Church helps war orphans

Almost 200 Ukrainian orphans have received vital aid from kind-hearted members of a Kendal-based church.

Jonny Gios, the minister of Gateway Church, and a small team of parishioners traveled to Sighisoara in Romania, and from there they journeyed by van for seven hours to the Ukraine border. Funds raised by the church were then used to purchase items from a local ‘cash and carry’ shop, enabling supplies to be delivered directly into the hands of orphans.

LENDING A HAND: the Gateway Church team poses for a photograph.

The church regularly supports Romanian-based worker, Liviu who has normally worked with gypsy travelers.

More recently he has been helping refugees who have made the treacherous journey from Ukraine before crossing the border into Romania. Many have just a backpack and the clothes they are standing up in. In addition to this vital work, Liviu has been helping at a busy orphanage in a Ukrainian village and was able to take the team out to deliver supplies.

ALL SMILES: a young orphan is in a cheerful mood as she cuddles her soft toy.

“To see the delight on the children’s faces was so moving,” commented Jonny Glos. “We handed the bags out to the children. Each one of the bags was packed with chocolate, toys, colouring books, toothpaste, socks, and shower gel, one boy was so delighted with shower gel. His smile beamed from one side to the other - I couldn’t hold back the tears.”

The orphanage already has ample supplies of clothes and shoes so the team purchased other items.

Many members of Gateway Church have been impacted and deeply troubled by the desperate situation in Ukraine. That despair has driven them to raise funds and take direct action.

HOLDING TIGHT: a young resident welcomes a member of the Gateway Church team.

One of the team members is builder Chris Brooks, who worked in Romania15 years ago, and was happy to return to eastern Europe.

He said: "It's not straightforward by any means, what we see, but at the end of the day there are people there who are losing lives; people there who are losing families and homes. We'll be trying to meet people where they are, either helping people that have come out of Ukraine or going into the borders of Ukraine to take people out of Ukraine back into Romania."

With Chris’s help, the team was able to transport a family and an elderly lady from the Ukraine border to a refugee centre in Romania.

COMING TOGETHER: The Kendal visitors mingle with staff and volunteers at the orphanage.

Another team member is Sam Cleasby, a Learning Disabilities Carer. She said: "It's broken my heart to see it. To see all these children orphaned and all these women on their own having to flee in fear and then their husbands, partners, and sons left there to fight. It's ripping families apart."

In the future, the team hopes to return to Ukraine to deliver aid and support to those who need it. To give to the next Gateway Church Mission to Ukraine please click here.

Val Fraser is a respected freelance journalist based in the northwest of England.