Dear sponsor,
My name is Dominika. I am 12 years old and in the 7th grade. I live with my grandmother in a small, off‑grid village where life is quiet but very challenging.
My best friend is Stefaniia. We go to school together and spend a lot of time with each other. Our neighbor teaches us how to cook, and not long ago we learned how to make pancakes. They are my favorite.
In the summer, I love swimming, but I don’t have much free time. I go to the forest to pick berries so I can earn a little money and help my grandmother. We also make preserves for the winter, so we have something to eat. My favorite foods are red borscht and crab salad, although we don’t always have the salad, even on holidays.
When I finish school, I dream of becoming a police officer because I want to help people. I can’t wait to learn more about you! Looking forward to receiving your letter.
With love,
Dominika
Caseworker’s comments:
Dominika is a wonderful young girl whose gentle spirit shine quietly but beautifully. Though naturally shy, she is loving, attentive, and remarkably intelligent. At school she excels in Music, PE, and Art, where her creativity and talent truly stand out. In her spare time, she loves drawing and playing board games, small joys that brighten her days. Despite her cheerful nature, Dominika often struggles with seasonal illnesses, yet she remains calm, joyful, and full of grace. Dominika helps however she can, and her grandmother does everything possible to care for her. Dominika is a loving, gentle, girl whose kindness leaves a lasting impression on everyone who has the joy of meeting her.
Although she is a happy and hopeful child, she has endured hardships far beyond her years. Dominika lives with her grandmother, Mariia—her guardian—in a small village, where they face extremely difficult social and living conditions. Her mother passed away from a serious illness when Dominika was only six years old, and her father, who struggled with alcohol and unemployment, went missing in action over two years ago during the war. Even before his disappearance, life was painfully unstable, but since then, the full responsibility of raising and providing for Dominika has fallen on her 69‑year‑old grandmother, whose health and strength are limited.
Their home is an old, dilapidated house that has not seen proper repairs in many years. The walls are crumbling, the original windows let in the cold, and the entire home consists of only two small rooms. The kitchen and corridor are combined and remain bitterly cold throughout the year. One room is only partially heated, and the old stove in the other barely works, leaving the house constantly chilly. In winter, the floors are so cold that walking without heavy socks or shoes is impossible. There is no running water, no indoor bathroom, and the toilet is outside. Water must be carried from a well in the yard, and because Mariia struggles with mobility, Dominika must do most of this physically demanding work herself. Heating water for washing requires carrying heavy buckets and warming them on the stove, as the village has no gas supply and depends on irregularly filled cylinders from neighbors.
Dominika carries a burden far too heavy for a child. She cleans the house and yard, stacks and carries firewood, helps with cooking, and does labor that would challenge even an adult. These responsibilities leave her with very little time for rest or a proper childhood. Their only steady income is her grandmother’s small pension, which is not enough to cover food, clothing, school supplies, heating, or medical care. Often, kind neighbors invite Dominika over, share food with her, and teach her simple cooking skills, small acts of kindness that help them survive.
Despite all of this, Dominika remains an open, sincere, and remarkably resilient child. She is in the 7th grade and walks nearly 40 minutes each way to school, where she is responsible and hardworking. Her older brother, Serhii, visits only occasionally and cannot provide regular support. Yet Dominika continues to dream—she hopes to become a police officer one day so she can help others, a reflection of her compassionate heart.
Given the loss of both parents, her grandmother’s advanced age, and the extremely poor living conditions, Dominika and Mariia are in urgent need of support. Sponsorship through HART’s Child Sponsorship Program would provide Dominika with essentials she cannot access on her own: nutritious food and the stability every child deserves. Most importantly, it would give her hope—a reminder that she is seen, valued, and not alone.
Supporting Dominika means lifting up a child who has endured unimaginable hardship yet continues to shine with gentleness, courage, and faith. It means strengthening her grandmother, who is doing everything she can with the little she has. And it means offering this precious family the chance for safety, dignity, and a brighter future.
