This is our new friends, the family of Peize. They are refugees from South Ossetia. They were running from death. But it is for us to decide if they get saved or die in their Motherland!

– I'm going to be a beauty doctor, – says funny little Lizzie, in answer to a reporter's question. Do you know what it is? This is such a beautiful aunt that makes hairstyles. She smells so good!!! Let's go and smell her together… She's kind, she'll let you. May I, Mom? – And the child pulled me to the exit…

  There are 5 children in the family, one is more beautiful than the other, but little Gabriel is the favorite one. Mom's attention and all the free time belongs only to him, and the others do not argue with this! Gabriel is ill. He is seriously ill since birth. Everyone understands that he is not destined to understand the little joys that other children have. And when his twin brother, 2-year-old Georgiy, runs and plays, Gabriel cries either from pain or from hunger…

  We had a conversation with their mother Natia, who answered our questions and shared all her innermost feelings.

– Sophia, tell us about your family.

Natia: We have a large family, there are 7 of us in this house. Me, my husband, Dzhumber Pkheidze – he is 39 years old, and our children: Mariam (11), Lizi (9), twins Georgiy and Gabriel (2), and Nini (1).

– They're wonderful, but let's start with Gabriel. What has happen to him?

Natia: Gabriel and Georgiy are twins. Georgiy is healthy and Gabriel has been ill since birth. Gabriel was born with cerebral palsy (ICP) and hydrocephalus (dropsy). My son can't hold his head or turn over. He does not speak, often cries, and lately he has been having frequent seizures and attaques. On the third day after birth, he had surgery to insert a shunt into the hid head to pump out the cerebrospinal fluid that accumulated in the ventricles of the brain.

– What is the most difficult thing in raising a sick child?

Natia: The most difficult thing about raising Gabriel is that I can't understand what's bothering my son. It is not clear why he is constantly crying, because he is in pain or because he is hungry.

– What advice do you want to give mothers in the same dire situation as yours?

Natia: I advise all mothers to be patient. No one else will do it. No one else will love your children. To sit back and wait for things to change and cry is to lose the energy that you should be using to help your child. I am not the first, and, unfortunately, I am not the last mother who has a sick child. Bear your cross with dignity!

– Natia, what is the main problem of your family?

Natia: I have 5 children, three of them are from one to two years old, and my husband is out of work. We have no means of support. We need diapers and food, and treatment for the sick child. Every two months, Gabriel passes treatment to alleviate the symptoms of cerebral palsy, but he can't stand yet or walk on his own, he sits in a wheelchair and when he gets tired he cries. Doctors say that more massages are needed, and the 10 procedures that the state finances are not enough. We need a consultation with a neurologist, and each consultation costs money, 15-20 lari, and we do not have money. See, I'm speaking only about my son, as if the others have an easy life!

  – Tell us how you met your husband, how you created a family.

Natia: Oh, you have just awakened such feelings in me... The feelings which I did not remember... We met in Samachablo (South Ossetia) when we were adults (24 and 26 years old). We were introduced to each other by mutual friends. They said separately to Jumber and separately to me: "It's time to get married, your whole life has already passed." Jumber said he wasn't going to start a family until he got back on his feet, and I said I hadn't found my only love yet. So we were brought together. As if by accident. But there is nothing accidental in life! We started texting, then met a couple of times and he proposed to me! He said that our meeting was our fate, that he dreamed of a big family.

I agreed. He's a hard-working guy, he's got good hands and he's strong. We started living together. The wedding was not celebrated, as the situation in South Ossetia was already unsettled. When I was pregnant I had to leave my hometown and run away… My husband stayed there until the last resident was taken out. How worried I was! He texted me every day: "I'm alive, don't worry, I'll see you soon, I love you."

– Who supports you? Without support you probably would not have managed?

  Natia: My husband's Mother and my parents are also refugees and live in the same settlement. They are very helpful in caring for children. They can't afford it financially, because they live in the same conditions and are also poor. If it was not for our parents, we would not have managed everything. They were the ones who supported us in our time of need. When I found out I was pregnant with twins, I got excited. We could barely support two children, and now we were going to have twins. My mother-in-law Marina was the first to find out about this and said: "While we can still help physically, give birth without fail! This is the best thing you can do for the Lord and for Georgia" and I was empowered by her words! And I am so grateful to her for that. My mother-in-law raised her son to be a patriot and a good person, and that's how we raise our children.

– What were your dreams when you started a family? Did you ever think that such a misfortune could happen to you?

 Natia: We never thought that such a misfortune would befall the family, because the previous children are completely healthy. And even Gabriel's twin brother develops in age. We dreamed of a big, strong family, healthy children. It is very difficult to live now, having a willing but no possibility to help the child.

– Does the state support you in any way?  – And have you asked for the help from the local authorities and deputies?

Natia: The program of free assistance to children with cerebral palsy includes a speech therapist's consultation and 10 massages, but doctors say that more procedures are needed to help the child, and to ease his suffering.

– What do you believe in? What do you see as salvation? Do you believe in God?

