Lyosha is a 4 year-old boy who lives in the neighborhood surrounding Interlink and often walks near the office with his 16 year-old sister. Originally, they would stop at our office and his sister would ask if Interlink could help her with her education. When I started exploring what she would like to study she said design. I found out about a school where she could study, but she said that she wouldn’t be able to go because she needed to care for her little brother . She said her mother works as a cleaner at the stadium and her father is an alcoholic and stays at home. As I got to know Tonya I noticed that Lyosha did not talk and hid behind his sister when he was asked a question. At first, I thought he was very shy, but his sister said that he does not talk at home. Instead, he communicates with gestures or sounds. There is a very good school in Taraz that prepares children for school but also has a speech therapist and a psychologist. Thanks to a sponsor in the States, Lyosha has been attending this school for two months. There are already noticeable changes that Interlink staff have even noticed as Lyosha and Tonya stop by the office quite often to talk to me about their family problems. The biggest change is that Lyosha has stopped using gestures and can now say things like “I want to drink, Good-bye, Hello, Good (when asked how he is doing), and so on. Two months ago he could not say a word. The teacher says he is a smart boy but needs to work on his speech. She suggested putting him in preschool in September where he can communicate with other kids and learn in a group setting. His mother has also seen changes in her son and is thankful to Interlink for helping him learn to speak.
