Ukrainian kids get a break from the war! ( video will display now - sorry!)

Star of Hope together with our partners organized a one-day summer camp for the kids in the city of Kharkiv (Charkiv) Ukraine.

They received Christian children's books and bread to take home with them. This film shows the other fun they had if only perhaps temporary.

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Olga and her children sat in a queue for 36 hours to get the last mile to Romania.

Vera misses her eldest son, whom she was forced to leave in Ukraine.

Yeva, Maria, and Lena had never met before, but their nine-year old’s found each other during the escape.

Meet the mothers who do everything to save their children from the horrors of war.

Just over 20 miles from the Star of Hope’s Day center in Dorohoi Romania is the border crossing Siret, which tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees have crossed since the beginning of the war. The flow continues today. Camelia Topala, who heads the center in Dorohoi, went to the border today just as she did the same day the war broke out.

"When I hugged the Ukrainian children, they felt frozen. That night I came home and just cried and cried," she says.

Since then, the Star of Hope has been in place 300 meters from the border. This is where we meet Vera with her son Emir in her arms. He is only three months old, but the siblings Dima and Nastja help to take care of him.

"We spent several nights outside our house and heard bombs falling," says Vera.

When they finally fled, her firstborn was not allowed to come with them. 18-year-old Vasia has been summoned and faces an uncertain future in the military.

The Romanian head office in Iasi, Romania, has also been redesigned to welcome refugee families. At that building, Olga sleeps with her mother Irina, children Myron and Sofia, sister-in-law Victoria and niece Alicia.

All spouses, fathers, and brothers were forced to say goodbye when they fled. When Olga tells, the tears come.

So many children have died! Others have been left alone, without parents! 6-year-old Sofia tries to comfort her mother. Olga strokes her daughter's cheek and straightens her back.

"A few weeks ago, we did not know how brave we were, she says. But now we know."

Two days later, more mothers arrive at the center in Iasi: Yeva with her son Pasha, Maria with her son Artom and Lena with her daughter Nastja. The children are nine years old, all three. They play in the dormitory and the boys laugh while wrestling for a computer tablet. For the moment, they do not have to worry about their fathers remaining in Ukraine. They look like childhood friends but have only known each other for a couple of days - and soon they will be separated, again.

Lena wants to go to Germany and Yeva has friends in Zurich. Maria, in turn, tries to get to Spain. "I have an old relative in Gibraltar," she says.

According to the plan, she would have already reached Cluj-Napoca in western Romania. "I wanted to Cluj a town in Romania but heard wrong at a transport center and took a bus to Husi instead," she says and laughs. She chats and jokes, seemingly unaffected by everything that has happened - but when someone slams a teacup behind her head, she jumps up and screams straight out. A second later, she buries her face in her hands. "Sorry!" she says, but everyone understands.

Every unexpected blow takes her back to the explosions in her hometown. The horrors of war leave traces even in those who manage to escape. Open wounds, even in the seemingly uninjured.

Help mothers in crisis!

Too many mothers are suffering severely right now. In this situation, every day is Mother’s Day, and we want to make a special effort for Mothers.

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As we are past the second month of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia we feel more and more that action is having a rippling effect on the rest of the world.

Both Ukraine and Russia, are big producers of grain, and the cost of what normally is affordable food is now going up everywhere in the world. 

Unfortunately, the ones that are suffering the most are the poor. The ones that already find it hard to feed their children find themselves in an even harder position, again. 

According to the United Nations and echoed by USAID, at least 45 underdeveloped countries are dependent on grain, oil, tea, fruit, and fertilizer from Russia and Ukraine. Ninety-five or 95% of US fertilizer come from the same location.

Due to the war and the sanctions made on Russia the rise in the prices of the most basic of products is having a devastating effect on the poor countries in the world. Those countries have already struggled through the effects of Covid on top of their national problems and now things have quickly become incredibly worse.

Star of Hope is constantly in contact with our partners in the countries where we work, and we can tell you that unequivocally the war is influencing all of them negatively. One example is Argentina where over the last couple of months the extreme poverty percentage has gone up from 37,7% (officially) affecting the end of January around 17 million people, and today poverty has been measured at over 50%. One of the provinces most affected is where we work, in Chaco amongst the natives Toba the extreme poverty percentage lands at over 80% and rising.



