- Maka (13-year-old) calls her mother for help, she can't stand to see her one-year-old brother Nika suffering. The baby was born premature, he spent two months at an intensive care unit, he has two hernias and a neurological disorder. His mother Lela (30 years old) has no means for his treatment and is ready to die of her own helplessness! 

 - Oh God, why should he suffer? Give his diseases to me! Let me be sick, and not him, he is such a baby! - poor single mother Lela sobs.

 Lela Gulishvili is completely alone in the whole world, and she raises her daughter Maka (15-year-old) and son Nika (1-year old), who needs treatment, but she has no means even to buy proper food for her children. They permanently move from one rented apartment to another, do not get enough food to eat and are deprived of any amenities. Poor woman is ready for anything to somehow feed her children and not leave them homeless. 

 Nobody, no one else cares about the life of these children! They are hungry and cold, and they are overtired of seeking shelters at someone else’s place.

 Look at Nika (1-year-old), doesn’t he deserve to be healthy? Doesn't he deserve a decent life?

 Georgians never leave their compatriots behind, and we all know there are no “someone else’s children”.

- Lela, what trouble made you address us?

Lela: We always used to live a hard life, but during the last year the life turned into a nightmare. My younger son Nika was born premature with a lot of problems, he spent two months at the intensive care unit! You know, I visited him every single day, and all the time I was afraid to hear that my son was gone!

But with the help of God he survived. Moreover, he does not suffer any serious pathologies. Thank God!

But still, there are some problems that can cause serious consequences in the future unless we take care of the child now. The treatment requires quite serious funds. But we can only afford to have bread and water... (She sobs)

- What specific problems does Nika have?

Lela: He has two hernias: an inguinal hernia and an umbilical one. He suffers so much, my poor baby. The hernia swells up when he cries. We have no money for a scheduled operation, and the state only finances the urgent ones. 

Besides that, the doctors diagnosed him phimosis, and Nika needs urgent surgery, which costs 60 GEL. But we have no money and the state does not finance that, I have no idea what to do! He is very nervous and irritable and does not sleep well. Doctors recommended us to take cranial ultrasound scan again, to make sure he does not suffer any neurological pathology. He does not eat well, he is one year old, but his weight is only 7 kg. Besides that, he cannot sit well, he needs to have a massage course. All the costs are unfordable for us, and I don’t know how to help my baby.

My elder daughter Maka (13-year-old) needs to have her tonsils out, and the state covers only a half of the surgery costs. I keep seeking for the remaining money, because the state financing deadline will come soon, and nobody will allow me to re-appeal.

- Lela, how did you find yourself in such a condition? Do you raise your children alone?

Lela: Yes. I was only 17 when I got married. My husband kidnapped me, and I was afraid to return back home. You know, the traditions... He is 7 years older than me and we hardly knew each other. At the beginning everything was okay, I was dreaming about a big and strong family. But quite soon my husband started having problems with alcohol. He became aggressive, and I was not able to tolerate our permanent baseless squabbles. So I took my children and left for Tbilisi. In the nowhere. My husband has never got interested in our life.

My brother and my sister-in-law sheltered us for a while. They are socially disadvantaged, raising two children and barely making ends meet. I found a job and moved to a rented apartment. I used to work in a night shift at a dry cleaning, and as a saleswoman - at a marketplace. I did manage to survive somehow together with my children. But I have a health issues too. Several years ago, I had two operations: spine hernia surgery and an ovary removal surgery. 

- Do you parents or relatives help you?

Lela: I lost my mom, the dearest and most caring person in the world, 11 years ago. It was heart attack. After my mother’s death my father broke up, he got sick, he had a stroke, he can only walk with walking stick. He himself needs care. I have nobody to count on.

 How did you imagine your future? What plans did you make together with your husband?

Lela: I wanted to live a quiet family life, to have children. My husband used to work. He promised me that everything would be okay. But apparently it was not supposed to happen. So, I decided that it would be better for the children to grow up without a father - rather than seeing us squabbling. 

