Shade for Children General Fund

As winter winds down with just a few more weeks until the official beginning of Spring (March 1 in Ukraine), there's not much to report about this fund. We had a generous end-of-the-year giving season that put us in a good financial position going into this new year. So far this year, quarantines have been less severe than this time last year and we have been able to travel and visit orphaned children and struggling families which means we've increased our expenses compared to last year.

We've been thinking and strategizing a lot about the possible ramifications of a Russian invasion of parts of Ukraine. More accurately, I should say, a further invasion, because in reality Russia invaded in 2014 and has occupied about 7% of Ukraine's landmass since then. If there is further aggression then we expect the plight of orphaned and vulnerable children to increase significantly. There will be a huge influx of internally displaced people from Eastern Ukraine and we'll see more children arriving in the State orphanages and more families facing economic hardships. The need for the work we do will increase substantially. That's one of the reasons for which this fund exists. We are grateful to those of you who have contributed.

Greetings from Ukraine.

The purpose of the Shade for Children General Fund campaign is to generate funds for ongoing ministry. Fortunately, the orphanages have been open to us throughout the summer and into mid-Autumn which means our teams have made visits on a weekly basis. The general fund campaign reimburses volunteers for travel and supply expenses. An example of supply expenses includes providing cakes and party favors for birthday parties in the orphanages, normally on a monthly basis.

General funds also cover transportation costs and humanitarian aid for monthly visits with families-in-crises. We are working with two foster families (one with 8 foster children, and the other with five foster children), and with two other families, one that was recently reunified (that is, their child returned home from an orphanage), and another family with one child in an orphanage and three home. We're hoping the institutionalized child will return home soon.

We also covered expenses for a child from another family at risk to attend a rehabilitation camp near Odessa. The child was referred to us by Uzhhorod Social Services.

Thank you for monthly and one-time gifts that help us advocate for family preservation and reunification, domestic adoption and foster care, and building social and relational safety nets for orphaned and vulnerable children.