Dear Sponsor,
My name is Kateryna, and I am eight years old. I live with my mom, who is the best mom, and my older brother, Tymofii. I am in the second grade, and my favorite subjects are art, physical education, and music.
When I have free time, I like to play with my brother. I also help my mom make the bed and tidy up our home. I love riding my bicycle and running races with the other children. My mom takes very good care of me. Every day she cooks delicious food like fried potatoes, dumplings, and pasta.
In the summer, I enjoy traveling and drinking natural juices. In the winter, I always look forward to Christmas, when we all sit together at the dinner table. We always have meat salad and cabbage rolls, and it feels very cozy.
When I grow up, I dream of becoming a teacher because I like how teachers teach us, and I want to help other people too.
Thank you for letting me write this letter and for wanting to help us. I will be very happy to get a reply from you.
Your friend,
Kateryna
Caseworker Comments:
Kateryna is an eight‑year‑old girl whose gentle, joyful spirit shines brightly despite the many challenges her family faces. She lives with her devoted mother and her older brother in a small town. Now in the second grade, Kateryna loves drawing, reading, physical education, and cycling. She is a calm, sincere, and cheerful child—always smiling, always kind, and always ready to help. At home, she keeps her room tidy, assists her mother in the kitchen, and shares a close, loving bond with her brother, who is two years older.
Her mother is raising both children entirely on her own. The parents live separately, and the father has no contact with the children, provides no support, and does not pay child support. As a result, the full weight of providing for the family rests on the mother’s shoulders. She works as a cleaner, earning a very low salary that barely covers their basic needs. With no social benefits to rely on, the family survives solely on her.
They do not have a home of their own. Relatives have allowed them to stay temporarily in a small, Soviet‑era summer house. The residence consists of only one living room, with the kitchen located in the hallway. There is no shower, and the toilet is outside. A wood stove provides heat, requiring constant gathering of firewood during the winter. The house is in extremely deplorable condition—the wooden floors and walls are damaged by moisture, and the entire structure needs major repairs. There is no well on the property, so the family must carry water from their neighbors.
These harsh living conditions have already affected Kateryna’s health. During the cold winter, she suffered from pneumonia due to the dampness and low temperatures inside the house. Thankfully, she has recovered, but the risk remains.
The financial burden on her mother is overwhelming. Monthly expenses for utilities, food, clothing, school supplies, and medicine are a constant struggle. The family often has to cut back on essentials, especially nutritious food and seasonal clothing. Yet despite these hardships, Kateryna’s mother is deeply committed to raising her children with love, stability, and Christian values. She is attentive to their education and health, and the family remains open to the Gospel and spiritual support, regularly communicating with their caseworker and local pastor.
Kateryna is a bright, tender‑hearted child who deserves the chance to grow up in safety and hope. Her family’s difficult social and economic situation, their lack of a permanent home, and their deplorable living conditions place them in urgent need of assistance. Including Kateryna in HART’s Child Sponsorship Program would provide her with essential support—like nutritious food. Sponsorship would not only meet her basic needs but also strengthen her mother’s ability to care for her children and offer them a future filled with possibility.
Supporting Kateryna means investing in a child who is full of potential, kindness, and joy. It means helping a hardworking mother who is doing everything she can with very little. And it means bringing hope, dignity, and stability to a family that truly needs it.
