Many people we deal with do not exist! Their lack of birth certificates and registration documents means they are not accounted for anywhere. They are therefore unable to access school, free meals, medical and dental help, legal employment, access to pensions, disability provision and other meagre but important funds. Without them the poorest who already struggle, have an even harder battle to survive and the circle of poverty continues.

Link to Hope in its 30th Anniversary year, is aiming to pay for 50 children to gain birth certificates. If more funds are raised we want to help the elderly access pensions and disability allowances and registration documents. Although the amounts they can access are low, it can be the difference between poverty and extreme poverty.

Historically people have been wary of authority and have remained insulated within their communities. The long shadow of communism still remains in the heart and memories of many, who have spent their lives avoiding authority at all costs. Other people have no documents as they have been too poor or illiterate to go about the necessary processes. Going to a police station or council offices fills them with dread.

These documents are needed to gain access to schools, free school meals, child benefit, medical and dental help, legal employment, access to pensions, disability provision and other meagre but important funds.  Without them the poorest who already struggle, have an even harder battle to survive and the circle of poverty continues.  This is particularly true for the children who need documents in order to be able to attend school.

If parents have documents themselves then for a fee of £10 they can gain a birth certificate for their child even if that child is now an adult in two to three months. However if the parents are not registered it can cost £200+ and take up to eight months to get resolved. Many meetings with medical, legal teams, conversations with neighbours, surviving family members, examinations etc need to be undertaken before it can be proven that the person is who they say they are.

We are aiming to raise £5,000 to pay for 50 people to gain birth certificates. We have excellent relationships with hard to reach groups of people. People we have developed relationships with over many years. People that trust us. Our aim is always to rebuild lives and communities and this is a proven way of doing just that.

These documents can be used to enable children to be able to to access schools and gain that valuable education that will enable them to escape from their circumstances and not to repeat the never ending cycle of poverty. If more funds are raised we want to help the elderly access pensions and disability payments. Although the amounts are low it can make the difference between poverty and extreme poverty.

Latest update – March 2024

The I Am project in Ukraine continues to be much needed, especially for refugees leaving the occupied territories or cities of hostility who have lost their documents. Maxim sent an update on some of the cases he has been working on.

‘I currently have a case of a mother who has no birth certificate or passport. Two of her three children are grown up and one is pregnant. They too need documents so I am working with all of them thanks to the support of this project.’

‘I recently worked with a woman in her 80s. A rocket hit her house and killed her son. She was pulled out from under the rubble by soldiers and was sent to Odessa where we restored her documents.’

‘I am also working with Roma children who have stayed here and have nowhere else to go. We organise fun events for them, help them with their studies and provide leisure activities. They very much look forward to these sessions.’

‘I am very grateful this project is ongoing, and for your continued support and send a big thank you from all the people you have helped restore their documents and those who have never had documents before.’

Maxim Dzhum.

Latest Update – November 2023

Greetings to all at Link to Hope. Thank you very much for your support to document people in Ukraine. With the ongoing situation in the country and especially after the explosion of the Kahovka hydroelectric power station, we have many refugees from the Kherson region whose homes were flooded and documents were lost.

I have been involved in taking up to four people every week to restore their documents. I was able to pay for these thanks to your project and your support. These people were able to obtain their documents and also receive a special certificate as internally displaced persons and receive government payments.

I am very pleased and inspired that you support this project.  I helped document a woman whose house exploded and was burning. She ran out with a bag of documents, which were burning, and her passport was charred. We helped her restore her documents.

We also helped a man whose family were killed in shelling restore his documents. He decided to stay in Kherson with his dog until the power station was blown up and flooding started. He then decided to evacuate but was not allowed to go by bus, as his dog did not have a muzzle, so he walked from Kherson to Odessa. He met volunteers there who connected him with me and I helped him arrange his documentation.

This man didn’t give up and now lives in a small country house and works and is helping others get their documents. Recently, he arranged documents for a girl named Varvara, whose mother has cancer and has had to stop medical treatment. The girl received her documents and can now move forward in her life.

We still have enough resources, so we continue our work and once again, I would like to say thank you because during the war, this project has become even more relevant as many people lose their documents and need them to be restored. Restoring these documents requires a fee and additional fines to be paid. All of this is done quickly, and I actively participate in it, thanks to your support. Please extend my heartfelt thanks to all the sponsors and those who have participated in this project.