Natia: I believe in love, I believe in kindness, I believe that God sees and hears everything... He will hear my prayers and send good people. Everyone in our settlement is a refugee, life is not sweet for everyone, but I know that helping each other is in the blood of Georgians!

– Tell us about the children, do they go to school?

Natia: Of course, the older girls go to school. Mariam in the 6th grade, Lizi is in the 4th. The girls are talented. Mariam wants to become a dentist, but Lizi is lazier. Everything is easy for her, but she does not have perseverance. She wants to become a stylist and cut children's hair. They're home now. They just need a laptop for distance learning, and we don't have one.

The children do not have a normal diet. They can be treated to meat or dairy products once a month or once every two months. Mostly children eat soups with cereals and pasta. We used to bake bread, but now the oven at the gas stove has deteriorated, so baking bread is no longer possible.

– Let me talk to the kids now. Kids, let's talk to you, can we? How are you doing?  What games do you like to play? How do you help mom and dad? What is your dream of?

Mariam (11 years old): Hello, I am doing well. I don't have to go to school now, and it's kind of nice. Not quite, but just a little!

Don't think anything wrong, I love to learn. Well, not really, but I know what I need. Recently I had a toothache and was taken to the doctor. A dentist, you know? So I decided that I would become a dentist. They have such beautiful tools and such cleanliness in their offices... for this I need to learn, so I learn, I do not resist.

And so my sister and I love to play catch, hide and seek, and ride a bike! But who will lend you a bicycle? Nobody! I feel bad that everyone in the class has a bicycle and we don't.  We dream of a bicycle. And we help my mother with Gabriel. We change his diapers. Ugh, it's not a good job, but he's our brother. And we sweep and wash the dishes! We are good children.

Lizzie (9 years old): I don't know what I'm going to be. Probably I'd like to become a "beauty specialist", do you know who this is? This is an aunt who makes beautiful hairstyles and smells delicious. I'm glad there's no school, either. Learning at home is much more fun! But we don't have a computer, and my mother's phone doesn't show everything. She has an old one. Oh, we want a bike so much! We would ride it... We would not have to ask and run after the boys, they are not friends with girls! They say, we don't touch your dolls, so don't touch our bikes! Fools! If we have a bike, we won't lend it to them either.

– You're so smart! And now I'm going to talk to your mother again. – What's your family's income? What can you afford?

Natia: The child's disability pension is about 160 gel. I receive social allowance in the amount of 180 lari. My husband used to work at a shop in Tserovani, he received very little, not enough for anything.  Then he started going to work in Tbilisi, but after the coronavirus epidemic he no longer works. We won't last that long!

– What is your most cherished dream?

Natia: We need food, but we don't have enough money for it. We also need diapers, at least 10 pieces a day are needed for three children. I used to borrow money, but now I can't even borrow money. We need money for tests and procedures for sick Gabriel. Beds would be nice, bunk beds, as little Nini still sleeps in the stroller, all the time I'm afraid that she will fall out. The gas oven has deteriorated, we can no longer bake bread ourselves.

– How did you come across our Fund? – Why did you decide to contact us?

Natia: There are several families in the refugee settlement who were helped by the Chernovetskyi Fund, and they gave us your contacts. They said that you helped them a lot, that you were honest and responsive. And usually people do not trust any funds! They come, take a picture and forget about you. And we believe in Chernovetskyi Fund!

– Do you want to meet friends of the Fund? Find new friends?

Natia: Friends of the Fund are our friends. We will be happy to see them all.

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Friends, as you can see, Pkheidze large family is in extreme need. The family is in need of food, diapers, household appliances and beds!

  Let's support them, show mercy, give the children a chance to develop normally and have a happy childhood. You can personally visit this family and provide assistance. The children and their parents will be merely happy! Call Natia, find out about her needs, cheer her up, support her, tell her that she is not alone and that nobody will leave them alone in their trouble! It is very important.

Here is their address: Tserovani, Refugee Settlement, row 5. Tel: 02 551 73 45

Dear friends, Chernovetskyi Fund initiates a charitable action: to help the Pkheidze family. As you know, the Fund does not stop at one-time assistance. Without children, the country and people have no future. Take care of the younger generation! Help them survive! "Write them down" as your relatives. And we are sure that the Lord himself will bless you.

And be sure to repost our publication. Let all your friends know about the grief of this family! It is very important.

God gives us the opportunity to take care of people who are not able to do it themselves. Not all people are the same. And not everyone is as kind as we are. Please, do not pass aside the sorrow of others! Unhappy people are given to us from above so that we can prove our faith to the Almighty not in words but in deeds!

Friends, there is one more request, if you know about the misfortune of a neighbor or friend, do a Charitable deed, write to us by e-mail: office-fsp@fsp.ge

Our Fund account GE15TB7194336080100003, GE42LB0115113036665000 or GE64BG0000000470458000 (purpose: Pkheidze family). You can also transfer money from our website.

You can as well transfer money from the terminals of OPPA, TBCpay and ExpressPay. Find our Fund in "Charity" section. (You can learn about the additional rights and obligations of the Fund by following the link https://goo.gl/GY2Gus).