We can only imagine the trauma, anxiety, fear, stress, and uncertainty attached with scooping up one’s children and shuttling them from a war zone to a place of safety. As the months drag by, many are wondering what is next for them. How long will they be homeless, dependent on others for basic needs? Will their lives ever be “normal” again?
We have been heartened to see how AFFEO partners in Ukraine are implementing solutions to these issues for families that have nowhere else to turn. One of these partners is collaborating with local churches in Ukraine to install prefab homes on church properties in order to address the immediate housing needs of families who have children with disabilities and/or foster children.
Tragically, when a family’s needs are not met, children (including children with disabilities) are the most at risk for being abandoned and trafficked during times of crisis. This AFFEO partner and affiliated churches are providing wrap-around support to families, giving them community and ensuring that their needs are met. Once these families can find permanent shelter, each prefab home will be used to bless another family in need—a family like Mykola and Tetyana’s.
Mykola and Tetyana have two young boys, Maksym (12) and Yevheniy (4). Maksym suffers from a severe form of cerebral palsy.
When the bombs started falling in their village, the family hid in a basement for four days. Yevheniy (pictured above) recalls the loud “thunder” he heard. Once it was finally quiet, the family went outside to find everyone gone and their village destroyed.
Our partner and a local church helped this family evacuate to safety, and continues to provide stability through safe shelter and a caring church community. Tetyana, overwhelmed after she walked through their new home, said, through her tears, “Thank you to the kind people of this world!”
Please pray with us that the Lord would continue to bless these efforts and provide the necessary funds for many other vulnerable families to be helped. In addition to the much-needed physical assistance, please pray that needy families like Mykola and Tetyana’s would find healing, safety for their children, peace in stability, and the hope of restoring their lives. We praise God that these temporary shelters protect children and help families remain together!