Natalie's parents immigrated to Israel from Russia when Natalie was fifteen months old. Six months later, the couple divorced, and Natalie's mother remained alone, with no supportive family, jobless, unfamiliar with the language, and with a young child to care for. Natalie's mother sank into severe depression. Little Natalie would be left to cry for food for hours as her mother would lie listlessly in bed. Eventually, Natalie learned to fend for herself. When she was five years old, a neighbor reported the family's situation to the authorities, and after a social worker's evaluation, Natalie was swiftly removed from the home and sent to Bayit Lepleitot.
Today, less than a year later, Natalie is a far happier child than she was when she initially arrived. She has stopped collecting food morsels and has learned the house schedule and habits. She smiles and plays with her friends. Natalie still has a long road before her, but the occasional smiles and gleam in her eye indicate that she is well on the road to healing.
Natalie's sponsor: Marcia D., New York.