Women's shelter HIV in Kherson

In 2020 a women's shelter was established for children and mother's predominantly with HIV who have been left on the streets with nowhere to go. Several of these mothers being completely hopeless were at a breaking point and planned on either commiting suicide with their children by drowning or giving their children up for adoption and/or sending away to a government run boarding school. GHI partnered with local humanitarian organisations on the ground that supported at-risk and destitute children by purchasing a home which now houses five mothers and eight children. In the winter of 2021, Giving Hearts raised funds to install weatherproof windows, insulation and a wooden furnace in the home as gas prices became unsustainable for local Ukrainians to afford to pay. This allowed them to reduce heating costs by 80% and save hundreds of dollars that was able to be allocated towards living supplies.

At the end of 2021, an HIV mother gave birth to a healthy child and was able to keep the child while being given a room to live in, as one of the other mother’s transitioned out of the home. During the war in Ukraine, this shelter experienced first hand fighting and the children were hunkered in the basement for two weeks. Currently, the home is located in a zone of Russian occupation; nonetheless, GHI provides food aid and funds for the nourishment of these mothers and children.

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