ICF "Father's House". Our work. Ministry to Street Children. Homeless children

Homeless children

During the last few years, the problem of homelessness of children has grown into the national catastrophe. According to official statistics there are as many as 126,000 children trying to survive on the streets in the urban areas of Ukraine.

The main reason that this horrible situation exists is that for seventy years the government attempted to build a society devoid of God. This led to the destruction of many families, which created within these families an inability to cope with temporary difficulties, resulting in a passivity and inactivity on the part of many parents. There are several causes for these tens of thousands of children in Ukraine to have been literally "left out in the cold": drug addiction and alcoholism of their parents as well as emotional, physical and sexual abuse from inside and outside of the home. The result is that children are being forced to beg on the streets and suffer from: sexual abuse on the streets, hunger and the inability to meet their every day survival needs.

The main reason that this horrible situation exists is that for seventy years the government attempted to build a society devoid of God. This led to the destruction of many families, which created within these families an inability to cope with temporary difficulties, resulting in a passivity and inactivity on the part of many parents.

There are several causes for these tens of thousands of children in Ukraine to have been literally "left out in the cold": drug addiction and alcoholism of their parents as well as emotional, physical and sexual abuse from inside and outside of the home. The result is that children are being forced to beg on the streets and suffer from: sexual abuse on the streets, hunger and the inability to meet their every day survival needs.

We have identified three main categories of street children:

1) Children who permanently stay on the street. Parents of such children have been incarcerated, died or have simply lost every connection with their children.
2) Children who live most of their time on the street but may return home from time to time. Often, their parents have a life style (addiction to alcohol and other drugs) that is conducive to their children running away. These children run from a place where they are being abused and have no sense of security.
3) Children who come home to spend a night and the rest of the time they are on the streets. These children are running away from the problems at homes: poverty, misunderstanding with parents, and bad attitudes toward their parents. These are not always the victims of abuse, they are sometimes victim of the peer pressure of other "street kids".

Most of these children use tobacco, consume alcohol, sniff glue, take drugs, and engage in sexual activities (including prostitution). They live in grossly unhygienic conditions and suffer from various diseases (including H.I.V.). In order to survive they steal, beg, and prostitute themselves. They are often the victims of sexual abuse, violence, the child-slave trade, and become involved in crime. Whatever reasons a child stays on the street, we believe that our responsibility before God is to do everything possible to help these children and present them with a brighter future.

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Homeless children