Oksana spends her days at home in Belarus with her widowed mother. One of her favorite times of the week is when volunteers come to visit her. They bring much needed food and resources and sometimes, they even bring some extra toys for her. Though Oksana is 16 years old, her special needs cause her to behave more like a 5 year-old. In small impoverished communities, children with special needs can sometimes be forgotten or be the last to receive aid and support. However, this is not the case for Oksana. The members of the church visit her regularly to play and read to her, which she absolutely loves.
Since her father passed away, the family has struggled severely to make ends meet. Our partners from the Children’s Hunger Fund support this family’s basic needs, but also demonstrate care to Oksana. They tangibly illustrate to her that her life is
of great value, and they do that with every visit. They are so thankful for the support they receive from CHF and USANA True Health Foundation. It is vital to this family in need and many others just like them.
In a village outside Kiev, Olya and her family are being served and cared for by CHF’s Mercy Network. They have had a traumatic year since they emigrated from Eastern Ukraine to flee the civil war and pro-Russian rebels. Olya’s young siblings are twins, born less than a year ago. As the “big sister” she faces many challenges. Their family currently lives with Olya’s grandparents, all sharing a two bedroom apartment.
According to one of our ministry partners, Pastor Yaroslav, Olya and her family are just one of 50-70 needy families that have been served by his church over the past quarter. Most of these families are internally displaced people who have fled the war in Eastern Ukraine.
As the war rages on in Eastern Ukraine, there is much uncertainty for Olya and her family. CHF has come to their aid with food and other supplies. Olya even received some stuffed animals that provided her with much joy. This effort has been vital to encourage them through this tough time.
“All these families are sincerely grateful for the prayers and for the material aid. They could hardly make both ends meet. Those food sets are a great blessing for them.”
—CHF’s partner in Ukraine
130,581 meals were distributed across Europe during the fourth quarter of 2015.
Remember, 100 percent of all donations made to the USANA True Health Foundation ALWAYS go toward changing lives across the world.
