Nancy was the first woman to be helped by "Help Our Women". A beautiful young Russian widow with four children, she lived in a squalid flat with broken windows and rats running around. Sometimes the landlord forgot to put any heating on and the family had to manage in sub-zero temperatures. Mostly they lived on porridge. Her husband had been a filmmaker who choked to death in front of the family from lung cancer. Now two years later, Nancy herself had cancer.

She died when her youngest child was still only five years old. Help Our Women put glass in the windows, took over the rent and utility bills and paid for her medication and medical tests. We gave her a second hand washing machine as her legs became too swollen to move around much. She died in hospital and within a few hours someone from the charity was with the children, bringing them food and support. They are now resettled in another part of Latvia and are looked after by the eldest boy who is a musician. Someone form H.O.W. keeps in touch.

Ilga is in her late forties and struggles to bring up her three teenage children in a squalid two room apartment, in one of the poorest areas of Riga, Latvia. Ilga has to cope with the after effects of a traumatic accident, which happened when she was forced to jump out of the top floor window to escape a rape attempt by a neighbour. The fall broke her back.

For the past five years she has been unable to leave the apartment, spending her days sitting in a broken wheelchair, in a windowless room, lit by a single candle stub. She also has to face the indignity of wearing nappies since she is unable to get to the toilet, which is situated on another landing in the building. To make matters worse her eldest child has had a piece of her lung removed because of illness and is therefore unable to work. When the Charity found her, her plight was unspeakably wretched and pitiable. Nevertheless, her dignity and tenacity of spirit was extraordinary.

Help Our Women has been able to provide electricity for her and a monthly supply of nappies. In addition, the charity has installed a secondhand washing machine and provide new bedding for the family. It is also meeting her rent and utility bills.

Liga was run over by a car in June 2002 and broke her back. She has a metal plate inserted and is paralysed from the waist down. Her husband hasn't been seen since the accident.

Her mother has had to leave her home in the country and look after her daughter. There are few facilities for people with spinal injuries. Liga will probably go to the only rehabilitation centre sometime before September where they will teach her how to manage her disability. She must have physiotherapy and massage, but there is no money for this.

She wishes to inform herself about all possible help and treatments available and she is determined to walk again. H.O.W. has taken on paying for her physiotherapy and has also sent her information on the latest spinal research and will be trying to obtain another assessment for her.

Through our contact with Save the Children, she now has a social worker.

Nina is a 76 year old grandmother bringing up her grandson. Her daughter is dead. She has an elderly husband. Nina is dying from leukaemia. She is such a wonderful lady "I want you to know that I want to live - who will look after Edward if I die?"

She needs frequent injections and blood transfusions for which she has to pay. H.O.W. pays for her blood donors and her medication. We also put in a new toilet. oN On one occasion her life was literally saved by H.O.W.; her distraught husband was told that the only chance she had of surviving the crisis was to try a new drug. We were able to do this quickly and she recovered well enough to return home for a little longer.

Update 2002
Sadly, Nina has died. Edward is ok and being looked after by an aunt.