Faces of The Fellowship: Josephina

Ninety-one-year-old Josephina lives alone in the former Soviet Union (FSU) and relies on The Fellowship for survival.

Born in Odessa, Ukraine, her grandfather kept horses and worked carrying loads. Her father worked in a weapons factory in Kharkov. When she was younger, Josephina loved learning how to play the piano and expected to have a future in music. Then, with the outbreak of war, her family was forced to evacuate, and she had to stop her music lessons. The family traveled for 21 days by train under terrible conditions, and arrived in Perm, a Russian city close to the Ural Mountains, where temperatures were freezing. Josephina remembers that her family was only able to bring summer clothes, and they were cold.

At that time, Stalin decided to move a weapons factory to Moscow, so Josephina’s father had work transporting equipment.

When Josephina was older, she applied and attended university, graduating from the economics department of the Engineering and Construction Institute. She worked for nearly 40 years, until her accident.

At 60 years old, Josephina was crossing the street and fell, breaking her arm and damaging her nerves. Her arm never healed properly and she was forced to retire. All her life, Josephina has enjoyed theatre and has loved attending cultural events with friends. After her accident, she had to slow down, but, thankfully, she could attend concerts and cultural events at Fellowship-supported Chamah, an organization that helps the elderly in the FSU.

Today, in her old age, Josephina is too weak to have an active social life, due to her osteochondritis, heart problems, and high blood pressure. Yet, she hasn’t completely fallen into despair. She still relies on Fellowship-supported Chamah. Their volunteers bring her hot and nutritious meals, clean her home, go grocery shopping for her, and keep her company. Josephina feels so blessed for this help and support and knows she isn’t alone thanks to the loving generosity of The Fellowship’s partners.

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