Twelve-year-old Andrei is in the fourth grade and lives in a Children’s Home in Moldova. He suffers from enuresis and he stutters. Despite his youth, Andrei’s life has been full of problems that seem to too much for a child his age.

Andrei’s mother abandoned both he and his brother, Slavic. Their father worked in the village but would often drink his earnings, leaving the two boys without money for food or clothing. Their grandmother took Slavic in but left Andrei to fend for himself on the streets.

Soon a relative suggested that Andrei go with her to Moscow in order to earn money. It was not until he arrived in Moscow that Andrei understood what trickery she had in mind for him. He was dressed in old, tattered clothes and placed on a wheelchair in such a way that his legs appeared to be missing. A cardboard sign reading ‘Help me, please.’ was hung around his neck. The ‘managers’ of this business forced him to go out and beg for money in the cold and dirty subway halls breathing in the filthy exhaust. If he failed to bring back a fixed amount of money, he was beaten and left without food.

Andrei escaped from that life in Russia and returned to Moldova by stowing away in the luggage compartment of a train. He returned to the Children’s Home. Although Andrei has not had much education, he is trying to catch up with his studies at the Home. When asked what would he like to do after leaving school, Andrei answered that he wanted to be ‘a teacher, in order to teach children.’

Sadly, Andrei’s story is not unique. There are thousands of children like Andrei in children’s institutions across Eastern Europe.

Please help us to help them by sponsoring a child today!