Moving On

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager
During our New Year's visit to Savva Orphanage, we had the opportunity to see several recent graduates.  Two boys, Andre and Ruslan, are now studying at military college.  It was such an encouragement to see both of them.  They seem to be doing well and making good choices.  Often it is scary for youth to leave the orphanages.  They are often leaving behind the only stability that they know.  Many youth are influenced by peers and make poor choices as a result.  It was exciting to see two young men that are making such good choices in their lives.  Here is a picture of Andre in his military uniform. 

First Impressions

Posted by Muhan Majinov, Youth Impact

It was my first time at Savva. We received a warm greeting.  Everyone looked happy to see us and I was glad I could help.   I liked the atmosphere.  The children's rooms were cozy and warm.  I liked the orphanage administration and children.  It looked like they have good relationships.  The children are fed well.  I enjoyed playing and talking with the kids.  I learned a lot about the life of orphans and I want to help them with anything I can.

We showed the movie "Racketeer", about criminal life in Kazakhstan, to the older boys. Watching it brought back memories from my past.  I enjoyed the discussion with the older boys after the movie.  They responded the same way I would have at their age.   They are young and I understand them well enough.  However, I know that deep inside they want to be good and respected people.  The movie wasn't shown to advertise criminal life, but to show the consequences and the end result of such a life.  I think the movie was useful for them and I also got a lot out of the discussion that followed.  I'm looking forward to visiting Savva again.

Playing Mailman

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager

Last Saturday evening I got to play mailman at Savva orphanage.  This is a task that I dread and love at the same time.  Every first Saturday of the month we go from group to group at Savva orphanage.  As we walk in, the children eye the box that we carry our letters in.  No matter what other announcements we have for them, their eyes often stay glued to the person opening the letter box.  I liken their anticipation to the excitement of a child on Christmas morning.  On Saturday, as I read off the names of the children receiving letters, you could see their faces light up.  It was such a joy to see how important one small piece of paper or a picture of their sponsor is to them.  

It is the moment after we finish handing out letters that I dread each month.  You can visibly see the faces of those children that did not receive a letter cloud over.  It is especially hard when they have never received a letter.  Those that have received a letter before understand that it takes time for letters to get back and forth.   Those that have never received a letter often have some of their deepest fears confirmed - I am not special, no one wants to be my sponsor, no one cares.  It is hard to read these reactions on their faces and answer questions like "I have written 5 letters in the last six months to my sponsor, why haven't they written back?" 

The great thing is that children quickly forget.  On Sunday one of the girls was telling me that she thought she didn't have a sponsor because she had not received a letter.  When we told her that she did in fact have a sponsor, her face lit up and she was thrilled.  Just knowing that someone cares enough to sponsor her made a difference. 

Thank you to all of our sponsors.   Your letters and pictures mean the world to your children even if they don't do a good job expressing that to you.  Thank you for showing them that someone cares just for them. 

Video Seminars

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager

During the months of June and July, Interlink was able to provide three video training conferences for orphanage staff as well as youth in a local youth center.  They covered basic video knowledge (such as composition and lighting) as well as basic video editing.  Steve Mirer, a friend of IRI, currently living in Madrid and sponsoring two children through Kids Connection, provided the training.

The staff of Savva orphanage were exceptionally grateful for this training.  Two years ago, IRI (as a result of the Kids Conneciton program) was able to purchase a video camera for the orphanage.  Having someone train them in video techniques and editing was something they had desired for a while.  We are very thankful for Steve's willingness to come to Kazakhstan and build into their knowledge.

The youth from Inalien (a local youth center) were also very appreciative of the training they received.  Their organization recently received grant money to purchase a video camera, but had no knowledge of how to operate one.  This training came at the perfect time for them.  They are excited to be able to try out their new techniques on their new camera.

