Caring for
ORPHANS
Our work is focused on showing the love of Jesus to orphans in Ukraine. We work with orphanages to meet children's basic needs while building loving relationships with them.
Renewing
FAMILIES
Most Ukrainian orphans we meet are connected to relatives who often live in challenging circumstances. We try to engage with them to renew their faith, by providing practical and spiritual support.
Growing
COMMUNITY
God wants us to live in community. We connect children & families with local Cherkassy camps, schools and churches so they can build a relationship with Jesus and the Christian community.
For a child at Shpola Orphanage in Ukraine, “Back to School” is very different. It’s NOT the familiar waxy smell of crayons, freshly sharpened pencils and a cool new backpack.
Several weeks after our Shpola Kids Camp, Hope Now USA was blessed to host another camp, but this time for high school teenagers, called Challenger Youth Camp. Kompas Park welcomed the oldest orphans from Shpola orphanage, kids that had previously graduated from Shpola as well as many teens from local Cherkasy churches. Sometimes, teenagers can be pretty difficult to work with, but with the right approach and a positive attitude, our team of Ukrainian and American volunteers found it a joy! You can check out all the fun we had by watching the attached video.
Ukraine: Orphans, A Disturbing Situation
Right now, there are about 750 institutions housing 106,000 orphans in Ukraine, with the majority of them being “social orphans” who were abused or abandoned by their parents and were placed in the care of others. Every three days an orphan with a disability dies, usually because they don’t get the necessary medical attention. In Ukraine, the orphanage, known as an Internat, is a mixed boarding school for orphans and children from families living in poverty and is a catch-all for children of every background and need.
Dreams Come True for kids from Shpola Orphanage
For the past several years, volunteers from Hope Now have been coming to Shpola orphanage to spend a few days with the children, to get to know them and to bring God’s word to them. These visits have become very special to the orphans and to the volunteers alike. The leaders began to dream about how awesome it would be, to take the children outside of their everyday environment and bring them to Kompas Park, a top-notch Christian camp facility. Then they started talking about this idea together and it was clear that they all had the same desire. Of course, it is easier to reach a destination with others than by yourself. So, the planning the camp of our dreams began.
Hope Now Ministries in Ukraine - Sponsor Orphans from the US
Hope Now Ministries is a USA based Christian charity focusing on the orphan community in central Ukraine. We continue the work that our founder and missionary Rev. Vic Jackopson started in 1992. Again and again, God shows His deep abiding love for widows and orphans throughout scripture. In everything we do, all of us at Hope Now aim to bring glory to God while serving His most precious ones. Our attention is centered around orphans, families and community.Over the years, Hope Now USA has a developed a special relationship with Shpola Orphanage – including the Directors, as well as the 140 children who call Shpola home. We partner with the staff, in their own words “to help them realize their dreams for the orphanage.” Together, we have improved the physical living conditions of the children by sponsoring several building projects and implementing a school uniform program. Our teacher training curriculum was greeted enthusiastically and continues today. Our volunteer teams are welcomed anytime, especially for our regular Sunday School Days and numerous camps. Our child sponsorship program offers Hope Now donors a unique way to connect the love of Christ to His children in Ukraine.
We all need a loving family to thrive. Frequently, Shpola families have been broken apart by life's challenges, but some of these families can be renewed. Hope Now cares for many families of orphans who struggle to live a full life. The Lord guides us to mothers who desire to raise their own children, but who need the loving support of Christ, a mentor and a hand up.
Children graduate from Shpola at the end of 9th grade and their life at the orphanage comes to an end. Hopefully, with encouragement, most continue on to Trade School education but this means moving to a new city, living in a public dormitory and being assigned a social worker. With the help of several talented and dedicated seminary students, Hope Now Ministries has developed a thriving Youth Group for Shpola graduates that meets each week in the town of Cherkassy, where many graduates relocate from Shpola. They can relax with familiar faces, share each other’s burdens, form relationships with Christian mentors, all while learning about God’s great love for them. Here, they are eased into a caring Christian community.
To facilitate our efforts, Hope Now USA partners with local churches and charities in the Cherkassy region. Each organization offers opportunities for orphans and families to connect with their local community. Christian leaders are active in the organizations we support and they bring the strength of community to the lives of the lost.