Dear Sponsor,
Hello! My name is Oleksandr, and I live in a city with my mom, my little brother, and my grandma. I’m in the 4th grade, and my favorite subjects in school are Ukrainian and Math. I also really enjoy reading, dancing, and drawing, especially when I get to use lots of colors. I love animals, especially cats and dogs. I like feeding them and spending time with them. One day, I dream of having a chihuahua of my own. They’re so small and cute!
Thank you so much for being my sponsor. It means a lot to me and my family.
Your friend,
Oleksandr
Caseworker Comments:
Oleksandr is a gentle, soft-spoken boy is known for his calm presence and quiet strength. Though naturally introverted and shy, he enjoys walking around his neighborhood, playing sports, and connecting with his neighbors. Life hasn’t been easy, faces bullying and lives with developmental challenges such as speech and cognitive delays. Despite this, Oleksandr shows incredible resilience and helps his mother however he can, especially by lovingly caring for the family’s dogs. Due to financial hardship, his mother struggles to provide the tools and support he needs, but with the right help, Oleksandr’s quiet courage and tender heart hold the promise of a brighter, more confident future.
Oleksandr’s story is one of quiet resilience in the face of overwhelming hardship. His family faces a daily struggle for survival, his parents are divorced, and his father has completely withdrawn, offering no emotional or financial support. His mother, a devoted and courageous woman, is raising Oleksandr and his older brother Roman entirely on her own, with the help of their elderly grandmother, who lives on a small pension. With no stable job, she takes whatever work she can find, selling balloons in the city center, assisting a local entrepreneur, or ironing bed linens just to keep food on the table.
Roman, born in 2010, suffers from a congenital heart defect and, like Oleksandr, lives with developmental delays. Both boys require continuous care and rehabilitation, but the family’s financial hardship makes it impossible to meet even the most essential needs such as nutritious food, clothing, and medical treatment.
Despite the odds, their mother remains a tireless advocate for her sons, doing all she can to create moments of joy and connection. Through the local community organization, We Do Everything Ourselves’, the boys participate in free drawing and dance lessons and receive much-needed psychological support.
The family’s living conditions are extremely deplorable. They all share one small, dimly lit room in a relative’s home, furnished with old, worn-out furniture. The kitchen is cramped into the hallway, leaving barely any space to move. With no indoor plumbing, all water must be hauled from a nearby well, and the toilet is an outdoor structure. There is no bathroom, bathing is done in bowls, and the broken washing machine now functions only as a nightstand.
Yet, in the middle of this adversity, hope still flickers. Oleksandr helps where he can, showing love and responsibility beyond his years. He is a child full of quiet strength, with the potential to grow and flourish if only given the opportunity.
With timely support and sponsorship, we can help change the course of his life by meeting his most basic needs today, and building the foundation for his growth, learning, and brighter future tomorrow.
