Dear Sponsor,
My name is Alina, and I am eleven years old. I am in the sixth grade. During the week, my brother and I stay at a boarding school, and we come home on weekends. On holidays, we spend our time at home with our family. I have one brother and two sisters, and we all live with our dad. My parents are divorced. We also live with Anna, who is not a relative but kindly lets us stay with her. Our home is in a village. My dad works in construction.
My closest friends are Sofiia and Khrystyna. We are in the same class, and we enjoy playing different games together. My favorite food is holubtsi (cabbage rolls).
When I grow up, I want to become a cook and pastry chef so I can make delicious food for others.
Dear Sponsor, my family and I would be very grateful for your help. Your support would mean so much to us.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
With love,
Alina
Caseworker’s Report:
Alina is a kind, calm, and even‑tempered girl whose gentle nature shines even in the midst of hardship. She is diligent in her studies and especially enjoys her Practical Skills class, where she can learn with her hands and express her creativity. At home, she helps with cleaning, cooking, and keeping the house tidy—doing far more than most children her age because she understands the weight her family carries. In her free time, she loves embroidery, drawing, and sports, especially acrobatics. Despite everything she faces, she remains sincere, open‑hearted, and eager to grow into the young woman God created her to be.
Alina is being raised in a large family living in very difficult circumstances. Her parents are divorced, and her mother is unable to care for the children due to alcohol abuse and an inability to fulfill her parental responsibilities. Wanting to protect his children and give them a more stable life, Alina’s father took all four children into his care and now carries the full responsibility of raising them alone.
Right now, the family does not have a home of their own. They live in an old wooden house belonging to a woman who kindly agreed to shelter them, even though she has children of her own. Six people share only two small rooms and a kitchen. The house is in very poor condition: the floors are rotten, the renovation is old and crumbling, and the furniture is worn and second‑hand. There is no gas supply. Heating is done with firewood, which the family must use sparingly because it is expensive and gathering wood from the forest is forbidden. Water is drawn from a well, and the toilet is outside. There is no shower. The home is cold, cramped, and deteriorating, yet it is the only shelter they have.
Alina’s father works hard, but he has no official job or stable income. He survives on temporary construction work, and during the winter months he often has no earnings at all. Every expense—food, clothing, shoes, school transportation, and basic needs—falls on him alone.
The children also face their own challenges. The eldest daughter, Mariana (17), has a 2nd-group disability and developmental delays in reading and writing. She attends school for special needs every day. Vira (16) is in her first year of vocational school, training to become a cook‑confectioner, and she also commutes daily. Two of the younger children attend boarding school during the week and return home only on weekends and school breaks. The financial burden is overwhelming, and their father struggles to provide even the essentials.
Yet through all of this, Alina remains gentle, hopeful, and full of potential. She dreams of becoming a cook and pastry chef so she can create delicious food for others. She has a warm heart, a quiet strength, and a desire to learn and grow—but her circumstances limit her in ways no child should experience.
This family is facing severe financial difficulty. They need help with food, clothing, transportation, school supplies, and other basic necessities. Their situation is extremely deplorable due to the lack of stable housing, the father’s unpredictable income, and the responsibility of caring for four children, including one with a disability.
Support through HART’s Child Sponsorship Program can give Alina something she has never truly had: a stable childhood, the ability to study without fear, and the assurance that someone cares for her and believes in her future. Your support can help lift the weight of poverty from her young shoulders and allow her to experience hope, encouragement, and the love of Christ in a very real and life‑changing way.
