Dear sponsor,
My name is Yurii. I am 3 years old, and I live in a village in Ukraine. I live with my mom and my family. My dad is a soldier and serves in the army, and my mom takes care of me and our home. I love being with my family very much.
I go to kindergarten. I ride the bus there and stay during the day. I like my kindergarten because we learn songs and carols, and I really enjoy drawing. Drawing is one of my favorite things to do.
I also go to a group organized by the Red Cross, where we draw, make crafts, and watch puppet shows. My best friend is Oleh. He is kind to me. We like to play together. I enjoy puzzles and building blocks, and at home I like playing with my brother and my cat.
At Christmas, I spend time with my family and eat sweets. I also like fruits and dumplings. On holidays, we have special food like sausage and cabbage rolls. In my free time, I like to play, draw, and watch other children play. I am still very small, so I do not know yet what I want to be when I grow up.
Thank you very much for wanting to help me and my family. I am happy that I can write to you. I would be glad to receive a letter from you and get to know you better.
With love,
Yurii
Caseworker Comments:
Yurii is a sweet little boy with a bright spirit and a big personality. He is cheerful, kind, energetic, and full of curiosity—always asking questions and eager to learn something new each day. At home, he is a wonderful helper to his mother, sweeping the floor and putting away his toys with pride. In kindergarten, he loves drawing and dancing with his classmates. Although he is generally healthy, the lack of proper resources means he often becomes sick with seasonal colds and flus.
Yurii is the youngest child in a large family facing very difficult living and social conditions. He lives with his mother, older brother, and older sister. His mother, Tetiana, is on maternity leave and carries the full responsibility of caring for all three children on her own. Yurii’s father, Serhii, is serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and is currently stationed far away from their home. Because of his military service, he cannot be with his family regularly. The children miss him deeply, often asking when he will come home, and struggle emotionally each time he must leave again.
The family cannot depend on financial support from the father, as he must cover his own needs while serving. This leaves the mother with very limited means to provide for the children. They live in the grandfather’s house, a small brick home built more than 90 years ago. It is cold, uninsulated, and lacks basic necessities—there is no gas, no running water, and no indoor bathroom. The toilet is outside, and water must be drawn from a well in the yard. Heating is done with firewood, which is often not enough during the harsh winter months. Because the house is so old and difficult to heat, the entire family is forced to live together in one small room.
The family does not own the house and has no legal documents for it. Their only stable income is a government benefit of 2,100 UAH ($66 CAD) per month for large families—an amount far too small to cover food, clothing, shoes, hygiene items, medical care, and school supplies for three young children. The mother does everything she can, but the needs are simply greater than what she can provide. There are times when even food is not enough.
Despite these hardships, Yurii’s mother works hard to keep a loving, peaceful atmosphere in the home. She supports her children emotionally and spiritually, doing her best to give them a sense of safety. But the father’s absence, the unstable financial situation, and the extremely poor living conditions make daily life very difficult.
For these reasons, the family urgently needs support through HART’s Child Sponsorship Program. Sponsorship would help provide Yurii and his siblings with food and the basic necessities every child deserves. It would also help improve their living conditions and give them stability during this very difficult time for their country. Your support would be a blessing to this family—an answer to their prayers—and would help Yurii grow up in safety, care, and hope for a brighter future.
