Help Gianina care for her children

Shortly before Christmas I got into conversation with a young woman selling the Big Issue. It’s so easy to pass by, but this somehow seemed to be the right time. Her situation was quite bad enough even then, although she was coping with real determination; but in the last few days it has become critical, and I want to ask for help to tide her over a very difficult time and give her some breathing space to begin to find solutions.

Her name is Gianina, and she is 20. She is Romanian, but lived for years in Belgium. 5 years ago her parents died in a car crash, and she came to the UK, with her sister who is 4 years younger, because she knew a Romanian man here. They became a couple and had 3 children. I can already hear, and I know she can too, the mutterings about foolishness and fecklessness: as she puts it, she made a series of bad decisions, and I’m sure everyone would agree. But I have no intention of moralizing, and it is the present that needs to be dealt with. The fact remains that she lives for her children, 3 lovely girls aged 2, 3 and 4, and has looked after them very well. The girls’ father left her 6 months ago, making things much more difficult, but her sister was able to look after the children while she went to work. She was keeping her head above water, but what really got to me was the fact that on 2 occasions she had been living on the street in a tent for short periods. I was also impressed by her strength and her ability to remain positive.

The problem now, however, is that her sister is no longer able to take care of the children because she has started to attend college. This seems to leave her with 2 equally impossible alternatives: to stay with them and earn no money, or to work and leave them alone. Obviously childcare is not affordable, and even if it were, she has a 2 hour journey to get to her Big Issue pitch which would double the cost. She has a nice flat and her landlord has been supportive, but only up to a point, and there is no doubt that she could end up on the street again, with her children. It’s worth saying also that, although she has pre-settled status, she is not entitled to any benefits.

There are other complicating factors, involving the need to exchange ID cards for passports, and to deal with legal matters surrounding her parents’ death. She needs to travel to Romania and has kept by a little money for this. This is perhaps a minor headache compared with the overall situation, but it cannot be helping with her mental state.

I am hoping that it will be possible to raise £3000, which would take some pressure off and give her 3 months to investigate all the possibilities while having enough to live on. She is a talented thoughtful and caring woman, and I am very happy to have met her. If her story touches you, please consider making a donation, however small.