High numbers of homeless children, many of which are now dead or adults, grew up during the Soviet Union’s collapse. Countries from the former Soviet Bloc suffered economically, increasing the number of children finding their home on the street. Most of them were considered “social orphans”, children who had a home but found living on the street a better alternative to living with impoverished and abusive, drug addicted or alcoholic parents. Many of these children migrated to Odessa, Ukraine. Thousands of homeless kids on Odessa found themselves begging, stealing, getting trapped in the sex industry, and/or doing drugs. One popular drug was called “baltushka” (pronounced “BAL-TOOSH-KUH”) which was made from cheap over the counter cough medicine, vinegar and other ingredients. Once cooked and injected it would cause a short lived burning sensation in the body but would help them to forget their hunger for hours. Baltushka, when used regularly, would damage a person’s nervous system, twisting their muscles, slurring their speech, and permanently crippling some. The sharing of needles caused Ukraine to have the highest HIV/AIDS rate in all of Europe. Those with severe disabilities can be helped through an expensive surgical process and/or through physical therapy. MIA would love to start a physical therapy program for these guys. Contact MIA if you are interested.
In more recent years the number of street children has diminished considerably due to various factors, one of which being social and religious organizations, both local and foreign, seeking to help the children. Many children were arrested and placed in state run orphanages, which almost always have terrible living conditions. Others died, and some were killed by being intentionally sealed in basements of flat buildings or inside manholes and left to die.
Today there is still a need to reach out to the homeless of Odessa. They are a mixture of children and grown adults. Because of the situation with Russia in Eastern Ukraine some homeless have come to Odessa to beg. We know where many of these homeless people can be found and what their needs are. Of course their greatest need is to come to know Christ. Most of these people have never known love and are very hardened, but when you are coming to offer them practical help they are often kind and grateful, although somewhat distrusting at first. Most of them do not have legal papers so this can be a major obstacle in helping them find a job. However, there are scenarios when we have been able to connect them to lawyer friends who can assist them with this.
Often the people lie about their situations. They will often use you for whatever it is they think you have to offer. While they appear to be friendly their hearts are extremely calloused, so be careful with being overly generous. It is common for orphaned or street children to prey on foreigners who are stereotypically viewed as rich and find ways to get gifts from them. Usually they have a strong sense of entitlement to charity due to their hard lives.
INSTRUCTIONS
Do not wear expensive clothes or jewelry when working with these people. Empty your bags of valuables before you go out. Do not eat or drink in front of them unless you are prepared to share (Ukraine is a sharing culture). Do not stare at them like a zoo exhibit. Come to serve, love, and be a true friend. Our goal is to, as much as possible, get them to view us as equals. This can go a long way. You will have plenty of opportunities to tell them about Christ’s love. Ask about their lives and listen intently. Be prepared to share your story but also be aware that they will play along with the “Christian thing” just to get something from you.
The best way we can reach them is through patient practical service and prayer. We must serve them not for a day but be their friends for a lifetime if any of them are to come know Christ in a true way. Perhaps in the future MIA can help these men and women to learn how to take care of themselves and work a trade. Contact MIA if you are interested in serving these friends of ours.
More about the tragic situation of street kids in Odessa, by an award winning photographer Michal Novotny, can be read here.
Photos of Odessa’s street children, by photographer David Gillanders, can be seen here.
To get involved in this outreach visit here.
To help cover the costs of the Summer Homeless Outreach 2015:
Donate Now
To ship stuff to Ukraine for the homeless, visit here.
For some backstory on our experience with the homeless in Odessa:
The Final Judgment
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,f you did it to me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:31-46