JULY 2018 support its operating costs. Residents’ pensions are too meagre to fully pay for their care, and state assistance is limited. Through the Mission, residents also receive gifts on their birthdays, things like clothes, toiletries & sweets; MWB also provides funding for an annual bus trip for the residents, for a chance to go on holiday and have a change of scenery. A Home official said, “Without the Mission’s help, our work would have ended a long time ago. There still is pressure and we have to pray a lot for provision, but the Mission has been God’s answer to those prayers. We would have had to close the Elder Home by now were it not for Mission Without Borders.”
IN UKRAINE ... • Ukraine's Ministry of Social Policy says Ukraine is among the top 30 nations with the oldest population in terms of the number of people aged 60 years or over. Their share was 21.8% in 2015, and projected to grow to 25% by 2025.
“And now, in my old age, don’t set me aside. Don’t forsake me now when my strength is failing.”
Source: https://www.unian.info/society/2371260-ukraine-enters-top30-nations-with-oldest-population.html
[Psalm 71:9]
Vasyl [pictured below with his wife] once enjoyed a well-paid & respected career, but because his state pension is so meagre, they struggle to survive. His wife is unable to walk or speak, but waves her hand weakly in agreement when he speaks.
IN ROMANIA ... • 35% of elderly Romanians face poverty & social exclusion, almost double compared to the European Union average of 18.3%, according to a recent EU study. • 15% of the elderly Romanian population is considered economically active. Source: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/infographs/elderly/index.html
In a home for the elderly in the village of Slimnic, not far from Sibiu, 87-year-old Gheorghe (pictured above) is celebrating his birthday. He has lived in this home since 1999 and says, “I am alone, nobody visits me. I used to work at a brick factory, then my wife died and my daughter-in-law did not want me to live with them. But I am thankful for what I have here.” At the ring of a bell, residents enter the dining room to sit in their favorite spot, to be served birthday cake & soda in honor of Gheorghe. Chivuta, the main cook at the home, said, “They never switch tables – they are used to what they know. I think it gives them a sense of security.” Family care at home is the most commonly-used care option for dependent elderly people in Romania. However, many people like Gheorghe end up in a very vulnerable position if family members are absent or unwilling. There is a major shortage of nursing homes in Romania, with long waiting lists.
A donation of $100 would help MWB provide personal & household hygiene items for abandoned seniors in need. Mission Without Borders provides a monthly donation to Gheorghe’s nursing home, run by a Christian board, to help
“My pension is barely enough to pay for adult diapers for my wife. All my life, I worked in many high positions … But when you are old, many things lose their value and meaning. We depend on each other and I take care of her. All our friends and relatives are gone, and we belong to the past, as we are not needed anymore.” The couple relies on our Soup Kitchen in Sarny, which serves some 38 households daily with a hot meal. Many of these beneficiaries are housebound or disabled, and receive very little help from friends, relatives or neighbors.
another job, and I didn’t have enough working years behind me to be entitled to a pension from the government.”
A donation of just $50 could provide one nutritious meal a day for a month at one of our Soup Kitchens for the elderly. “In the toughest moment of despair and pain, I understood how small and helpless I am,” said Mariya, another elderly beneficiary [pictured above] of our Soup Kitchen in Sarny. “The last years have been very hard. I have been praying with tears daily in my loneliness and disability.” Mariya has only one hand and suffers from a broken hip bone. She lives alone in poverty with only her cat, who provides much-needed warmth and companionship.
IN ALBANIA ... • 27 years after the collapse of communism, Albania is still the second-poorest country in Europe. Eurostat data shows that since 2008, income levels have fallen across Albania, and now stand at just 26% of the EU average. Source: ‘Albanian minors risk everything to escape poverty trap’, 12 February 2018, Balkan Insight
Hanke was married to her husband Ismali at age 15. They have always lived in poverty. In her own words, “In our village, there was nothing. The chickens ate stones.” The couple lives together with an adult son who suffers from mental health issues, in a one-room apartment that is part of an abandoned factory built during the communist era. “We can’t provide anything for our old age,” said Hanke. “I used to work as a loader, carrying heavy loads on my back, but when the agricultural cooperatives closed, I couldn’t find
MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS CANADA OFFICE LOCATION #4-30465 Progressive Way, Abbotsford EMAIL mwbcanada@mwbi.org | www.mwbca.org
Hanke [pictured above with her husband] continued, “Communism was bad, but capitalism is worse. We had so much hope that democracy would change our lives. But only bad things have happened. The only good thing is the Soup Kitchen, and the church people there.” The Soup Kitchen run by MWB in Lapraka is where people receive not only nutritious food but the chance to become part of a community, where they receive friendship, support and Christian teaching. “Can you imagine our lives without your support?” Hanke said. “Once we were neglected and forgotten by the state and society. I go there to eat a good meal, to talk, to study the Bible, to pray about my problems. Life is not easy, but Mission Without Borders and the church bring love and care to us.”
These people were once young and full of energy, and worked hard for many years. Now they are old, in failing health, and many feel that the world has no more use for them. The elderly and disabled in Eastern Europe feel invisible to the rest of the world – but MWB is showing them that God sees them and loves them, and that through His people He will take care of them. With your help, we can provide practical & spiritual love and care to many more who feel as though the world has passed them by. We can help them to know peace and care in their old age, instead of fear and loneliness. As always, give what you can, and we THANK YOU for your continued generosity of dollars and prayers to the various ministry programs of Mission Without Borders! Sincerely, Bonnie Borowetz SPONSORSHIP COORDINATOR MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS CANADA
TOLL FREE 1-800-494-4454 | LOCAL (ABBOTSFORD) 604-855-9126 MAILING ADDRESS Box 2007, Abbotsford, BC V2T 3T8 Follow us on Facebook at “Mission Without Borders Canada”
All donations are used where most needed to effectively help individuals, families and communities in Eastern Europe.