Dear Friends and supporters. At the start of a New Year we would like to give a brief
update on the Mercy Ladies Project. We have recently heard frorn Dr Irina (the Mercy Ladies coordinator) and Valya our Mercy Lady who works in Boucha. This is the village which the Old & St Andrew's and individuals support. The project in Boucha cares for 10 needy grandmothers - some looking after their grandchildren and disabled grown up children - also 4 families with children who need extra help.
Each grandmother receives 10 dollars monthly in the form of a food package.
Families with children receive 16 dollars. Sometimes there will be one-off needs such as medicine.
Valya regularly visits these families giving them friendship, practical and spiritual help.
One particular lady Valya visits is Svetlana who has multiple sclerosis. She is confined to bed and needs regular supplies of continence pads. Svetlana has two sons, one has schizophrenia the other son tries to care for her. They live in very difficult circumstances.

Some of you may remember Luda, who as a young person was seriously abused by a family member. Luda has 3 sons one of whom still needs treatment from time to time for burns sustained as a small child. The extra help they receive gives them hope and a
better quality of life. The boys try to help supplement their household expenses by doing gardening jobs for neighbours.
The other village that receives help is Lutugino, a mining village 30 miles from the Russian border (an area of very high unemployment). Katya, wife of Pastor Roman (the local pastor) visits a number of elder$ people and takes them food packages. Pastor Igor, a former police officer and his wife also go out into the community trying to help elderly people. They are very grateful for the support they receive from Scotland. We have seen first hand the difference your continued help makes.

Isobel Reynolds & Jean Rose