Dear Sponsor,
My name is Amira. I am 4 years old, and very soon I will turn 5. I live in a small village. My father does not work, and my mother is a homemaker. Right now, she is on maternity leave, taking care of my little brother.
My best friend is my older sister, Anna. She is very kind to me. She plays different games with me, teaches me how to count, shows me letters and numbers, and helps me learn to draw flowers. At Christmas, my family and I go to church for the celebration. It is always very exciting because they give us gifts there. In the summer, we play at home, and sometimes we all go together to the lake to swim.
I love eating dumplings and mashed potatoes, and I also really enjoy sweets. At home, we usually eat soup, borscht, and different kinds of porridge. On holidays, my mom buys us sausages, which are very tasty and feel special. I am still little, so I don’t yet know what I want to be when I grow up.
Dear Sponsor, I want to sincerely thank you for your kind heart and for everything you will do for me and my family. May God bless you abundantly, and may He bless your family and your country with peace and love.
With respect and love,
Amira
(This letter was written by my sister Anna.)
Caseworker Comments:
Amira is a very smart, sweet, and sociable little girl. At just four years old, she already shows a bright curiosity about the world. She loves playing with dolls, drawing, talking, asking endless questions, and sharing her thoughts with those around her. She has a warm and loving relationship with her older sister Anna. Together, they play, draw, and learn. Their bond is a source of joy and comfort in a home filled with challenges.
Behind Amira’s cheerful personality lies a family living in critically difficult conditions. Her father is unemployed and struggles with alcoholism. Whatever small amounts of money he earns from odd jobs for neighbors are immediately spent on alcohol and cigarettes. When drunk, he becomes aggressive — shouting at the children and their mother, starting fights, and even destroying household items. In one instance, he dug out the metal posts from around the yard and sold them for scrap, using the money for alcohol and tobacco. The children live in fear of their father. When he comes home drunk, they cry and hide with their mother until he falls asleep. In the morning, he remembers nothing. At times, their mother has had to threaten to call the police just to protect her children from his aggression.
The mother bears the full weight of caring for nine children alone. She cooks, washes them in basins because there is no bathroom, heats the home with a wood stove, and prepares firewood, exhausting tasks that take all her strength.
The family’s home is extremely deplorable. There is no running water, gas, toilet, or bathroom. The house legally belongs to the father’s mother, who refuses to transfer ownership, fearing her son might sell or destroy it. In winter, the children suffer from the cold, and the effort required to gather firewood and keep the house warm leaves their mother physically drained. The family has no stable income, and their living conditions are unsafe and exhausting. The situation is so serious that it requires constant supervision by a social worker, as well as psychological assistance for both parents. The children desperately need safety, stability, and access to basic necessities such as food, clothing, and hygiene supplies. Their mother, though devoted and hardworking, is overwhelmed and cannot provide proper living conditions without outside help.
Despite these hardships, Amira remains a bright and cheerful child. She is sociable, eager to learn, and full of life. But without support, her potential risks being overshadowed by the poverty and instability surrounding her. Given the critical circumstances, the father’s alcoholism, his violent and unpredictable behavior, the lack of basic living conditions, and the family’s poverty — Amira urgently needs to be included in HART’s Child Sponsorship Program. Sponsorship would provide her with a safe and stable environment, ensure her physical and emotional development, and ease the heavy burden carried by her mother.
Clothing, bedding, and curtains donated by local residents are occasionally delivered to the family by me (Mariia), who I will serve as the caseworker for this family. But the need is far greater.
