabrina (pictured above) has four children. Her eldest has diabetes and is mentally disabled. Oktyabrina herself struggles with mild learning difficulties – a common outcome for many who were neglected, abandoned and left to the orphanage system. The village where she lives is so remote that getting her child to a special school that’s able to help him with his specific needs is impossible, and most other local schools have been closed in the last five years. Now, her children have to travel 40km by bus on slow rural roads to get an education. In addition to the one room you can see, where the whole family sleeps, they have a small kitchen and bathroom.

Managing her family's chores is a challenge which was recently made more difficult when her washing machine broke down. The £65 it would cost to repair was far more money than she could hope to save. We were able to help and Oktyabrina’s machine was quickly up and running again.

Some have medical needs.

Natalja has several chronic and painful conditions that appear to be incurable.

“Natalja looks weak and skinny and I am worried for her. She can't walk very well because of the pain she is often in, so her husband takes their daughter to the park and takes care of Natalja too."

It’s a comfort to Galina seeing how calm and supportive Natalja’s husband is. They met as children in an orphanage. Galina knows that the thing her young mums want most in the world is family.

“Natalja may not be getting better just yet but ‘they found their family’ and this is a blessing” says Galina with a big smile.

Galina checks in with them often and discusses at length Natalja’s medical options. Our emergency medical funds have helped Natalja on several occasions when the cost of drugs or appointments has exceeded her husband’s income.

Some have emotional needs.

“Karina recently needed help finding money to bury her father – a man she never knew. He never visited her in the orphanage when she was a child – not even once. She felt compelled by her Christian faith to do the right thing, she wanted to lay her father’s body to rest."

We could hear in Galina’s voice how proud she was of Karina for making this difficult decision. Being a single mum on a very small income is a daily struggle for Karina but she is careful with what she has and she does her best. We are grateful that we can support this family, especially with such a sensitive issue as this.

How bad is poverty in Russia?

On paper, their government would have us believe that poverty is in decline. By making the subsistence level unrealistically low, it can be made to appear that most people are managing. If they were to use an amount that truly represents what it takes to survive, it would reveal that 40% of Russians live in poverty.

• The elderly try to survive on pensions of just £143.91* per month and so many have to work in multiple jobs to get by.

• Russians spend around £110* per person per month on food. So a single mum with two children has nothing left for rent and bills.

• One third of households cannot afford to buy each family member two pairs of seasonally appropriate shoes. This statistic comes directly from the government's own sources.

The cost of living in Russia is worsening by the day for everyday Russians. Security and defence spending now accounts for more than 40% of Russia's federal budget. Taxes are rising, interest rates have increased and cuts to social spending have been made to continue the war.

With statistics like these, it is no surprise that, despite most of our orphan mums having jobs, they cannot survive without help.

You can support our orphan mums and their children here

DONATE TO HELP ORPHAN MUMS

*Finances mentioned in this article are based on the exchange rate £1 = 106 RUB