Support for Shahnoza and her Six Kids

Hi,

My name is Yuliya Porter and I work as a General Ed Assistant in one of the Henrico Elementary Schools. I had a privilege of meeting the Mukhtoraliyev family last year when they first joined our school and their mom, Shahnoza, brought Ali (the cutest little boy and the only boy in the family) to register for kindergarten. She struggled to communicate with his teacher and tried to talk through a Zoom call with the help of a father (a truck driver). I was VERY excited to finally be able to use my native language and offered to help, and since then we have become good friends.

Shahnoza just turned 32 on April 6. She was born in Uzbekistan, where she graduated from a medical school with a nursing degree and worked as a nurse. She has been in the United States for several years now with her 6 kids, aged 10, 8, 7, 4, and identical twin girls who are about to turn 1. She just became a US citizen and had big plans to start working toward her nursing career here, waiting for her mom to get a green card to come help her take care of her six little children.

Her plans, her life, and the life of the kids came crashing down when last Sunday, on April 6, her husband and the only provider died tragically and unexpectedly.

She is left with no savings, no income, no medical care, no friends or family close by to support or help her. She called me the day after in shock and completely lost as to what she should do now, and the panic and fear for the well-being of her kids. As a mother, as a Christian, and just as a human, I feel that God put me in her life for a reason. By God’s grace, Spencer and I have experienced the kindness and generosity of many before, and I am hoping that we all, as a community, can show the same love and support and the love of Christ and just good in humanity to this sweet family that has nothing and nobody at the moment.

They have already experienced the kindness of some of the teachers from the school that three of the kids attend and their extended families, and Shahnoza has been grateful and amazed by theirs and strangers’ love.

I knew very little about social programs and help our government or other organizations provide for people that find themselves in situations like this, but we are learning together. And while I and others help her navigate filling out forms, applying for financial help, and help with bills, rent, and food, my goal and hope is to help them keep renting the same house for at least 2-3 months while the kids finish school and grieve the loss of their father.

If you feel led, please consider helping them. Thank you .

Yuliya