Imagine arriving in an Evenki village in the Ural Mountains of Russia just days after 13 young people committed suicide.  This was the scene that missionary evangelist Tatiana encountered one cold, fall day.  She had been waiting for the road over the marsh to freeze over so that she could deliver supplies and bring good news to the families of these forgotten Evenki villages. The pain and the suffering that she encountered in this village impacted her so deeply that she determined to eradicate suicide from these remote villages.

According to the most recent available global data, almost 125,000 people commit suicide each year, with the highest percentage being the former Soviet states. Of these states, Tatiana’s area was one of the highest.  Why is this suicide rate across Tatiana’s region so incredibly high?  Hopelessness.  In a region reflective of much of rural Russia, hope of advancement, achievement and success is non-existent.  For many, even hope of survival is absent.

Well into her sixties, evangelist Tatiana from Buryatia, Russia, just north of Mongolia, determined to change this tragic statistic.  Today she is a hero in her region, and well known for her work in the 100 Tent Project.  It is documented that due in part to her tireless efforts among the children and families to bring humanitarian aid, children’s education and the Good News, mass suicide has been eliminated in these forgotten Evenki villages.