LifeChanger FSU

26/02/2021

Masha suffered from domestic violence. The girl is now undergoing rehabilitation and needs surgery. Without surgery, Masha will stop walking.
https://dobro.ua/en/project/vriatuimo_nizhki_marichki/
On March 10th, 2020, a call was recorded at the Kherson police. On Mariika's birthday, a mentally ill mother poured ice water over a five-year-old girl. The baby was in a state of shock, was afraid to approach the adults and did not talk to anyone. Masha was taken to a hospital with pneumonia, mother and grandmother were placed in a psychiatric hospital. The girl never returned home.

Our foundation provides social support for Masha. After a complete diagnostic, a congenital pathology of the hip and pelvis was found, it required immediate surgery including introduction of two implants, blood transfusion and long-term rehabilitation. Without surgery, the child will become disabled – Masha will stop walking. The Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine is planning to install implants, one of which will remain in the child's body forever; the other will serve as a temporary expander and will be removed during the second operation. The period of hospitalization for the first stage of treatment is a month. At this time, the girl will be practically motionless, in need of constant care. She will have to learn to walk again.

The life and future of this little girl is in the hands of caring people. Each of us can help Masha and give her the opportunity to believe in herself, in the kindness of people. Only with our help will she learn to trust this world.

19/07/2020

FROM DEPRESSION TO CONFIDENCE

Veronica walked slowly to school, her shoulders were slumped and her feet kicked at pebbles along the road. She knew what awaited her when she arrived; the mean bullying girls, the giggles behind hands, sideways glances thrown her way… She didn’t understand what she had done to deserve this sort of treatment. Why did she not have any friends, why were the other girls so mean?

More at => https://lifechangerfsu.org/en/children/from-depression-to-confidence/

13/07/2020

Igor suffers from a congenital disorder in his feet and requires special orthopedic shoes. However, his family cannot afford to purchase them especially now during the plague and the financial horror it has brought with it. LifeChanger FSU, together with the Jewish community of Cherkasy and the ‘For Life’ project, worked hard and delivered a new pair of shoes to Igor’s home. Together, united, we will overcome the virus!

06/07/2020

Dasha waited a long time for her medicines. Like many families, her family is experiencing financial difficulties worsening because of the pandemic. Her parents lost their jobs, and this led to significant consequences. LifeChanger FSU together with the Jewish community of Odessa and the FJC’s ‘For Life’ emergency relief project got into the picture and are helping the family survive this difficult era.

30/06/2020

Healing the Burn

Daniel (2) is a sweet toddler from Zhytomyr, Ukraine. He flashes a toothy grin with smiling brown eyes when he greets you, no matter if you are someone he knows, or are a new friend. He has his devoted mother wrapped around his little finger, she plays with him, sings to him and helps him discover the beauty of the world around him.

When he was ten months old, a terrible accident occurred, Daniel poured boiling water on himself, badly burning his leg, hand and the right side of his body. He was in a bad state for a while.

By the time Daniel and his mother met LifeChanger FSU, most of the burns had healed. Unfortunately, his leg had not healed well and bothered him constantly. His mother did not have a job and could not afford expensive treatment for him.

LifeChanger FSU found Daniel’s mother a job in a Jewish preschool while Daniel started attending the preschool. He quickly made friends and adapted to his new environment. His mother loves her new job.

An orthopedic surgeon prescribed medication to help soften the scar tissue on Daniel’s leg. This will not be enough. In order to heal properly and completely, Daniel will have to have surgery on his leg. The surgery is expensive.

LifeChanger FSU is currently raising funds to pay for Daniel’s surgery. The sooner he has it, the better chance he has at a completely healed leg. This will change Daniel’s life.

With your support, Daniel can lead a normal and healthy childhood. He will run, climb trees, and grow up strong and healthy. Help LifeChanger give Daniel the gift of a fully healed leg. Please help Daniel => https://lifechangerfsu.org/en/donate/

23/06/2020

NEVER STOP DREAMING

They were so poor that the children didn’t know what it meant to have toys. They lived so remotely that their world consisted of an abandoned courtyard and dusty streets. Friends were few and far between, there were no neighborhood children to play with.

Sveta lived with her mother, father and brother. They lived primitive lives that lacked the basic necessities and comforts. They were not part of a community and had little connection with other people. Life was dull, filled with dreary housework and the mending of old clothing.