A lot of the food we give out is directly affected by price increases like pasta, bread, oatmeal, and everything made from flour. And as the fuel prices also have risen this is now influencing the local produce as farmers are having to raise the prices of their products to make ends meet.

Today we are giving out more than 8000 meals of food in Kenya. Haiti and Ghana are experiencing inflation never seen before or experienced. We are giving out 700 bags of food a month to the Toba natives in Argentina.
The marginalized place we work does not share the same cost increase as in the United States where the U.S. Department of Agriculture via their economic research service says:

“Food price increases are expected compared to observations in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, the food “at home” prices are also predicted to increase, between 5.0 and 6.0 percent. Food “away-from-home” prices are predicted to increase between 5.5 and 6.5 percent. Price increases for food away from home are expected to exceed historical averages and the inflation rate in 2021”.

However, here in America, you and I depending on where we live, have seen an official inflation rate of 7.9% already in 2022. Put that together with the 15% - 30% increase in food prices quoted by the U.S Bureau of Statistics. Then throw in some “shrinkflation”, also known as the grocery, shrink ray, deflation, or package downsizing. I am paying closer to 30% more than just a year ago for so many items. I wonder if you feel the same.

All this is important, what is more, important for you to know is when we feed our 20,000 kids in thirteen countries, there are countries where the costs have soared 300% in just 2 or 3 years.
Imagine for a moment that you are in charge, of footing the bill, to feed our kids and your total salary will not cover the food. That feeling that inability is what we are talking about.

We are now reaching out to you as we need more help not only to help the victims of the war but also to help all our projects with food baskets and school lunches to help the children and their families.

As a Lunch Buddy where just 1 dollar gives 4 children food for a day, you can make a huge difference to a family by donating every month.

Click here to find out more.

Click here to give a gift.

Acts 20:35
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Be a blessing to a child!

Isabella Zelaya (edited)

Kyiv is under new increased attack. Our trucks still deliver needed items. 

Our friends in Ukraine have cut together a film from their distribution of, among other things, food, clothes, and hygiene articles.

The song in the background is a silent prayer for peace in the heart. 💙💛

Star of Hope is a not-for-profit organization that positively changes the lives of children worldwide.

Visit us www.starofhope.us/give Here is exactly what we are doing, have done, and will continue to do.

1. Emergency goods shipments from our home base in Sweden to the heart of Ukraine.

2. Support refugees at our child development centers in Romania.

3. Emergency transporting and support of refugees back to Star of Hope Sweden's retreat.

4. Medicine for Chernobyl children in Ukraine as Star of Hope has kept in touch with the so-called “Chernobyl children”, who are still in Ukraine.

5. Staff continues to meet refugees at the border in Siret Romania.

Our Mission is to help the poorest children around the world create a better life for themselves.

Our Vision is a world where all children have an opportunity to become educated, healthy adults, get involved in their communities, and share their love of Jesus Christ.

JOIN US!

Visit www.starofhope.us/give

One of the humanitarian actions we are doing to help Ukrainian refugees is being done via our partner, Star of Hope Romania.

They have social workers and staff on the border meeting refugees. They have open arms and hearts and even small gifts for the children. We have converted three of our Roma child support centers and Centers for children with disabilities into shelters for families on the run. One center will concentrate on children with disabilities, which is a unique competence we have in Romania.

We need financing to house, feed, and support families for an extended time.

"We thank God that Star of Hope is already here, ready to help," said one mother on the run from the war.

Join us, and you too can help the children of Ukraine.

Ways how you can help:

Help us by sharing this news and have understanding the needs are, support at the border, housing, feeding, and supporting families with a member who is disabled, for an extended time.

1# ask

We need you to share this message with your company, church, friends, and family.

Join us with a gift and you too can help the children.

#2 ask, a gift

gifts on www.starofhope.us/give

or

text helpukraine to 41444

or

start a FB fundraiser

https://www.facebook.com/fund/starofhope.org/

or

start a mobile fundraiser yourself and get your clan involved

https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/Ukrainekids

or

Give on PayPal - special to Ukraine

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=664DVKQMZPSAU

Please help the kids the way you like!

Blessings - Mark Presson CEO

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