Two years ago, Lyudmila Platova moved from the Czech Republic to Belarus. She speaks Russian fluently, with a slight accent. She jokes that there she has no talent for the languages.

Ludmila’s talent is in something much more important though – to help those who are in need. The woman works in the social service ‘Tabitha’. She helps tired mothers of children with disabilities, feeds and washes bedridden people, supports confused families when they look after their dying relatives. And yet it seems, she does not fully believe herself that she is capable of coping with everything:

I never thought that I am so strong.

For ten years, Ludmila worked in a hospice in Brno, visiting patients at home. She arrived in Minsk two years ago as an employee of Caritas Minsk-Moghilev diocese in Belarus. And she started there the social project ‘Tabitha’, which aim was to ensure prompt assistance to the needs of patients and their families, to provide and unite professional service and help of volunteers.

Tabitha – a good woman, who was a follower of Christ. She helped people and made a lot of good deeds. Once Tabitha became ill and died, apostle Peter raised her with a power of prayer. After this miracle, many people started to believe in the efficacy of merciful love and charity. So even now this story became a reality both for those who are in need and for the colleagues of Caritas Belarus.

One of the rules of ‘Tabitha’ is not to duplicate the assistance that the state can provide. We act rather in cases of the emergency or when the additional care is needed.

Volunteers who are involved in this project are of many walks of life: for instance, the programmers, who do not have enough communication at work, retired people who have no family, but have a desire to help others etc. Only thanks to the strong and well-coordinated work of the volunteers, this project works successfully.

This project not about death – it is about life.

I do not set my goal to treat the people, this is unrealistic. My main goal is to make these sick people and their relatives happier. This is the help I am able to give.

Ludmila

Read the full article in Russian.