“Dear God, I want to live at least an hour like other children live”

Terrible bats fly right into the room from these windows and can grasp into your hair. Sometimes I think that they can rip out my eye, - says 8-year-old Mariam and shows us a window covered with cellophane. The life of other children behind this window seems so sweet and beautiful. So sometimes you want to turn into another girl, live the life of other children for at least an hour, and then the memories will probably last until the end of your life. But Mariam has her own dull and hard life. Life, which is upholstered in cellophane, tasting of stale bread, smelling dampness, and terrible bats.

The most unhappy people live in this grey house.

There are six people in the Berberashvili family: mother Nona, older "children" - 33-year-old Ilia and 24-year-old Elguja, and also 18-year-old Nana, 16-year-old Eteri and 8-year-old Mariam.

 As for Ilia and Elguja, it is not a mistake - they are children. Unfortunately, Nona's older sons have mental disorder. Dull life has imposed its stigma on the girls. Eteri is very nervous, she often cries, and she turned inward. Nana is holding on. She tries not to stay idle so as not to let gray thoughts enter her head ... The only ray of sun in this gray house is Mariam. She tries to color everything she can with her little hands.

«Someday we will have a beautiful house with bright walls”

Mariam (8-year-old): If we have a normal house, I will paint the walls white and paint a lot of rainbows and flowers on the walls! And a ceiling will be white!

Nona: Well, what to say? All our problems are main. Some of them can be solved, and we just came to terms with another ones. I know it is impossible to make my boys healthy. They are adults, but they behave like babies. They can’t read or write. They get offended by everything, get angry because of everything... 

The girls can still be saved. They turned inward because of such a life, became uncommunicative and could burst into tears in a second. Eteri thinks that because of her poverty, everyone mocks her behind her back. That’s why she is afraid to communicate with people. Fortunately, Mariam does not have such problems yet.

“No one wants to make friends with us... We are different to them!”

Mariam: I love to communicate. When I grow up, I will become a teacher, like my teacher of sports and mathematics. And I'll have a blue car too, like my math teacher! Do you believe me? I will have a car, will I?

Mariam: No, it never happens so! I really want a cake for my birthday. My birthday is on 8th of August. I never had a cake before. And I won’t have it this year, I know it for sure.

“This is my corner. Here I have all my most valuable things”

Mariam: A house! That’s it. I think, if there is a house, there will be the rest you need.

Happiness fears coming to this house.

It’s the most beautiful place in this house. At least there are no cracks in the walls

There is no room to store even those few things that family has.

Nona: It’s my parents’ house. We always lived here. And it always was so dilapidated. It can be hardly called a house. Walls are wooden and there are no glasses in the windows. You see that everything here is rotten. When we turn a washing machine on the entire house shakes. Some of us have to hold the washing machine, others have to hold the walls. 

If you do not hold a running washing machine with your hands, the house may simply fall apart.

Nona: We have no relatives. My parents died long ago, my husband died, my sisters died... I was left alone with my children. They have no one else but me. And I have no one else but them. That’s how we live. There is no one to lend us a helping hand. There is no one to ask for a piece of bread.

Shadow of the former splendor

Nona: We have allowance and pensions of my sons. It is hardly enough for food. We also have a few hens. That means that every day we have a couple of eggs, and my children won’t go hungry. Money is enough for bread, pasta, and potatoes. We can only dream about the rest.

“When this chicken grows up, it will become our breadwinner”

Mariam: Do you know how many delicious dishes you can make with eggs? Fry like “sunny-side up”, fry not like “sunny-side up”, boil, and my favorite - French toasts. I will teach you! Take the bread, dip it well and fry it. This is a real yummy!

“If we have bread left, I will make you French toasts”

Mariam: No! I already told you - I’ll become a teacher!

Nona: I don’t even know... Just look around. We have no table, no chairs, our beds are falling apart. The girls need shoes, Mariam needs school supplies, and the older ones need a computer. If there is an opportunity, maybe it will be possible to somehow repair our house? But it is unreal!

Mariam: I want a birthday cake and a house! But first just a cake.

While Mariam has not forgotten how to dream like her older sisters, maybe she will succeed!

***

Mariam tried to brighten up the heavy everyday routine.  She is still little and has not forgotten yet how to dream.  She still believes that something good can happen to her.  Her elders do not believe that anymore, they could not even talk.  They are always on the verge of tears, with their eyes on the floor... They are ashamed.  Why should they be ashamed?   They didn't choose this life.  You can be ashamed of your actions.  For example, if you could help, but pass by. If you could give food to someone, but ate it all yourself.  Children are not guilty that they were born in such a house.  But we can be guilty before our conscience and God if we do not act.

The family doesn't ask for much. They need the most basic things for the home: a table, chairs, beds, a refrigerator, and a gas stove.  If we manage to bring a cake, even if we don’t make it in time for her birthday, it will light a spark in Mariam’s heart.  A spark that could change her life!

You are their only hope! We should save this family!  Look how good they are!  If anyone is willing to visit and help them in person, here is their address: Tianeti municipality, village Zaridzeebi.

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 Berberashvili 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 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: 0901200270! God bless you!