Parvina grew up in the Republic of Tajikistan, which is a country in Central Asia, bordered by Afghanistan in the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. Her family led an ordinary life and all was fine until tragedy struck. When Parvina was six years old, her mother passed way which turned life upside down. Her father started to drink heavily and stopped caring about Parvina and her brother, who was only one year older than her. The children were left to themselves. Sometimes they went to bed hungry.

Parvina’s grandfather saw what was happening to the children, but had no opportunity and strength to take care of his grandchildren. There was simply not enough money to live on.

One day, the grandfather heard from his neighbour about the “House for Women” Centre, which operates at a local church. He contacted the church and not long after, Parvina and her brother came to the centre and stayed there during the weeks.

Parvina was very frightened and cried most of the time. She would wake up in the night crying and calling for her mother. The centre staff did their best to help Parvina, surrounding her with love and care. However, years of neglect had made a significant imprint on her behaviour. Parvina often reacted aggressively to every remark or advice of her mentors.

After a few months of her stay in the centre, it was time to start school. Parvina went to the first grade, but she did not like to study at all which affected her homework. One of the centre volunteers made made much effort to help Parvina to keep up with the school programme.

At that time, Parvina also started to attend Sunday School, where she heard about Christ. She became interested in what she heard and asked many questions. However, as soon as the children were visited by their father and stayed at home during the weekend, Parvina’s behaviour deteriorated. It turned out that the father used this time to teach the children to live according to religious (Shariah) law, which was so different from what Parvina and her brother had heard in Sunday school.

But the centre staff did not give up. They continued to pray for Parvina and her brother, and for their father. They prayed that God would touch them and show His love to them.

God answered their prayers. Parvina started to change before their eyes. She did better in school and her grades improved. She started to look after herself better and became more polite. She started to actively take part in the centre’s activities with joy. Parvina learned to pray and started to pray for her daddy all the time. She says: “I pray for daddy. I believe that Jesus will touch him and free him from drunkenness.”

Today, Parvina is happy and she loves making beautiful drawings and make bead crafts. She dreams of practicing gymnastics. She knows that Jesus loves her and protects her and her brother.

The “House for Women” centre is located in Tajikistan, where the main religion is Islam. At the centre, lonely and vulnerable orphans and mothers with children who find themselves in difficult circumstances receive comprehensive assistance – safe housing, food, psychological and spiritual support. The staff serve with care and share the love of Christ, bringing hope for the future.