Their mother works abroad and they rarely see her, and their father abandoned the family. Their grandmother, Stefanita, looks after her great-grandchild as well as the two boys.
Because they live in poverty, both Nicolae and Ilie are both enrolled on Mission Without Border's child sponsorship programme. As a result, they receive regular food and hygiene parcels, help with their education, and emotional and spiritual support.
The children miss their mother very much, but they are also close to their grandmother and she takes good care of them. Now kind-hearted Stefanita has taken FIVE more children into her household - refugees from Ukraine.
Stefanita’s daughter and her family were living in Odessa, Ukraine. When Russia invaded Ukraine, her daughter was working abroad in Germany, and Stefanita’s son-in-law fled Ukraine with their four children. As the sole caregiver of his children, he was allowed to leave. He hopes to find work – and in the meantime, Stefanita has agreed to look after her four grandchildren, along with the three children already in her home.
Vitalie Istrate, MWB’s children’s worker – who supports Nicolae and Ilie – said, “On Sunday, they all came to church. I asked the children from Ukraine if they liked the visit to the church, and they said yes and that they want to come to the children’s meeting this Saturday, and again to church with their grandmother on Sunday.
“When I visited them to bring them some donations, I asked, ‘who sleeps on this bed?’ They told me they were all huddled together, but they are safe. Now they have nothing left in Ukraine.
“One of the older girls said, ‘I hope everything will be fine and that we’ll be able to go back to Ukraine, to our friends and to school, to everything we once had. I'm glad I'm safe now here, with my brothers, warm, and with a roof over my head.’”
Mission Without Borders has provided them all with donated goods, clothing, and a Bible and will continue to support them with everything they can. The children have settled in well and have been enrolled in the local school, the same one their cousins attend, and have made new friends.
Vitalie will continue to visit regularly.
Angela, MWB's communications manager in Moldova, said, “Grandma Stefanita, who is struggling to take care of her two grandchildren and a great-grandchild, now has four more grandchildren.
Please pray for her to stay strong and healthy, and to be under God’s protection.
“We, at Mission Without Borders, will continue to help Stefanita with everything we can.
“God bless Grandma Stefanita, who has a beautiful heart, and may God bless all the children who are cared for by her!