The Daughters of Charity have been present in Russia for 25 years. Arriving in Slavgorod, Siberia, in 2015, two sisters are continuing a charitable mission begun by other nuns more than 30 years ago: food aid, medical and spiritual support, educational activities, visits to families and the sick. 

In this devastated city of 28,000 inhabitants, unemployment is very high, wages are very low (€170 per month on average) and there are many social problems (alcoholism, poverty, child malnutrition). The current political situation is exacerbating the situation.
Winters in Slavgorod are long, harsh and freezing (down to -40°C). The inhabitants mainly live in detached houses with gardens where they grow vegetables and potatoes. Many houses do not have running water. To survive the winter, people have to work hard during the summer to stock up on fuel for their homes.

Winter, the number one enemy of a mother in dire straits

Among those regularly visited and supported by the sisters is Helena, a mother raising her three children alone: a 14-year-old secondary school boy, a 10-year-old girl with an intellectual disability who attends a special school, and a 3-year-old girl who will soon be starting nursery school.

To house her family, Helena used her ‘maternity capital’ (a government grant for families after a birth) to buy a home. However, with this modest sum, she was only able to purchase part of a very dilapidated house, lacking basic amenities, including heating. 

The social services' ultimatum for her children

In the summer of 2024, Helena moved into this house with her children and, despite her efforts, was only able to rewire the electrical system. Social services deemed the house uninhabitable for the winter: badly damaged walls, fragile roof, no heating or drainage system.

"Helena was given an unbearable ultimatum: if she did not manage to renovate the house quickly, her children would be taken away from her and placed in an orphanage. This threat hangs over her like a constant source of anxiety." Sr Teresa

A temporary solution for last winter

To protect her children, she had to rent a small flat during the winter, which further depleted her finances. Her resources remain very limited, and she cannot afford to pay for the essential work needed to make her home safe and healthy.

An opportunity to be seized

In the spring of 2025, Helena and her children returned to live in the dilapidated house. With winter approaching, the threat of separation persists due to the lack of decent housing. 

An opportunity has now arisen for Helena. Her neighbour wants to sell her part of the house before the end of 2025. This part has a stove, which is essential for winter, as well as a kitchen and a living room. 

The urgent and vital project:
- acquire this second part of the house to provide shelter for Helena and her children
- then gradually undertake the necessary work on the other half of the dwelling. 

"Today, this mother lives in constant fear of seeing her family torn apart. Despite everything, she remains courageous, cares for her children with love and hopes that supportive people will come to her aid to prevent this injustice. It is a matter of responding to this mother's distress in order to preserve the unity and dignity of a family." Sr Teresa

If the project is funded beyond its target, the surplus donations received will be allocated to a similar project.