Girl put duct tape over her mouth to keep herself from crying out loud from hunger
Girl put duct tape over her mouth to keep herself from crying out loud from hunger
REPOST RIGHT AWAY, MY GOOD MAN! HELP YOUR FRIENDS TO GET CLOSER TO THE WORK OF MERCY!
“My family is having a hard time. My mom is all alone in front of so many problems. I want to endure hunger, cold... I want to learn how to do without what is necessary for existence, but what I do not have... They tell me that I have matured, since I'm struggling like that... But what else is left to do?! I don’t want to bother my mother even more ... Once, when I was younger, I put duct tape over my mouth to keep myself from crying out loud from hunger... I thought that no one would hear me then...” - these words of this smart girl broke our hearts. Lord, how is it possible that teenagers in Georgia talk about such things? They should have everything for a normal life, right?!
Natia's younger brother, Tsotne is constantly crying, he is hungry... We must not let him do the same thing someday! Lord, do not leave these kids and their mother ...
Tsotne wants a banana. And his mom is trying to distract his attention ...
Nino Jikurashvili is a single mother. She lives with her two children and her mother on the outskirts of Tbilisi in a small hut. It’s hard for four people to even breathe at the area of only about eighteen square meters... They all sleep together on two small old beds ... The only room they have serves as a bedroom, a living room, a room for studies, and a dining room... There are unbearable living conditions in this house - in some places it flows from the ceiling... Besides that, the “military rubber” (as Nino herself calls it), which serves as the roofing material is harmful to health. They don’t have proper furniture, heating, home appliances… But the most important thing is food and medications, which you never can buy with a tiny amount of social allowance…
"Natia grew up in this wooden building"
“Soon, this ceiling will collapse completely…”
- Nino, tell us about your problems, if possible.
Nino (38-year-old): My troubles started a long time ago. Until now, I fought as best I could, but they overpowered me and brought me to my knees. It’s like the sky fell on my head after the death of my husband… I can’t cope with anything… Our food is pasta… Pasta, vermicelli… Although sometimes we dream even about it! If someone in the family gets sick, the thoughts about how to buy medications just kill you... It’s hard to choose to cure and stay completely hungry! I beg you, help us... Now, my only hope is in God and good people... While I had a husband, I did not complain, we somehow coped. But suddenly, I lost him, in just five days ... He left me inconsolable ... (Cries.)
- Did he die in an accident?
Nino: No. He suddenly fell ill. We couldn't bring down the temperature for four days. On the fifth day, we called an ambulance. The doctors said it was meningitis and took him to the hospital. But then, a medical examination detected latent pneumonia. Everything happened very quickly… It was the most terrible day of my life… I lost my support and after that, everything went awry…
- So since then, you have to cope with the problems alone... Does anybody help you?
Nino: After the death of my husband, my mother moved to live with me, because I felt bad psychologically. I had terrible depression. Mom was working then. Although, she was paid only 5 GEL per day, we did not starve... Then it became difficult for my mother to work. She started having health problems. Now her spine bothers her. In fact, right now, I have to help her.
- You do not work, how do you manage to survive on just social allowance?
“Life would be much easier if I had a washing machine, and I would have more time to work!”
Natia tries to help her mother, at the expense of her time to rest after school ...
Nino: Sometimes, I do some cleaning. If God sends me a person who asks me to clean his house, I’m not too lazy to work ... But I can’t work every day... Tsotne is three years old. I have lots of housework. Mom can't wash, clean, she often feels bad... We don't have a washing machine. We don’t have such a luxury as a hot water, so I have to stand at the tap all day doing laundry. Housework takes up a lot of my time. My eldest daughter - Natia - is 14 years old. She is a good student. I don't want anything to distract her from her studies. I can’t support her financially - I can’t even buy school supplies. Buying a computer or other expensive things is completely out of the question... I raised her in such poverty, she was always deprived of everything. There were no sweets or toys for her - only if some kind person gave her something...
I recall one story from her childhood... Once, I came back home, I entered the room, and saw tears flowing from Natia's eyes. She caressed the icons and said: “My beautiful Lord, if only my mother would bring one bread, I beg you, give it to her.” It was very hard to look at… I can’t forget it to this day…
This is a corner for icons, where Natia prayed and dreamed of stale bread...
Nino (Continues after a short pause.): My heart breaks when winter is coming. This is the time when my children not only have nothing to eat, but they are also cold. They get sick often. They don't have the right clothes. It's cold at home. They often turn off gas and electricity for non-payment. For three months now we have no gas, because we owe for it. I’ve told my children many times: “Come on, let's jump, play pranks to keep warm... Or, let's hug, breathe and warm each other's hands ...”
This is the kitchen...
Tsotne is hungry, but...
“We only have this for today!”
“Let’s go, Tsotne, maybe we’ll come up with something to forget about hunger…”
- Probably, children ask you for so many things. You can't buy them, and it's so hard to a parent...
Nino: Tsotne loves bananas. All the time he screams: “banana, banana”, but I have no means to always buy him bananas. I do it sometimes... Do you know that to this day, Tsotne has never tasted meat?! The child is already three years old, and he does not know what meat is! He calls pasta "chichia" ("chichia” means "meat" in Georgian.) And my little girl was also deprived of everything... Natia's class scheduled an excursion. I learned about this only three days later ... The child hid it from me. She knew that I had no money, I could not let her go and would be very upset... So, she decided to come up with a reason at school herself, and not to tell me at all ... If you knew how much she suffers quietly... (Crying.)