Savva Delegation

The Savva orphanage delegation arrived today with all of their luggage. They are tired after the long trip, but all in good spirits and excited about the week ahead. They are spending the night in host homes and will leave for the orphanage tomorrow for camp.

Savva Orphanages Turns 90

Posted by Kiikzhan Moldakhanov, Kids Connection Coordinator

On the 6th of June was the 90th birthday of Savva orphanage. The staff from Kids Connection and Youth Impact were invited to Savva to celebrate. It was a big party for the children and staff of the orphanage. The children decorated the orphanage beautifully. At the beginning of the party, they showed a documentary movie about the orphanage which was interesting. After this, the director of the orphanage made a speech. He congratulated all the staff, guests and sponsors. He also presented special gifts and awarded letters of commendation.

A lot of wishes were wished by guests and graduates that had graduated from Savva that were invited to attend. Many of the graduates have succeeded in life. It was a good example for children that are in the orphanage now or will graduate. These graduates told stories to the children about how they lived and studied. The children enjoyed listening to their stories. Also, I am proud of Sara and our President David Knauss for making major contributions for Savva Orphanage.



Posted by Muldir Kidirbekova, Youth Impact Coordinator.

Savva celebrated its 90th year on June 6th. There were 6 of us and David Knauss with his family that attended. When our car approached the gateway, we saw the kids from the 8th grade. They stood on two sides of the driveway. All of them were in white shirts and blue caps and they waved their hands with beautiful smiles on their faces. Discipline and love in Savva were reflected in their behavior. Their task was to greet every guest. Kids of Savva know how to make guests feel welcome. On every our visit they greet us with their kind hearts, warm hugs and hot kisses. They are able to receive and give love. They fill us with their love. This is very important for me. We also had this kind of wonderful greeting on this wonderful day. When we came nearer to the building we saw the kids from the 9th grade sitting along desks. Their task was to take the guests on a little excursion around the place. They enjoyed what they did. They were respectful and performed their task appropriately. All the staff of caregivers and teachers greeted us with their hugs and kisses.

Sitting in the concert hall I watched some kids who were in shining costumes. They were excited about their acting. Beth, Ember and I had an interesting talk with Svetta about her acting and holidays. She is going to go to the sanatorium (a place of rest for the summer). She told that she didn’t want to go there but stay with us during a week at the camp. Ember said that the sanatorium was for the sake of her health. She was in an Uzbek national costume and was going to dance Kazakh and Uzbek national dances.

I talked to Valya, she told me that she plays soccer and their team took third place. She also dances, but she likes doing sports most of all. I could see happiness about her life in her eyes. I am glad she is talented and is successful. They don’t have parents to support them, but they have brothers and sisters so that they are not alone, teachers that teach them how to use their knowledge in their lives, caregivers that educate and take care of them, and us that helping them be confident in making their lives better.

Before the gala we watched a documentary about Savva Orphanage. After that the director spoke about the history of Savva and about the staff working there. They were awarded with letters of commendation and gifts. Sara also received a letter of commendation and a flower for her hard work and love for kids. Then guests spoke and presented their gifts. David with Olya presented three framed pictures, there are hundreds pictures of kids on each. Those pictures were prepared by Ember. Two graduates spoke. One of them is teaching philosophy at three Universities in Moscow, and the other is a president of the service center. They were a good example to the kids of reaching an aim. I became angry when most of the guests left the concert hall while the kids were acting. Of course, they were upset. After having a small meal the concert continued. The hall was full of kids and working staff who were a sincere audience. I watched Sveta’s dancing as I had promised. She danced from her heart and spirit. The audience felt it. We said goodbye to some of the kids, working staff and the director. I wanted to watch the concert till the end and see their happy faces, but we had to leave.

Perspectives on our Savva Visit

We visit Savva Orphanage on the first Sunday of every month. This month we thought it would be nice for you to hear about that visit from several different perspectives. We hope you enjoy!

Ken Baskette

Visiting the Savva orphanage is one of my favorite work activities. Because it is far away we only go once a month. We have many good relationships with the children and staff there.

