How to divide one bread for five children so that it is enough for the morning, afternoon, and evening? How to make sure that children’s stomachs do not hurt from hunger?

“When we are very hungry, mom cuts us some bread. A piece for each. Sometimes mom and dad don’t eat at all so that we can eat,” says Jemal. He also shows me holes in the floor. He is happy when he sees rats appearing from there, but his sisters are afraid of them and scream. It makes him laugh, but I want to cry... 

“Rats get into the room from these holes. I'm afraid they might eat me,” says little Salome and hides her eyes

This is not a story about children who survived the war. This is the ordinary, everyday life of thousands of children in peacetime in Georgia. The Chernovetskyi Fund alone told you about hundreds of families with the same problems, with the same scenario. About how many of them, hungry, we don't know yet?  How many of them we have not yet reached, have not found?

The Sarsevanidze family has five children: 15-year-old Beka, 10-year-old Barbara, 9-year-old Jemal, 5-year-old Salome and the youngest - Natalia. She is sixteen-month-old. One can say that she is the happiest in the family. At the moment, nothing bothers her except hunger, neither peeled walls, nor holes in the floor, nor the fact that there is nothing to put on to school. And most importantly, she has not yet felt the bitterness of the fact that they do not want to be friends with her just because she comes from a poor family.

Only hunger bothers little Natalya, and even bitter crying cannot suppress this feeling.

Father David is unable to work due to a head injury. Mom Jilda worked as a janitor, while she could but now, she simply cannot leave her little children and her sick husband alone. So, they have to survive on the money that the state gives them and be grateful when the state gives them a couple of packages of groceries on holidays.

Jilda: Terribly, with the last bit of strength. What can you talk about when there is no food, when you constantly think about how else to save money so that you can buy bread? That’s how we live! If not for the food from the canteen, we would have been gone a long time ago. I'm not talking about the conditions in the house - it's dangerous not only to live here, but even just to be here! It is cold and damp here even in summer. Rain, snow - everything falls on our heads. The boards got rotted, the floor is falling through. And we still have to pay for it. 

"Mom, I'll eat you!"

Jilda: There are seven of us: five children and my husband and me. We don't have anything of our own. This is how we wander. We have been living in this house for four years now. The rent of this room costs 500 GEL. 300 GEL are paid by the state, and we cover the rest from our allowance. Bank takes another 250 lari. I had to take a loan to prepare my children for school. They had nothing at all - no shoes, no clothes, no bags, no notebooks. So we took a loan, and now we will pay it off for several years.

Seven people live in this room. Mom Jilda does her best to keep things clean and tidy. 

Jilda: There is 470 GEL left for everything and for everyone.

Jilda: It’s almost enough for nothing! That is why I addressed your Fund. This money is not even enough for food, because there are five children in the family. Everyone needs food. We have debts in all stores around. Even today we will have meals on credit - I asked my neighbors for food. Because kids need to be fed! The adults can stand hunger, but children can't! When they are hungry, they cry. A knife seems to go through my heart

Jilda: Food from the canteen saves us. I can only buy pasta and potatoes. Everything has become so expensive now. 

“When I don’t manage to take food in the canteen, my children stay completely hungry” 

Jilda: He can't, he's got a head injury. He used to work at a construction site and got his head injury there. He changed a lot after that. Consider him my sixth child. I need to look after him as well. I worked as a janitor as long as I could. Then my kidneys got sick, then Natalia was born, and now I can't leave the house. Who to leave the children with?

Jilda: I beg you, help us with food! The rest does not matter, please don’t let us starve to death! My God! God forbid you see your child starving... I don't even want to say it! It’s scary!

“Mom needs help. She can't cope alone." 

Jilda: There are seven of us in the family, and there is no end to the laundry. Washing all these things with hands is a real torture! I can't even feel my fingers anymore... It would be great to have a washing machine. And a small fridge. In the summer, so that the food does not go bad, I put it in a bowl with cold water. But it doesn't help.

Jilda: They are shy. Sometimes they think they have no right to speak. Once they told me: Why aren't all kids the same? Have we done something? Have we done something wrong?" It hurt so much to hear that. 

“Only those children who have a uniform can attend dancing classes. And I have nothing" 

Barbare: I'm Barbara, I'm 10 years old. I love studying and dancing. But my mother cannot enroll me to dancing classes because it is very expensive there. They said we had to buy dresses, slippers, and a special belt for Georgian dances. You need to spend our entire allowance for that. That’s why I quitted classes. But it's okay, I'll dance for my mother at home anyway! 

“How can you ask mom for anything when there is no food even for Natalia?”

Jemal: I will also tell you about myself. I go to wrestling. I am 9 years old. But I think I will not stay there for long. Do I need to buy uniform? Yes! Do we have money for that? No! That's how it always happens. There is something you really want, but there is nothing to pay for it. 

Jemal: I want my sister and I to have a computer or a tablet. We love to learn. It will not be only for games. I also want to play chess. You know, you can play chess on a computer?

Beka (15-year-old): No! The only thing I want is to grow up and start working as soon as possible. I don’t know what I will do and how, but mom needs help! To be honest, I do not believe that anything can change in our lives. Not everyone can live beautifully and well. Someone has to suffer.

“Take my doll and bring me a new one. And a couple of sweets too”

***

Friends, let's not leave this family in trouble! Gilda and her children are in urgent need of many things, especially food and hygiene products.

 A washing machine, refrigerator and gas stove would make their life much easier.

You can visit them at their place and help them personally. Their address is: Dmanisi, 2 Gogebashvili lane. Visit them personally, get to know the children. This meeting will change their lives and bring you closer to God.

It will be just wonderful if, in addition to household items, children will also get gifts from you - sweets and toys. And if you manage to pay for sports clubs or buy a uniform for them, it will be just wonderful!

Every time you can help someone, just do it and rejoice that God answers someone's prayers through you!

We are sure that all together we will manage to save them from imminent death.

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: The Sarsevanidze family)

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 linkhttps://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: 0901200270! God bless you!