Where your Donations Go
As a charity we have a responsibility towards our beneficiaries – and YOU!
Being responsible with your charitable donations is something we take very seriously – so if you donate to help children from the Open Hearts Youth Group, we'll make sure that is where your gift goes. Our funding is divided up into something we call ‘Project Pots’. We have several, but to simplify things, these are the main ones...
POT 1: SUPPORT GROUPS. 21% of our support goes to seven groups aimed at helping orphan children, orphans in their teens, their 20s, and beyond, including orphans who are now mums.
SUPPORT GROUP FUNDING IN ACTION: Olya has four children, one is severely disabled and the family lives in poverty. She is emotionally devastated that her brother was mobilised and missing. Thankfully Olya has support from Alina in charge of her group and a bursary that helps make ends meet.
Younger orphan children love having Slava’s time. Through activity days out and visits to the orphanage, orphans who are shut away get a glimpse of the world they will one day inhabit.
POT 2: OPEN HEARTS YOUTH GROUP. 4% of our support helps vulnerable youth in Volkhov. They meet often for games, social interaction, Bible studies and much more. Practical help is on offer too.
OHYG funding in action: 15-year-old Atyom is from a very large and poor family. Project leader Dasha collects him and other children from nearby villages so they can meet for fellowship. Before this group, Artyom had no friends. Dasha helps his whole family with food and clothes.
POT 3: CRISIS CENTRES. A huge 59% supports two crisis centres, the largest of our projects. This pot has helped secure the land and sustain the centre's work. They help both men, women and children needing refuge who've escaped domestic violence, poverty and homelessness. Others need help with addiction.
Crisis Centre funding in action: Youlia and her two very young children were homeless and arrived with nothing but the clothes they stood in. The children were sick; one had pneumonia. Thanks to the centre they've now had hospital treatment, they are safe, sheltered, fed and cared for.
POT 4: MEDICAL FUND. 10% is for people who have no way of paying for treatment and medicine. Two children and a newborn have all needed help in recent months.
Medical funding in action: Leosha’s mum was at the Women’s Crisis Centre recovering from domestic abuse when a tumour was found on his kidney. Having no money for treatment this family needed our financial support so that Leosha’s tumour could be surgically removed.
POT 5: YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. 3% goes towards the Federovits Workshop. At this project, disabled young people are accepted and nurtured. Project leader Ira teaches them practical and creative skills combined with offering them a small amount of work to provide a little income.
Disability funding in action: Tolyk is developmentally delayed. As one of eight children from an impoverished family, he cannot thrive entirely at home. Ira’s workshop helps him grow in confidence, make friends and gives much-needed respite to his mum.
POT 6: TRANSITION HOME. 3% is for a flat that's helps orphanage leavers in Ryazan. Here, those who haven’t got the means to fully support themselves can have subsidised living.
Transition home funding in action: Miron’s father was an alcoholic and he lived with him and his grandma. When they both died, Miron lost his home. Being blessed with a place in our transition home means he has a roof over his head and support from our partner Slava as he recovers from his own alcoholism.
GENERAL FUNDS. In addition to our dedicated 'pots', our general funds (where donors are happy for their gift to go where it is needed most) can be used with complete freedom. It’s hard to express how important this last pot is as it meets need across all of our projects and makes up 75% of all our giving.
So that’s how your giving was divided and used to bless others during our 2022/2023 financial year!
Thank you if you've donated to any of these pots. We are grateful and you are making a difference in the lives of real people.