A life of isolation and poverty could not squash Sveta’s imagination. She would kick a ball in the courtyard with her brother and picture herself laughing and playing soccer with other girls her age on a soccer team. She could just imagine the fun she would have with her teammates sitting on the grass after practice was over, chatting together, making friends.

Read more at => https://lifechangerfsu.org/en/children/never-stop-dreaming/

14/06/2020

REMOTE THERAPY IS SHOWING POSITIVE OUTCOMES

LifeChanger FSU is helping children and families in distress that they work with, across Ukraine, adapt to their new isolated reality. Through remote psychological support, the children are encouraged to flourish during these trying times. Project expert, psychologist Anna Solodovnik shares her experience with psychotherapy from a distance:

“During these challenging times, the psychological support of our project participants is essential. Through online conversations, we are able to minimize stress, help them adapt and plan organized schedules for themselves rather than living impulsively and reactively.

More at => https://lifechangerfsu.org/en/remote-therapy-is-showing-positive-outcomes/

26/05/2020

Sasha, Daniel, and Bogdan are brought up by their single mother alone. The imposed quarantine made life for mothers with children across Ukraine very difficult. Without help and support they cannot survive.

LifeChanger FSU takes care of the family and provides each of the boys with their individual needs: medicine, speech therapy, psychologist, a correctional teacher, and a pathologist. Many of our experts switched to online support, thereby giving children the opportunity to continue their progress even during the corona epidemic.

18/05/2020

Jewish Ukraine is recruited to protect and assist the needy Jewish population living across the land at this terrible period of isolation due to the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic. LifeChanger FSU is leading the efforts to assist Jewish families with children suffering from poverty, neglected and abuse. Thanks

04/05/2020

DISTANCE LEARNING AND THERAPY FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, MUST CONTINUE

Today’s circumstances, during the Coronavirus epidemic, have changed the approach to education and therapy. For many children with special needs, the lack of continuous therapy and education is incredibly detrimental. If left to their own devices, they can often regress back to behaviors that had been worked on for a long time. The lack of socialization and mental and physical engagement can have a severely detrimental effect on some children, causing them to act aggressively and lose skills.

Marina Bukhryakova, a behavioral analyst and director of the ABA therapy program at the Flamingo Center for Socialization of Children, spoke with LifeChanger FSU about this challenge.

More at => https://lifechangerfsu.org/en/distance-learning-and-therapy-for-children-with-special-needs-must-continue/

04/05/2020

Thank you FJC for sharing our story! Ilya is a wonderful child, and it is a privilege for us to help him as much as we can.

Quarantine and isolation, as difficult as they are for us all, are without a doubt much worse for the poorest Jewish population in the world, the needy and neglected Jewish families, children and elderly people across Ukraine and the former Soviet Union. The FJC together with its lifesaving projects and partners ‘For Life’, ‘Vaccine of Love’, ‘Taste of Life’ and ‘LifeChanger FSU’ are inundated with work – working non-stop to serve the region’s hundreds of thousands of Jews and save lives.

Little Ilya is being raised by his elderly grandparents and a longtime participant in the LifeChanger FSU’s humanitarian program. Thanks to LifeChanger, Ilya managed to successfully attend school, and solve many of his psychological and speech therapy challenges. Ilya has fused toes on both his feet so that ordinary shoes are not suitable for him and now that spring has come, it is time to buy him a new pair of orthopedic shoes. However, the family's financial situation plus the quarantine – especially important for the safety of his grandparents - makes this task almost impossible. With the shops closed, his grandparents unable to order shoes online, and the lack of funds – Ilya stayed without an appropriate pair of shoes.

That is, until LifeChanger FSU was informed of the situation and made an online order of perfect orthopedic shoes that were handed over to Ilya. He can now, walk, run and enjoy the spring as much as permitted.

28/04/2020

LIFECHANGER FSU’S SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

April 2 is Autism Awareness Day. For families with children affected by Autism, every day is Autism Awareness Day. The reality of how they live, eat, educate, travel, speak, etc. is affected by Autism.

These honest, brave and often, struggling parents and families are constantly seeking ways to give their children the happiest life possible. They want to see their children succeed, communicate, make friends and feel confident. They want their children to function well in their homes, schools and society at large.

For many families in Ukraine, there is very little support. Parents, who often do not have the knowledge or skills, are trying their best to help and guide their children.

More at => https://lifechangerfsu.org/en/lifechanger-fsu-s-support-for-children-with-autism/