Poultry, pigs and potatoes: that’s what life looks like these days for the Horodetska family. The family of six lives near our sponsor site in Ternopil, and they’ve grown their home farm to include cows, goats and more. But it took a bit of time, and a few special gifts, to get there.
Kateryna, the oldest daughter, began life with a cleft palate. Her mother, Oksana, was off on maternity leave, so her father Ruslan was the only income-earner.
They owned a family cow, but that changed when Kateryna needed major surgery. Her parents sold the cow to cover the costs, and took out a loan for her rehabilitation. Those days were hard.
That’s when Kateryna’s Chalice sponsor came into her life. With their daughter receiving benefits, the parents shifted focus to paying off their loan. They felt supported, and in time, became active Chalice community members.
Kateryna’s sister Halyna got her own sponsor a year later, and the impact was huge. The family bought new animals, including cows, goats and poultry. Eventually, they began selling their own dairy products.
The blessings didn’t stop there. The Horodetskas eventually received a motor cultivator from the Chalice gift catalogue, and it soon opened possibilities. The new tool meant they could start cultivating produce for themselves and their animals and sell it to others. Their community even gave them two hectares of land to use!
Ruslan now has another job working on a pig farm, and the family is grateful to Chalice sponsors for helping them through the tough times.
Nowadays, they like to give back, too. The motor cultivator means they can help others in their village – and it wouldn’t have been possible without Chalice supporters.
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