Today Nadia is 16. She was only five when she watched her father assault her mother. Subsequently, her mother had taken her and her brothers to their aunt, telling them that they could no longer live together. Shortly after, Nadia’s mother died, but she does not want to accept the fact. Her biggest wish is to reunite the family and live with her brothers.

Igor is now 18 and would like to turn over a new leaf. He would like to come to Malta but at the same time he misses his friends in Russia. 15-year-old Peter is still angry with his father and misses his mother. He feels sad and at a loss without her, and wants to settle in Malta.

Dimitri is the youngest. He is only 13 years old and was just two when he found himself living in an orphanage. Unlike his siblings, he is not attached to Russia at all.

What is the connection of these four children to Malta? For once in the lives of Igor, Nadia, Peter and Dimitri, fate has been kind to them. Philip and Dorothy Meli from Marsa are doing their best to help these four Russian orphans get some sort of normality in their lives. Dimitri has been living with them since last December, and this summer his two brothers and sister joined him for a few weeks.

The Meli family is not alone in making this noble gesture. There are 106 Maltese families who are doing what the Melis are doing.

Tonight, a Bondiplus exclusive: the story of Nadia, Igor, Peter and Dimitri – and the Melis.