Not only the brothers and sister are afraid of the 6-year-old Gela, but also his mom and dad... when he has an epileptic attack, he collapses, trembles and howls like a beast. The medications prescribed by the doctor no longer help. This disease requires constant monitoring, but they have no money for examinations and checks! So that’s how they live. Money is enough for nothing. They spend the allowance on rent, medications, and diapers... and there is nothing left for the rest. How can a family with 7 children survive on 3 GEL per person per day? Read, count, maybe you manage to make ends meet...

“You are only my mama”

Nana: Well, he often has terrible attacks... He collapses, turns black and writhes in convulsions. That's just terrible!

Saba (8-year-old): He also roars like a lion. I can't watch it. I'm afraid! It’s very scary! You couldn't either! I run away and cover my ears with a pillow, so as not to see or hear this!

“If he starts getting attack now, I’ll hide you so that you don’t get scared either.”

Nana: No, Gela was born a perfectly healthy boy. Since we do not have our own housing, we often moved. I cannot provide completely safe environment for my children. I washed clothes, and the children played in the yard as usual. It was at this moment that misfortune happened. Gela fell down the stairs and hit his head. He was 2 years old. As if nothing had happened, he got up and continued to run. I have no idea how this could have happened. We got extremely scared and immediately took him to the hospital, but they did not find any significant injuries in him. His first attack happened two weeks later. God, how terrible it was ... Now it happens to him at different intervals - sometimes once a month, and sometimes three times a day. The doctors can't tell me anything definite. Yes, it's epilepsy... But what should we do? How to behave? I know it's incurable, but watching your son die every day is simply unbearable. My poor baby can't talk. When he is hungry, he takes a plate and shows it to me, when he is thirsty, he shows me a glass. But he is a very kind boy, look how he caresses the cat!

"This is Gela's only soft toy"

Nana: Yes, you are right, you never know when the next attack will happen ... We live in constant fear. Children are also very scared and worried about their brother. But I am unable to help my son ... and I have six more children besides him - they have almost faded into the background - we pay all our attention to Gela!Tamara (12-year-old): Oh, as long as he doesn’t scare us, we will endure everything. You know, we feel so sorry for him? Look how handsome he is, but he can't even talk. They say that with every attack a part of his brain dies - I'm so afraid of that!

"I wish I was like other girls"

Tamara: Yes! I read about it. That’s why I want to become a doctor. Maybe I will manage to cure such children - now it is incurable. 

Tamara: We all love learning! I have many girlfriends at school. They help me a lot. They lend me their books; my mother can never buy us notebooks, that's why the girls at school give them to me. They are wonderful! I want to be such a friend too.

Tamara: The same that all the children have! I dream about a tablet. I would read so much information about my brother's disease there! You know, all the books are there. There is even a video on how to provide first aid after an epileptic attack. I really need it! 

"Children's only toy is a holey ball"

Saba (8-year-old): And I dream of a normal ball! We have one but it has a hole! It's impossible to play it. And I want to be a football player!

Saba: Of course, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia! I dream of meeting him on the street!

Saba: Sure! I will rush to him! I will hug him and tell him that I love him very much! And I will ask him to give me his autograph on the ball! Oh, I don’t have a ball, I’ll just hug him!

Nika (10-year-old): And I would assumably not have approached him, I would have been embarrassed, but I would have told everyone that I saw Kvara live! 

“If we meet Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the street, we will kiss him!”

Nika: I want a computer. You know, I really love studying. And I love school. I don’t have any notebooks or pens, but I still go there. There they tell us a lot of interesting things. The teacher said that we can read even more interesting things about history and mathematics on the computer. But we don't have it. Everyone has it, but we don't.

“The only home appliance that the family has is this refrigerator”

Nika: A house!

Tamara: Beds!

Saba: “Bendler” 

Saba: “Bendler”, to cook. It does like “vroom”! It makes a lot of noise

Saba: Sure, “bendler”

Nana: Of course, the most important thing now is Gela’s health. He constantly needs medications, examinations, consultations of doctors. All this requires a lot of money ... And we live in complete poverty. Besides him, I have six more children, they all need food, clothes, school supplies… But we don’t have money even for the most basic things.

