By Kateryna Snisarenko | Project Communications Officer
Dear friends,
Warm holiday season greetings to all of you!
Did you know that during this magical time of the year (when everything is possible) you are able to multiply the good that you do at least by half? If you did not, get ready to find out, because our story begins...
...It begins with a little girl, named Martha, whose mother left her family for another one.
This happened when Martha was less than two years old and even though she also had a loving father, this occasion made a huge negative impact on her. All due to the Soviet-time belief that the father should not take an active part in child's early upbringing. Unfortunately, up until now it still exists in Ukraine and negatively impacts parental capacity of many dads, including little Martha's father. The latter was already devastated being left by his spouse, but realization of the fact that he was also unable to take proper care of his child shook him even more. All in all, the negativity of the situation consumed him, he was self-unconscious and confused and clearly needed external assistance.
As a result, Martha who has a very delicate immune system got sick and was placed in a hospital, which nearly destroyed her dad. However, short-term foster carers came to help. They took over the parental responsibilities while the girl was in the hospital and took her home after she got better.
Not only did they manage to restore Martha’s health in just 1,5 months, they returned confidence to the girl’s father and actually helped him become a capable parent.
“Without the ability to sincerely talk with with the Gnatyk family I would not be able to learn how to care about my own daughter and, most likely, it would not end up well. – said the happy father after reuniting with Martha. – When she was in the hospital, I could not sleep well worrying that she might be taken away from me bacause I am a single father without any considerable father-skills. I realised that, instead of concentrating on our loss, I should value the happiness of having such a little miracle at my side and learn what I should do to keep her happy at all times”.
This example shows how assistance, even very limited in time, can turn hopeless situation into a hopeful one. Martha avoided the trauma of being completely separated from her parent. Her father, at the same time, raised his capacity as a dad and formed a small, but loving and tight family.
Over the last 6 years 29 of the children ever placed in short-term emergency care in Ukraine successfully reunited with their bilogical parents after overcoming similar or even much more difficult circumstances. And while this is a considerable achivement, our project aims for much more. We believe that every child has to grow up and develop in a caring family. Martha’s family was rescued, but there are still many other ones in an urgent need of assistance. These are the families whose true enemy is not parental indifference, but difficult circumstances coming along the way. Such families deserve a chance to be supported and change for the better. Therefore we aim to spread the service of short-term fostering to as many communities as possible.
...And just imagine that in the time of crisis every family will have the opportunity to be supported and every child will be surrounded by family care at all times. At the moment you are able to help us make this vision come true much faster, you can do much more than you might think.
Thanks to the #GivingTuesday campaign supported by GlobalGiving.org, all the donations made on November 29, 2016 will be matched by additional 50%. This means that if you donate 10 USD we will get 15 USD for providing further aid to vulnerable families with children!
All of you have already done so much for our beneficiaries! Please, do consider this opportunity to multiply the good that you generated throughout the project, in order to help boys and girls like Martha stay together with their parents at all times.
Thank you in advance from all of us at Partnership for Every Child! Your support inspires and helps us to do so much more!
Sincerely yours,
Kateryna Snisarenko
Project Communications Officer
...and the whole team of Parntership for Every Child
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