Today the poor orphans, Gabriel (5-year-old) and Ilya (9-year-old), have only a portrait in a black frame, as a memory of their beloved and caring father. And their mother, Marekhi Chkhvimiani (41-year-old), the unfortunate widow, is choking on grief and keeps mourning her deceased husband.

“We became orphans, - the poor woman sobs. - With the death of my husband, the earth seemed to have gone from under our feet ... He was our support and protector, and now, we are completely alone. I don't know how to raise my sons alone without him ... "

Friends! Marekhi and her two wonderful kids, Gabriel and Ilya, were left without a breadwinner, without a dear spouse and dad, without support and protection. The disease took his life two years ago. He was a veteran of the war in Abkhazia, a participant in hostilities in Ossetia and many times exposed his life to danger for the welfare of our Motherland - beautiful Georgia. Now his family needs our help.

The widow and the two little orphans live in terrible conditions, even starving sometimes. The miserable woman driven to despair addressed us with Faith in the Lord and with hope in good people. Their father defended Georgia, and now we must protect them!

- Marekhi, tell me please what misfortune brought you to our Fund? What is the main problem of your family?

Marekhi: Poverty and total despair. I can’t stand looking into the hungry eyes of my children anymore and constantly refusing them everything. We have never lived richly, but after my husband passed away two years ago, our situation became just terrible. 

- It probably hurts you to talk about it, but if possible, tell me how it happened?

Marekhi: My husband was a military man, all his life he served our Motherland with faith and truth. He went through the war in Abkhazia, the hostilities in Ossetia ... It was there he caught cold after lying in the snow. In Tbilisi, doctors misdiagnosed him, pneumonia, and treated him incorrectly. It turned out that he had heart muscle inflammation, and it was already impossible to do anything. Words cannot describe what we had to go through in eight years. My husband was implanted a pacemaker, he was constantly treated, he spent most of his time at hospital. He died there 2 years ago ... (Cries.) Do you know the worst thing? The fact that throughout all these years the fear that he might fall asleep and never wake up never left me ... Several times his heart stopped, he fell right in front of the children. Our eldest son Ilya cannot forget this until now, I feel how he is going through ... Perhaps that is why he is so withdrawn ... Poor fellow, what he had to pass through! 

 - Could you tell us how you met your love, how your husband romanced you?

Marekhi: Me and Bachuki are both refugees from Abkhazia. My mother and I managed to leave Gagra in time. In fact, I did not see all the horrors of the war. But my husband fought there. He did not like to talk about it and did not tell me anything. We met 15 years ago here, at Ushba hotel, at a friend’s birthday party. We liked each other, met for some time, everything was beautiful, like in a fairy tale ... We dreamed about having a friendly family, kids ... But unfortunately, after the marriage we had no children for five years! I was constantly being treated, all the funds were spent on it. I lost my babies seven times in my third month of pregnancy. Seven times, you see! Seven times I was preparing to become a mother, I was jubilant - and suddenly the babies died! This is horrible... But the Lord is merciful, he saw that I was eager to become a mother, and he gave me two wonderful sons! I am so grateful to the Almighty for that!

- How did you see your future, what other plans did you make?

Marekhi: In order to save money for an apartment and have our own roof over the head, Bachuki went to serve as a mercenary to Iraq. But unfortunately, it was then that the war began in Ossetia and he was recalled to be sent there. He returned from Ossetia a seriously ill, as I said. He needed constant care, and the children were small, there was no one to leave them with, so I could not work. For eight years I was a bystander of my dear husband’s torment ... His legs and arms were swollen, he was constantly short of air ... He felt very bad ... You have no idea what a wonderful, loving and caring husband and father he was ... (Cries.)

– Does anybody help you? Parents or relatives?

Marekhi: My parents are already old, they live very far away, in a village, in Svaneti. My father-in-law and mother-in-law died several years ago. My husband has two sisters, but they also live in poverty. My sisters and brother live in poverty too, they are refugees and socially disadvantaged... 

- We are so sorry! Did you address the local authorities for help?

Marekhi: Yes, of course! When my husband passed away the district administration and the city hall transferred to me 800 GEL for the funeral. And we are also on a housing waiting list, but only God knows when this miracle happens... You can see how we live... A tiny room in a rotten hotel building, water coming from the ceiling, and it’s absolutely impossible to enter the bathroom ... Rot, stench and horror all around ...

– What is your income? What’s it enough for?

Marekhi: We get the social allowance, plus each of my orphans gets 100 GEL, plus 22 GEL veteran’s pension. It’s about 400 total plus food coupons. What can it be enough for? Just not to die of hunger. I cannot work for the children are still little and they need attention all the time. That’s how we live. Believe it or not, sometimes a water-based soup is our food for the whole day.

– Do you believe in the kindness of strangers?