This past weekend we were able to visit to celebrate birthdays for all children born in April plus we celebrated Men’s Day with all the boys at Savva. For Men’s Day we gave each boy a new digital watch. Nothing fancy, but it keeps time and date. Also, to help everyone celebrate, we gave each boy and girl a fresh banana. This may sound a little odd but bananas are expensive here so the children rarely get to eat them.

As usual the children greet us with hugs and kisses. We play games, sports, sit around and chat and exchange letters. We love bringing them gifts from American sponsors back home. The watches and letters were a big hit. Many children write back right away. It is so rewarding to do this work and love doing it.


Olya Cherevko

Last Sunday we had our usual visit to Savva. Kiikzhan and I prepared a smoking seminar for the older boys. The seminar went really well, with all the boys asking questions about how to stop smoking. Some of them shared examples of people they knew that had been able to quit smoking. The next morning I got a letter from one of the boys that I have never received a letter from. He was thanking us for the movies that we bring, the seminar that we gave encouraging them to quit smoking and focus on sports, and the birthday parties and gifts that we give them. He wrote this letter at 5 am and it was a long letter - much more than what children usually write. It was good to hear from their perspective that they appreciate what we do.


Sara Coggins

I was actually sick during most of our visit. Before getting sick, I sat in the hallway playing Legos with a changing group of children. A couple eighth graders that study English came and sat with me to practice English. One of the girls operated as my "translator" with the other children. It was fun to see how far her English has come over the last three years.

At one point, one of the boys that I had talked with during our last visit about his desire to quit smoking came and knocked on the door were I was resting. I was feeling well enough to talk, so we talked about how he was doing with his goal to quit smoking. As of my last visit, he was smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. He shared with me that he had been able to cut back to two cigarettes a day. We also talked about his future plans and desires.

In the morning, after having been at Savva but not seen by most of the children, I was rewarded with many HUGE smiles and hugs as I left my room. They were concerned about my health and wanted to make sure I was okay. It was encouraging to know that I had been missed. I actually had the opportunity to have some conversations that I never would have had if I had not been sick.


Ember Mumaw

“Balagon” a small hut made of sticks and leaves.
“Tourniquet” a jungle gym.

Each time I visit Savva I get to see a little bit more of the children's lives. I get to see what they are like and what they do when they put down their walls. This visit I spent a lot of time walking around the property with different children. They showed me their garden full of beets and onions, and beets and onions, and beets and onions. There may have been other things, but the children didn’t know what they were and/or couldn’t explain it to me! They showed me their quite impressive looking balangon, their cool stunts off the old rusty water tower, and all the tricks they can do on the tourniquet.

And I finally realized that while we often spend so much time with the young kids, who are eager for games and silliness, the older girls could be found walking arm in arm around the grounds. As the evening approached I found several sets of girls who were more than happy for me to join them. They walked and talked and sometimes, if there was a Kazakh speaker, we talked and laughed as we tried to understand each other. I hope to have more evening opportunities to walk with these young women.

A Loving Hand

Posted by Moldir Kidirbekova, Youth Impact Coordinator

When we visited Savva orphanage in March, we played outside games with the children in the evening. Ember played volleyball with the older girls. Keekzhan played soccer with the older boys. I played with a group of younger kids. We played different games. While playing, I was holding hands with one of the girls. I noticed that she had a wart on her hand. The other children began pushing her back saying that it was nasty and they would not have her in the game. She became embarrassed. I knew that she wanted to play very much. I wanted to ask her why the wart had appeared and take her to the doctor, but then I thought that maybe the doctor was already aware of it. Also, everybody’s attention was focused on her. I decided to continue holding her hand and asked them to continue playing. She felt comfort. As a result, the other kids, without saying anything, joined me. Was my deed right or wrong? I’m not sure. I just know that I didn’t hurt her feelings.

