PRAISE GOD! With the gift given by the Women's Ministry of EvFree from Baskets to Blessings, the startup funds for the Moscow Family Center have been raised! This is a huge blessing! Thank you so much to all who donated to the Center through all the various ways support was raised!

Ongoing support will be needed once the center is open, and can be given through East/West International Ministries. www.eastwest.org

PLEASE PRAY now for the steering committee as they are interviewing possible directors. The director of the center is a key position, as she will set the mood and direction of the center. Finding the right person takes wisdom as well as clear guidance from the Lord, please pray regarding this issue.

Following the Russian Christmas holidays, planning for a WOMAN'S LUNCHEON to be held in Moscow will begin. Women from churches all over the city will be invited, the mission of the center will be presented, as well as asking for volunteers. Hopefully, shortly after this luncheon, we will be able to hold our first volunteer training (depending on the status of the director search). Please pray for all the details of the luncheon to fall into place, and that God will direct the women of His choosing to attend.

Another event is planned in December to benefit the opening of the Moscow Family Center!

Baskets to Blessings @ EvFree on Monday night, December 8th. Check out the woman's page on the church website for more information!

The Moscow Family Center will receive a substantial donation from the proceeds of this event-- please come support the center and get some great Christmas/ Hanukkah gifts while you enjoy yourself!

Moscow Center in the News-

Read the article about the Moscow Family Center in the Ventura County Star!

DRUG & ALCOHOL ABUSE

• "The average Russian man drinks a bottle of vodka every other day, not counting beer, wine, whiskey & cognac," according to the Health Ministry. "Overindulging is seen a just part of being Russian."
• The average age to start binge drinking in Russia is currently 14 years old.
• Russia's male life expectancy is the lowest among the world's developed countries, 58 years, due to unnatural causes, especially alcohol & drug related
• 47,000 people died last year from alcohol poisoning. Alcohol was also responsible for some 40% of all serious diseases. Home-distilled vodka and other spirits are blamed for high incidence of alcohol poisoning, and Russia's severe drink problem is said to be the problem behind high rates of heart disease, road and workplace accidents, and drowning
• 3-5 million Russians are drug users, according to the Health Ministry. 1/3 of the country's urban population has tried illegal drugs at least once. Users as young as 4-6 years of age have been known, and there is an increase in children aged 11-13 years trying drugs.
• The number of addicts in Russia has increased by over 9x in the past 10 years, while a similar index in the US has decreased by 2x during the same period
  

HIV/Aids:

• Russia & Ukraine have the highest current growth rates of HIV infection in the world.
  
• In order to stop the bad publicity about HIV/Aids in Russia, the government stopped the funding for test kits in 2003 to reduce the number of reported cases. Even with a lack of testing ability, the number of cases in Russia doubles every 12 months.
• HIV/Aids is growing faster in Russia than it did when first discovered in Africa.
  
• At the current rate of 5-10 million Russians will contract HIV by 2010; 1,000,000 will die before the end of the current decade.

MOTHER/BABY HEALTHCARE

• Only 30% of Russian babies are born healthy - because of heavy smoking, drinking & drug use, complications caused by STDs and poor overall healthcare-- there is also a high rate of miscarriage and stillbirth for the same reasons.
• Russia's infant mortality rate remains 3-4 times higher than Western Europe and North America
• Due to rising rates of alcohol consumption and smoking during pregnancy, the amount of low birthweight (<4.4>
• 50% of Russia's expectant mothers are malnourished
• 1 in 10 Russian babies die before birth (due to stillbirth or miscarriage)
• During pregnancy, women are seldom taught even the basics regarding gestation, nutrition or what to expect during birth
  

ABORTION

• In 1920 the Soviet Union became the first country in the world to legalize abortion
• Abortion has been legal in Russia for almost 8 decades -- and religion had no place n Russian society for even longer. The result is that abortion is what you do when you get pregnant - married or unmarried. Currently, over 30% of Russian women have more than one abortion a year.
• There is no infrastructure in Russia to help women/families in need. Welfare is non-existent, social services agencies are few and far between. Contraceptive devices are expensive and non-reliable, abortions are free to those under 18, and $50 for others. For most women, abortion seems the only solution for an unwanted pregnancy.
  
• 60% of first pregnancies are aborted in Russia. Russia has the highest abortion rate in the world- 13 abortions for every 10 births.
• 50% of Russian abortions result in complications such as infection and/or bleeding
• In the capitol city of Moscow, 25 million people, there is not even one Evangelical pro-life outreach center.