Dear Sponsor,
My name is Ivan, and I’m 11 years old. I’m in the sixth grade. I don’t have a brother or sister, but I have really good friends. Yehor and Sasha are like brothers to me. I also have a cat, and I think of him as my friend too. He stays with me whenever I’m home alone.
I really love fishing — I can’t imagine my life without it. I also like playing football, but we’re not playing right now because our ball got punctured. In the summer, I love going swimming.
My favorite food is Jello. When I feel sad, I always think about it. At home, I help with chores. When I grow up, I want to be a driver and have my own car.
Your friend,
Ivan
Caseworker Comments:
Ivan is a responsible, hardworking, and sincere boy with a gentle spirit and a kind heart. He builds warm relationships easily, both with peers and adults. Teachers and caseworkers describe him as cheerful, energetic, compassionate, and always ready to help, qualities that shine even in the midst of hardship.
At school, Ivan especially enjoys Labor Training, Physical Education, and Music. In his free time, he loves playing football and swimming, which help him cope with stress and keep a positive outlook despite the challenges he faces at home. His health is good for the most part, but he often suffers from seasonal viruses—something closely tied to poor living conditions and limited nutrition.
Ivan carries responsibilities far beyond his age. His daily chores include caring for farm animals, milking the cow, feeding the calf, piglets, and chickens—preparing and carrying firewood, cooking, cleaning, and even caring for his mother’s partner’s sister, who has cerebral palsy and requires constant support. In many ways, Ivan is forced to take on the role of an adult, which weighs heavily on his emotional well‑being, education, and development.
His family situation is extremely difficult. Ivan’s parents are divorced, and his father does not participate in his life or provide support. All responsibility falls on his mother, Liudmyla, who has no stable employment or income. Their past is marked by deep trauma: Ivan’s father struggled with alcohol addiction and committed severe domestic violence, once tying Liudmyla to a car and dragging her along the road. With courage and God’s mercy, she escaped to another village, filed for divorce, and saved her life and her child’s safety. But the wounds of that time remain.
After the divorce, Liudmyla herself began struggling with alcohol, and Ivan now suffers the consequences of her instability. Her new partner also abuses alcohol and is rarely home. As a result, Ivan is often left without proper supervision, guidance, or emotional support. When his mother is absent, he must manage the household alone, carrying burdens no child should ever have to bear.
Financially, the family is in severe crisis. The little money his mother occasionally earns is often spent on alcohol rather than on Ivan’s needs. They frequently lack food, clothing, school supplies, and hygiene products. Sometimes a friend helps him; sometimes kind neighbors share food or clothing. But the need is persistent.
Their living conditions are heartbreaking. The house belongs to the mother’s partner and is old, worn, and unsuitable for children. It has only two small rooms—one occupied by the partner’s sister with a disability, and the other shared by Ivan and his mother. The furniture is old and damaged. There is no bathroom, no shower, and no running water. The toilet is outside. The “kitchen” is set up in the corridor and does not meet sanitary standards.
And yet, despite everything, the home is kept clean because Ivan works hard to maintain dignity in a place where no child should have to live.
When caseworkers first met Ivan, they were deeply moved by his openness, sincerity, and joy for life. Despite violence, instability, and the absence of parental support, he has preserved kindness, compassion, and faith in people. He is a bright, hopeful boy who longs for a better future and has not lost his belief that change is possible.
Ivan urgently needs not only material support, but also emotional and spiritual support. The instability around him, the constant stress, the overwhelming responsibilities, and the lack of adult care place him at serious risk. A stable, loving sponsor could be a lifeline, someone who reflects Christ’s love, brings hope into his life, and helps restore what hardship has taken from him.
Your support could be the answer to Ivan’s prayers. It would bring stability, dignity, and hope to a boy who has endured far too much and open the door to a future filled with possibility, healing, and God’s grace.