- We are so sorry! And did you address anybody for help? The local government, for instance?

Lela: I appealed to many organizations. I wrote to all kind of authorities begging for help! My baby needs medical aid, and can you imagine, that everyone refused to help us! I also asked to help me with the rent, I asked for dinning in the social canteen, but nobody paid attention to me! The only thing that I managed to achieve, was getting financed for my eldest daughter’s tonsils surgery, but only for a half of the cost. And where can I get the rest of the money? It’s an incredible amount of about 400 GEL!

- What do you believe in, Lela? What can be the salvation? 

Lela: Only faith! You know, every time when I find myself in a hard situation, I always manage to find a way out. I believe that God is merciful, he would never leave his child. For instance, now when I almost lost any hope, Lord has brought you to my home. 

- Do you believe in the kindness of strangers?

Lela: Yes, for sure! Maka’s classmates, who know about the hardships we face, collect clothes and toys for my children. Another time when we had no money to pay the rent, they just gathered some money for us!

- Tell me, please, about your children. Do they go to school?

Lela: The eldest, Maka (13-year-old) is my hope, I am proud of her! She is very talented, she is good at drawing, and she even writes poetry. She wants to attend drawing classes, but I cannot pay for it. She helps me with the baby a lot. Feeds him, bathes him. I have one more son, Nugzar (11-year-old). It hurts so much to talk about him. He got tired of misery and refused to live with us. He left for the village to his grandmother’s place. Well, the child has a right to choose where to live - where he feels better. I want him so much to forgive me for not being able to provide a decent life to him, and to his sister and brother. God can see, I am doing my best! Nikusha (1-year-old) is still a baby. He needs medical aid now, to grow up and to become healthy. He needs adequate food for that, but meat, cheese, vegetables is luxury for us, which we cannot afford.

- What do your children eat? What is their everyday diet?

Lela: I make soups for them, porridge, pasta. Sometimes I borrow dairy products in the shop, but I have no place to store them, I have no fridge here. 

- Have you got a flat of your own?

Lela: No, it’s an unachievable dream for me! Since I left my husband, we have had to move from one rented apartment to another. And as far as I am unable to pay rent on time, they permanently let us out. My poor girl keeps changing schools. As soon as she gets used to one class, she has to move to another.

We used to live in a terrible shed before, with no amenities there. It was so dump there, that even clothes and toys got rotten. This place is much better. It’s enough space here, two rooms and a kitchen. But we have no appliances, no TV, no fridge. Nothing! We have no room to store food, I am not talking about a huge volume of washing you have with the baby, which I have to wash by hand, but it’s a hard job for me because of my spine.

- What is your income? What means do you live on?

Lela: I used to work, before Nika was born so that we at least were not starving. And now I can’t leave him for a long time with his elder sister, she’s still a child too. Sometimes I have some side-work as a cleaner, plus we get 200 GEL of social allowance and 60 GEL food coupons for the kids. That’s all! We have to pay 300 GEL for the rent, plus we also have to pay utility costs and buy food. You see, we have no means even for the basic stuff.

- I would like to talk to your daughter, if it’s possible? Maka, tell me a little bit about you. Where do you study, what are your hobbies?

Maka (13-year-old): I think the most interesting subject is history. I always enjoy learning it. But when the quarantine started, I missed almost the whole semester. I tried to study at home not to get behind. But I had no chance to attend the lessons. The school tablet went out of order long ago, and mom’s phone is too old. Actually, I’d like to become a painter or a famous writer. I like to draw, everybody says, I’m good at that. I also write poetry, do you want me to read? Hope you will like it! 

- You are a very talented and wonderful girl, Maka! I'm just sure you will succeed, and you will achieve a lot in your life! The employees of the Fund will be excited of your drawings and poems! What is your favorite book or movie?

Maka (13-year-old): Recently I took a book at the school library, it was about Sherlock Holmes. I liked it so much! Incredibly much! I’d like to watch a movie too, but we have no TV.