Marekhi: Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of kind and softhearted people in our country. And your Fund is a good example of that. I keep following your Facebook page, I see how many unfortunate people you help, and most importantly, you give all people living in Georgia the opportunity to lend a helping hand to their neighbors. When it became completely unbearable for us, I decided to write to you, because there is no one else I can ask for help ...

- Do you believe in God? In what do you see the salvation? 

Marekhi: Only Faith in God does not let me lose heart. The Lord gives me strength to overcome the terrible pain I felt after the loss of my dear husband. My children need me and I must be strong for their sake. I have a confessor, I take my sons to church as often as I can, for the communion and joining the church.

- Please tell me more about your children. Do they go to school and kindergarten? What are their hobbies?

Marekhi: Ilia is 9 and he goes to the 3rd form. He pleases me so much! He is good at Math. As socially disadvantaged we are eligible to attend clubs for free. I used to take Ilia to the swimming club, but then everything closed due to the coronavirus. Gabriel is only five years old. Last year I took him to the kindergarten. By the way, it helped a lot: when the kindergartens were closed during the pandemic, they gave us food home. The boys loved their father so much that they took his death very hard. Ilya became unsociable, as if he understood how painful it was for me, keeping silence. And little Gabriel keeps talking wherever we go: “We have been here with dad, he said so then or did so… He promised me this or that…” And I hide my tears ...

-Can I talk to the boys, please? Hi, Ilia! Can you tell me about yourself? How do you study, which subject do you like most?

Ilia (9-year-old): I study well and always get “tens” to please my mommy. Daddy is no longer with us, and she is always sad, but when I get “tens” she smiles. I love math most of all, I like solving math problems.

- Do you help your mother?

Ilia: Yes, of course! I help her to tidy up the room and always obey her.

– What will you become when you grow up?

Ilia: A policeman! I will drive a car with a siren and police lights and keep order!

- What are you dreaming about, Ilia?

Ilia: I really want a bike, a neighbor boy lends me his bike sometimes, but I want to have mine so that we could ride together! It’s a fun! I also want to have a computer to study. There are so many interesting things on the Internet. You can find anything there, and you can also watch cartoons or play.

-  What about you, Gabriel? What are you dreaming about?

Gabriel: I want toys and a rifle. Bang-bang! There are many toys in the kindergarten, but it is closed now and I have to stay at home. It’s boring to be at home, but we play hide-and-seek in the yard when the weather is good.

- And why the rifle?

Gabriel: I want to be a soldier like daddy! I will be strong and brave!

– What is your favorite cartoon?

Gabriel: Spiderman, it’s so cool when he makes the spiderweb and jumps on the roofs. 

- Boys, what would you wish to all children living in Georgia?

Ilia: I wish them health and joy and their parents always to be healthy. 

– Marekhi, what is your biggest dream?

Marekhi: I only dream that my children would have a roof over their heads. My heart aches when I look at them. They lost their dear father, they suffered so much, and I am unable to please them, even to buy them some extra candies. It hurts so much.

– What do you think, you need most in your home?

Marekhi: We will be happy to get any help. We have nothing. At the moment we need a new bed, because this one is about to collapse. It would be great to have a washing machine, because my back aches when I wash by hand, it kills me. And a gas stove - I would bake at home then, it will result significant saving opportunities. Besides, my children often ask me for yummies. It’s much easier when you have an oven, with bread dough and potatoes you can easily make patties.

Ilia’s school notebook went out of order, so he has to go to the neighbor’s in order not to miss the on-line lessons. If schools are closed again, I have no idea what we will do ...

I will be extremely grateful to everyone who will take our problems to heart and understand our pain to everyone who wants to support us just with a kind word, because it is so important to know that someone is not indifferent to your grief!

  ***

Friends, our compatriot, Marekhi Chkhvimiani, and her two young sons, Ilya (9-year-old) and Gabriel (5-year-old), are in distress. They need our help and support. After going through so much sorrow and suffering, the family lost the breadwinner. Widowed Marekhi can hardly make ends meet, and she often has nothing to feed her little sons on.

Ilya and Gabriel lost their loving and caring father. This was a hardest blow for the kids. The boys are deprived of absolutely everything - normal food, clothes, toys ... They are deprived of a happy childhood and the opportunity to develop normally! But children are the future of our country!

The family needs any help - beds, a washing machine, a gas stove, a computer and clothes for children.

You can visit the Chkhvimiani family yourself and provide them with all possible help. Their address is: Tbilisi, Aghmashenebeli alley, hotel “Ushba”. 

Or you can call Marekhi and cheer her up with kind words! Her phone: 597 10 85 81.

Please repost our publication. Let your friends know about the grief of this family! It’s extremely important!

God gives us chances to care about people who are unable to take care of themselves. Do not pass by someone else's trouble! 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: Chkhvimiani family)

You can also transfer money from our website.

It is also possible to transfer money from Nova Technology, TBCpay and ExpressPay terminals. (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 the Chkhvimiani family, as no one is immune to bad luck! And who knows, maybe someday we ourselves will need the help of strangers!

One call saves life - 0901 200 270.