"Food from the canteen is the only way to avoid starving"

Nana: Only on a social allowance - 1000 GEL. We have no other benefits. You know about high unemployment in the villages. My husband grabs any part-time job, even collects scrap metal, but this is almost nothing when there are so many children in the family. We pay 200 GEL for rent, about 200 GEL go to Gela's vital medications, 50 GEL for diapers, and about 500 GEL remains for food. 

“If we had a “bendler” this soup would have been beautiful”

Nana: what a diet, what are you talking about? I bring food from the canteen once a day, and then bread ... They have long forgotten what meat, fruits, vegetables, and cheese are. They don't even ask for anything. They know they we don't have money. Tamuna had an accident 2 years ago. She rode a bicycle and was hit by a scooter. It's good that she survived, but her leg got crushed. They operated her on, put a plate on her leg. They said it must be removed after one year because the bone is growing. 2 years passed; she has pains in her leg. Her situation was pretty hard - they slapped 21 stitches onto her leg.

“If the girl is not operated on, she may remain crippled”

Saba: We also need the stuff for school! It is critical too.

Nana: When my husband was 10 years old, their house burned down. He, his parents, and sister found themselves in the street. My father-in-law died a long time ago, and my mother-in-law died 15 years ago from cancer ... His sister is married, she also has young children, and her life is hard ...

Nana: Oh... Mom is very sick, she has a goiter, my father was left without a job, my brother and sister can barely make ends meet. I have three nephews, all of them have a very, very hard time ...

“It is completely incomprehensible how the whole family fits on these beds”

“Despite the poverty, all things are washed and neatly folded. There is not even a cabinet to store them.”

Nana: Yes, you have to constantly ask, write statements... But with no results. People like us do not exist for the authorities! For instance, they refused funding Tamara's operation. The child suffers so much… When it’s cold, her leg hurts, and I don’t know where to seek for help… I still don’t receive benefits for large families, they say that residents of Dedoplistskaro are not qualified for benefits – they pay benefits only in Tbilisi! Why? Do my children have less rights than the children living in the capital? I argued, I asked - but to no avail! I don't even know what else to tell. We asked for help with the rent, but they refused to help. And the price for rent keeps growing. Tell me what to do. We need not only financial support, maybe someone will support us with advice. 

“This is two-year-old Temur, and the authorities believe that children from Tbilisi are more important than this little angel”

Nana: We will be grateful for any help... My children are constantly malnourished, we can’t buy diapers... We do not have enough beds, children sleep on top of each other, clothes are piled up because there is no closet. Not to mention home appliances... Washing with hands for 9 people, 7 children is a real nightmare. A washing machine is vital for us. We have no stove. I cook on a small gas bottle. Children really need computer to study.

Saba: Don’t forget about bendler!

Nana: I know that your Fund has many good friends, all of them are sympathetic and merciful people. I really hope that our misfortune will not leave them indifferent, and they will take my pain and the pain of my children to heart!

***

Friends, the Shengelia family found themselves in dire straits. They really need our help and support. Seven children are constantly malnourished, they wear rags, they are deprived of the opportunity to learn and develop. They are simply deprived of a normal childhood, but we know that children are the future of our country!

Gela has epilepsy. The child constantly needs medications, treatment, and consultations with doctors. And Tamara urgently needs an operation to get the plate removed.

The Shengelia family is in dire need of any help: food, diapers, beds, a washing machine, refrigerator, and any household appliances. The children do not have a computer, the family does not have the means to purchase it.

You can visit the Shengelia family and provide them all possible help. Their address is: Dedoplistskaro, 3 Samkhedro street.

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 Shengelia 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: now you can read the stories of our beneficiaries on Instagram: 

and Telegram https://t.me/ChernovetskyiFund

Even if you dial once 

this special number 0901200270,

it might save someone's life!

 God bless you!