Anna and Allisa recently entered our Kalaniot Children’s Home in Bila Tserkva, Ukraine. These two beautiful sisters desperately needed our love, commitment and care having suffered immeasurable trauma at the hands of their alcohol dependent mother.
When the girls were aged four and six, their father abandoned the family leaving their unemployed mother, Svetlana, to care for them. With no means to provide financial support, Svetlana, turned to alcohol to deaden her own pain. After her addiction consumed her life she lost the ability to care for her children, often leaving Anna and Allisa locked in their home for days at a time without food or supervision. Svetlana also verbally abused her daughters, blaming them for the loss of her husband.
We found Anna and Allisa locked in their flat, alone, hungry and petrified. As our psychologists spoke to them, they backed into a corner of the room, shaking uncontrollably and crying. Our team comforted and calmed them until they felt safe enough to speak. After two months of intensive therapy in the loving environment of Kalaniot, the girls began showing signs of building trust. They have gained weight and are attending our schooling programme at Mitzvah 613. Every day they are getting stronger and beginning to feel and act like children once again.
