"I met this woman Lidia four years ago. She is half Russian, half Chechen. Lidia has 5 children who are now being helped through our social aid work. The family now receives a large carrier bag with food, toothpaste, soap etc. every week. This has brought hope to the family and great joy and gratitude," says Viktoria*, who leads the work.
Poor conditions in a dilapidated house
"Four years ago when I visited the family, they lived in a very dilapidated house that had been abandoned by the previous owners. At that time they had 4 children who were all hungry and sheltered".
A house without light and water
"In the house there was no light or water. They got water from the neighbors, and otherwise they had to walk a long way to the well.
Much of the roof was damaged and there were large holes in the roof, allowing rain to pour into the house. The walls were damp and there was fungus and mold in the house. They had an old stove that was leaking, so there was often smoke in the house. The windows were covered with plastic to keep the heat in. They had no washing machine or fridge, and the area where the house was located was a really bad neighborhood where many homeless alcoholics lived," says Viktoria.
Lidia's children were not taken from her
"We started feeding the family 4 years ago by giving them food once a week, and sometimes a little more, like when someone in our church bought them a bag of flour, rice and potatoes. But our help to this impoverished family of children was not enough and they were always hungry when I met them. That winter, the social authorities came and wanted to take the children away from them and move them to an orphanage because their living conditions were so miserable, but that didn't happen. There are indications that it was because they heard that we had started helping the family."
