Week 64 of our 78-week humanitarian mission to Slovakia and Poland is in the books.

“Every sunrise is an invitation for us to arise and brighten someone’s day."

Richelle E. Goodrich

Slovakia fact of the week . . . Few people know about it, but the oak grove near Dobrá Niva in Zvolen is unrivalled and attracts the interest of scientists from around the world. On an area equal to 120 football fields grow 600 giant, and more than 400-year-old oaks. Their bizarre shapes are like something out of a fairy tale.

Project updates for the week . . . . .

Project #1: Since 2013, Kolobeh Života has focused on assisting Slovakians in coping with the loss of a loved one. Života provides comprehensive services to reach as large a population as possible. Their services include educational materials, one-on-one counseling, retreats for widowed parents and their children, summer therapy camps for children, online self-help groups, social networks, and coping with grief and loss books.

We funded the publishing of 1,000 copies of a book authored by Dr. Jana Pitkova. Dr. Pitkova is a pioneer in Slovakia in educating and assisting the Slovak people with dealing with the death of a loved one. The end result exceeded our expectations - the book is beautiful.

Historically, when a family member became ill they died at home. The custom in Slovakia was for death to occur at home with the body remaining in the home for three days to allow family and friends to gather to mourn their loss and to begin the healing process together. With the implementation of socialized medicine, and the associated lack of hospice and palliative care, less than one-third of Slovakians now die at home. Slovak patients with chronic conditions are more likely to die in hospitals than in any other European Union country.

The American Psychiatry Association: "An individual with prolonged grief disorder may experience intense longing for the person who has died or preoccupation with thoughts of that person. In children and adolescents, the preoccupation may focus on the circumstances around the death. Additionally, the individual may experience significant distress or problems performing daily activities at home, work, or other important areas.

Zuzana Pitkova, Kelly and Dr. Jana Pitkova

Project #2: Centrum pre Deti a Rodiny Remetské Hámre is a full-time residence children's home and orphanage, Slovakia. Hamre cares for at-risk, disabled, and orphaned children and young adults to the age of 18. Hamre is currently at full capacity and cares for 81 children and 13 children living with professional foster care families.

Hamre's mission is to provide children with both physical and mental development in a healthy and family environment in which the child can feel safe and develop in all aspects of life. The children are taught to be self-reliant and to be able to care for their own basic needs upon leaving the center. The children are provided with educational activities, psychological counseling, healthcare, as well as support of free-time social activities.

The basement in the main children's home requires renovation due to a lack of proper exterior drainage which has caused damage to the interior of the basement. The poor drainage has resulted in mold and extensive damage to the basement floors and walls.

Another partner completed the repairs needed on the outside of the home. We provided funds to renovate the basement and look forward to sharing photos of the completed project. The project is underway and should be completed in the next few weeks. In the interim, here are a few 'before' photos.

The future is bright when there are young people like Ally Parker in the world Kelly's niece Brooke and her daughter joined us for week of service. Ally's twin sister Avery participated in service projects in Africa, Ally chose to join us in Slovakia and Poland.

Ally and Brooke joined us at three of our project sites - Roma communities in Slovakia and Poland and a Ukraine refugee shelter in Krakow. Ally created projects prior to joining us and presented them to children in each of communities we visited. And as you have read in earlier posts, Roma are very artistic and musically talented. Ally was more than happy to join in on the fun.

A few random photos from the week . . .

We pray you are well and that you will have a wonderful week.