Having escaped an alleged abusive situation, a Vernon mother is in need of community support as she cares for her 15 children.
Ludmilla Ufimzeff came to Canada from Germany 28 years ago, when she was 20 years old. She was married to a Russian man, and says the abuse began three days after the wedding, according to Tracey Stahlbrand, a friend of Ufimzeff who has acted on her behalf and helped her in dealings with victim services and the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
An emergency protection order was issued three years ago to safeguard the family, though some visitation rights remain. Child support was also ordered, though Stahlbrand told The Morning Star that the father of the children stopped working for a period of time.
For the past few months the father has been paying roughly $700 worth of child support, but this is not enough to support the family and is a far cry from the $1,900 per month he is supposed to be paying, Stahlbrand said.
Ufimzeff’s alleged abuse escalated over the course of the marriage as the family grew considerably.
“Her world was getting smaller and smaller. And for the past year she had been confined to her bedroom in the family home,” Stahlbrand said.
Those words were published in an online GoFundMe fundraiser that aims to help Ufimzeff and her children get out of a tough spot.
The family has been rebuilding over the last three years, but it hasn’t been easy. The children have only recently been able to attend doctor’s appointments, as an example of how circumscribed their lives were before the protection order was issued.
Ufimzeff had 16 kids at one point, but one child died from kidney failure in 2021.
The eldest children are working jobs and doing their best to bring money in to support the family.
But with 16 mouths to feed, it’s not enough, and the father’s side of the family and the Slavic church they used to attend have refused to help, Stahlbrand said, owing in the latter case to stigma around separation in that religious community, which allegedly led to the family being ex-communicated from the church.
Ufimzeff’s oldest daughters have had to take out credit cards to help feed the family. Those credit cards are now maxed out and their debt sits at around $40,000.
“This has been their three-year grocery bill,” Stahlbrand said. “Right now they need food. They are completely out of finances. They need to pay down the credit cards which have fed the family since February 2023. They need help to survive.”
Hopeful signs of a giving community have already come the family’s way. Two weeks ago, when their fridge broke down, a local appliance store gifted them a new one.
Any funds raised by the GoFundMe will go towards providing the family with food.
“They are asking the community to see them, to please extend a hand and donate and help them get through this new hardship. Every dollar helps. It will be used wisely,” Stahlbrand said.
To contribute to the online fundraiser, visit gofundme.com.