- What do you need to feel happy? What would you like to have most of all?

Maka (13-year-old): A computer, for sure! I want to study. And besides that, you can find so many interesting things, any books, any information, films and videos. And also... I want to stop moving from one home to another. Mother says, if we only had a tiny room at least with one bed of our own!

- Do you have a best friend?

Maka (13-year-old): We constantly move from one place to another, so I have no time to make friends with anybody. But we are very close with my former classmate Mariam. She is a very kind and a very smart girl. But my best friend is my mother. I tell her everything, she is the best mother in the world! She always understands me.

- Do you take care of your little brother?

Maka (13-year-old): Yes, of course! He is so sweet! When nothing hurts him. Good and cheerful. But when he starts crying and gets cranky, I know that his tummy hurts again.

- Maka, what do you want to wish to all children of Georgia?

Maka (13-year-old): I wish them all their dreams come true! I wish them to be healthy and happy, and to be never in need! Dreams come true - you only have to believe!

- Maka, all your dreams will come true for sure! And we will try to help you with it. 

-Lela, what do you think, you need most in your home?

Lela: We need any kind of help. If it were not for my son’s illness and the desperate need, I would never bother you! The most important now is medical aid for Nika, the surgery, cranial ultrasound scan, massage. It’s about 1000 GEL in total. 

My children are undernourished, I have no money either for food or for diapers. A washing machine, TV - we can only dream about that. My daughter needs a computer. She is a very talented girl, I cannot deprive her of an opportunity to learn. 

We would be glad to see anybody who visits us, because we are almost alone. Maybe some good friends of the Fund would like to meet us.

- Lela, what is your biggest dream?

Lela: I pray day and night only for the health of my children! I don’t need anything else! I want them to be happy and healthy. I want them to have a roof over their heads. I want them not to starve having just pasta and buckwheat.

- Why did you decide to address us?

Lela: Everybody says you really help people, and it gave hope to me. I saw your Facebook page, you’ve made so many people happy! You are doing a good deed and God will bless you and all the friends of the fund! 

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Lela Gulishvili and her children urgently need help of their compatriots, of all of us, friends! Nikusha (1-year-old) and Maka 13-year-old) are growing up without their father, and their poor mother is unable to give them a decent life. 

Little Nika (1-year-old) urgently needs medical aid, but his mother has no money for his treatment, and all state authorities just closed their doors in front of her. 

The children are undernourished, they are deprived of all joys of carefree childhood. The family needs all kind of help with Nika’s treatment, food, diapers, a washing machine, a TV, a computer for Maka (13-year-old), who cannot study without it!

Can we pass by this trouble? When we are helping those in need we open our hearts to God and come closer to him!

Call Lela, cheer her up and give her a hope for tomorrow. Phone: 557 477137  Lela Gulishvili.

Visit the family, their address is: Tbilisi, Gldani, II Microdistrict, block 29, apartment 44. 

Please repost our publication. Let you friends know about the Gulishvili family and the challenges they face! It’s extremely important!

God gives us chances to care about people who are unable to take care of themselves. Those poor people are sent to us by heaven so that we could prove not by words, but in deeds that we trust in God!

Friends, there is one more request - if you know about the misfortune of a neighbor or friend do a godly deed, drop us an email at: office-fsp@fsp.ge 

 Our Fund’s accounts are: 

#GE15TB7194336080100003

#GE42LB0115113036665000

#GE64BG0000000470458000 

(purpose: Lela Gulishvili) 

You can also transfer money from our website.

It is also possible to transfer money from Nova Technology, TBCpay and ExpressPay terminals. Find our Fund under "Charity" section. You can read more about rights and responsibilities of the Fund following the link https://goo.gl/GY2Gus

We have already helped many disadvantaged people! Let’s support Lela Gulishvili and her children, as no one is immune to bad luck! And who knows, maybe someday we ourselves will need help of strangers!

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