- Nino, don't your relatives help you?
Nino: No one. They are having hard times too. Unfortunately, I have no wealthy relatives.
- This house is too old and too cramped for a family of four... How do you fit in here?
Nino: Oh, you can’t call it “fit” ... We sleep two by two on old iron beds. People for whom my mother used to work gave them to her. The chest of drawers was left from my grandmother. We can’t invite anyone to our house, it’s so cramped… The ceiling is no good… The kitchen is ruined… The collapsed plank building that you noticed in the yard is our toilet… I can’t even let my younger child to get in there. I am raising my children in such difficult conditions.
When did you last see such a toilet?
“Tsotne is afraid of our toilet…”
- Nino, can I talk to your children?
Nino: Tsotne can't talk well. He only says "yes" and "no", he will answer you, he will say: "Banana, give me a banana." He started talking late...
Natia (14-year-old): I will talk! (Starts by herself.) My mom is very strong. She's just having a hard time right now. She is all alone - she is now both a man and a woman in our family. I try to help her at least somehow until I learn and achieve my goals ... And then everything will be fine with my mother, grandmother, and brother!
“Natia calms me down and makes me stronger, she endures hunger like an adult…”
- And what are your goals, Natia?
Natia: I have not yet decided exactly what profession I will choose - I think to become a designer ... But I am also fond of chemistry ... I am very interested in experiments, chemical reactions and what happens at that time in flasks ... Also, I want to learn how to embroider ... I really want to embroider something. I will sell my works and help my family.
Nino: She has been asking me for so long to buy her embroidery supplies and take her to a circle, but you there is no way for me to do that...
“I believe that if I study well, I can change everything…”
Natia: Don't be sad, mom, someday, I will have embroidery supplies, and I will learn on my own ...
- Natia, do you always reassure your mother like that?
Natia: I look to the future with hope. I believe that I can change everything if I study well… I can be patient… Only once I couldn’t… A few years ago… When I was little… I was really hungry… I cried loudly. I put duct tape over my mouth so that others did not hear me... After that, I decided to endure everything, even hunger… This is temporary, right?!
- Nino, don’t you use the free canteen?
Nino: Unfortunately, we are not on the list. There is no logic in this system. I wonder, why there was no place for us.
- Did you address the local authorities with any request?
Nino: Only once a year, I received funding for medications - 100 GEL. That's all the help... 100 GEL per year, not enough for medications even for one healthy person...
“Poverty and a hard life took away her strength ahead of time!”
“My advice to you is don’t even look into our wardrobe…”
- Ms. Lia, what can you say about your urgent needs? What does your family need most at this stage?
Lia (59 years old): My daughter is exhausted. My grandchildren often have nothing to eat… Nothing to put on… I am exhausted, sick, but my health problems are not that important. Help my girl, my babies. Tsotne often cries... He cries because of hunger... He is three years old, but he doesn't even know the taste of meat... He needs good nutrition... But what kind of good nutrition can we talk?! We consider the day when we can feed our children twice as a lucky day.
The Jikurashvili family
***
Friends, this family is in a dire strait. It's been three months now that they don't even have gas. They couldn't pay for it, and they turned it off... In the cold, they warmed each other with their breath... They can't pay utility bills. That’s why their supply meters are often sealed, and they live like in the 90s ...
“Now it's warm, the sun will warm us,” says Nino and wipes her tears. I hope that not only the sun, but also the friends of our Fund will warm the heart of this single mother suffering in poverty. Often, she cannot even buy food, and the children have to endure hunger ... Yes, have to endure! But it is hard even for adults! Maybe you take the condition of these kids to heart and help them with at least something. Let's not leave our neighbor in trouble, and the Lord will not leave us!
If you want to visit this wonderful family and these most talented children in person, their address is: Tbilisi, Africa settlement, 13 Mebageoba Str.
If you have a heavy heart because of everyday problems or unresolved issues, as a distraction just see our posts on Facebook, or better call any of our beneficiaries, and all your problems will seem unimportant to you, compared with the problems of those to whom you opened your kind heart and helped in the most difficult moment of their lives.
Our problems are noting if compared... Here are true misfortunes, in front of your eyes! Just thank the Lord for what you have. You are the happiest person in the world! Remember this and help those in need.
Every time you can help someone, just do it and rejoice that God answers someone's prayers through you!
We are sure that together we can warm her heart and give them confidence in the future.
Please don’t forget to repost our story. Let your friends know about the grief of this family! It’s extremely important!
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: For Natia and Tsotne)
You can also transfer money from our website.
It is also possible to transfer money from 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 thousands of disadvantaged people! Let’s support this family too! And who knows, maybe someday we ourselves will need help of strangers! Life is always unpredictable!
We have good news for you - now you can read the stories of our beneficiaries on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chernovetskyi.fund/ and Telegram: https://t.me/ChernovetskyiFund.
Even if you dial once this special number, it might save someone's life: 0901 200 270!
