Anya has always loved to draw. Art has been her creative and therapeutic outlet, allowing her to escape the memories of her harrowing early childhood. At age two, she was abandoned by her alcoholic mother in an empty apartment on the outskirts of Odessa. When the neighbors finally discovered the young toddler, malnourished and delirious, they alerted authorities who identified the little girl as a member of the Jewish community. After being nursed back to health at a local hospital, Anya was brought to live at the Chabad-run Mishpacha children’s orphanage in Odessa, Ukraine.
Stories like Anya’s are, unfortunately, not uncommon. The cases we see at our orphanage are so horrific, they would make national headlines in any Western country. But in Ukraine, while disturbing, it is not unusual.
In America we think of Jewish orphans the way we do of polio – a relic of the past. But in Odessa, there are literally hundreds of abandoned children like Anya – precious Jewish boys and girls – who desperately need a home, food, love and support.
Since it opened its doors 22+ years ago, Mishpacha has cared for over 1,000 boys and girls from the wider Odessa Jewish community. Many of these children are orphans or “social orphans” — the victims of parental alcoholism, abuse, crime, and poor medical health who are brought to the orphanage but still have living relatives, and so for whom adoption by local or foreign families is almost never an option. Considered wards of the state, the girls and boys at Mishpacha receive five meals a day, medical and psychological care, and access to educational and co-curricular opportunities. Mishpacha’s youth are fully integrated into all the classes, blending in with children who come from private homes. Mishpacha provides the orphans with special homework help in the evenings, gifts and parties on their birthdays, and stipends to purchase clothing and other personal needs. Even more fundamentally, the children live with a family at the orphanage where the father and mother act as surrogate parents. Most of its orphans find in Mishpacha — the Hebrew word for ‘family’ — a nurturing stability and security that makes it possible for them to eventually lead productive lives.
In the face of financial crisis and instability, our orphanage is confronting challenging times. The need for additional resources such as food, clothing, shoes, rooms, beds, and classrooms has become pressing. We are reaching out to you on behalf of the children of Odessa, whose hope for survival hinges on our support, and in turn, yours.
Every dollar you contribute has a profound impact on the lives of these deserving boys and girls. Please help us ensure that our children can continue to depend on us for support. Your generosity will make a world of difference in our children’s lives, their futures, and the future of our community.