Women’s Crisis Centre in Russia needs your support!

The shelter "Hope" in the city of Kazan, Russia is designed for young mothers with newborn children, as well as mothers with many children who would otherwise need to be separated from their children. Our city of a million people has only a few shelters for women in need and we are relying on your support to meet our monthly costs of £1516.

It is Mother’s Day in the UK on Sunday 31st March, so we have decided to offer customised E-Cards for all donations of £10 or over, letting your loved one know that a donation has been made on their behalf. Just drop us a message at [email protected] giving their name, email address and any personalisation requests, and we will send the E-Card to them on the 31st March. Alternatively, give us your email address and you can give them a printed version on the day of your choosing!

Because of the strength of foreign currencies, your donation goes much further with us and even a small donation of £1 would really help. The following amounts could buy:

£10: 750g milk formula or 2 large packs of diapers

£20: 70 trips via public transport or several trips to the doctor

£50: 1 month's supply of diapers, 2 cans of milk formula, 2 bottles of children's shampoo and 1 bottle of children's skin creme

Throughout 2016-2017 we were able to help more than 45 mothers, 49 children aged 2 to 7 years, and 9 newborn babies.

Here you can see and learn about the stories of our clients who received support in the Crisis Center "Hope" with the Charitable Foundation "The Gift of Giving" (in Russian)

http://dobrodarom.ru/happy-stories/

As well as shelter, we provide complex social and psychological assistance to mothers with children and pregnant women who find themselves in a difficult situation, including:

psychological support;

legal advice;

support from a social worker;

humanitarian assistance;

providing temporary residence.

The project relies on contributions to meet the minimum monthly cost of 120,000 rubles (£1516).

This amount includes the cost of maintaining the center:

1. Rent for the shelter - 40 000 rubles (£505)

2. Utility bills - 8 000 rubles (£101)

3. Meals - 21 000 rubles (£265)

5. Children's products (diapers, formula, food for children, children's hygiene) - 17 500 rubles (£221)

6. Household goods - 15 000 rubles (£189)

7. Employing a social worker - 18 500 rubles (£234)

Any donations over this will allow for little extras such as toys or personal items. Your donations will go straight to these women and children, and will give them the chance to move on from the past and build a new life for themselves.

Our website is available here: http://dobrodarom.ru/campaign/centrmama/

And our Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/dobrodarom/

(in Russian)

Whether you can donate or not, please consider sharing this fundraiser on social media, so that those who can donate get to hear about us!

Why this is so important to us:

The Russian law has recently been changed to effectively decriminalise domestic abuse, meaning that women who cannot afford to flee or find a place in a shelter must decide between staying with their abuser and making themselves voluntarily homeless, in a country whose winter kills.

The recent BBC3 documentary Russia’s War on Women is a must-watch if you want to understand the scale of the problem, which is often played down by the authorities.

According to the Russian interior ministry’s own estimates, in Russia 40 women a day and 14,000 women a year die at the hands of their husbands or spouses, while 600,000 face violent domestic abuse each year. (Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-decriminalise-domestic-violence-vladimir-putin-ultra-conservative-family-laws-a7541371.html)

There is a common Russian saying: if he beats you, he loves you.

Together let’s change that, and give the gift of hope to women who have nowhere else to turn.