Bearing Fruit For Women's Day

Over the next few days, there will be some posts describing what we did to celebrate International Women's Day (March 8th) at the orphanages. This is a big holiday in Kazakhstan during which all girls and women are honored.

Posted by Ember Mumaw, Intern

Our van was full of the smell of fresh apples and oranges on our most recent trip to Savva orphanage. In response to the children’s need and in celebration of Women’s Day we gave an apple and an orange to each child. Fruit is expensive to purchase in the winter and often the orphanage children have diets that are starch overloaded with some meat and dairy. In some rooms the fruit was devoured before we even left! It was such a joy to be a part of giving something that was not only wanted, but so good for the children. For Women’s Day we wanted to communicate to each girl how special she was, that we were proud of her, and had hope for her future success. The older girls were given a nail polish of their choice and the little girls received combs and hair bows. This was the beginning of our Women’s Day celebrations here in Kazakhstan.

An Article Written by Savva Boarding School

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager

The following is an article written to a local newspaper about our work. It was written by the Head Caregiver of Savva Boarding School.


The way of love, kindness and mercy

Every child in our house dreams about a little bit of happiness, not only for himself, but for everyone who lives with him. As a result, just one smile can cause them to snuggle up to you and take your hand, allowing them to feel happy. As adults we understand this and try to organize parties for our children and invite people who really love them and can give their warmth to our children.

Our American friends Sara and Ken have become frequent guests at our house. They come every month to celebrate our children’s birthdays. I think these lines in a poem were written about them:

They are glad to give theirs hearts warmth
For freezing people whose faces touch the ground
They don’t need other thanks
Than the children’s happy faces around

Sara and Ken always try to make parties interesting with fun games, gifts, and cake. Our children look forward to them! When Sara comes, she brings a ball and plays football with the children. Ken also likes to play active games with kids. Even when the weather is bad they know how to cheer up the children. Different games and activities are always prepared for our children.

After playing games, the children who celebrate their birthdays change their clothes and go to the “Hozyayushka” (a room of hospitality), where a lot of surprises are prepared for them. The “Hozyayushka” is a room that is decorated with a Cheburashka (a monkey like animal with big ears) in the center of the wall. The children sit down at tables that are covered with white table cloths and are full of different sweets and drinks. The children’s favorite dish is Sara’s cake, which she cooks for Savva’s orphanage children.

Children get congratulated, congratulate each other, sing songs, dance, and play different games. They like adults playing with them like little children. Every child smiles. Then, as if they were part of a fairy tale presents appear. Every child can choose their own presents. It is so fun! You should see their faces when they choose gifts. After the party children take pictures with the adults and their friends. Then they wait for Sara and Ken to come and bring their photos. Every child has his own album which is full of photos for him to keep.

Of course our American friends have done more for us and for our children. Thanks to them and Interlink Resources, Inc. we have new doors and floors in our rooms. They helped us to install a new water tower. They also presented sports equipment for boxing, a music center, and a Volkswagen Passat. Our American friends sponsored our heating system’s maintenance. Also, thanks to their help our children appeared in concert wearing new dance and carnival costumes.

Every child received his own gift for New Years from our American friends. These gifts contained sweets and stuffed animals which show love and care for these children. Children don't only receive gifts for birthdays. Sara and Ken gave each group different lego sets, dolls for girls, games, soft toys, and other New Years gifts.

These people unselfishly help our children. They sincerely show compassion to these children and they know that they do great work- to protect children from troubles.

People in our “Warm house” thank you for any help: as children grow they need the advice of adults, their strong hands, their hearts, and their kind words.

Savva Orphanage Visit

Last weekend was our monthly Savva Orphaange visit. We had a birthday party for 20 children, whose birthdays were in January. We played games and and gave out birthday gifts. In the evening, we went to each group delivering letters from sponsors. This visit, we collected about 100 letters from children to their sponsors and friends. If you would like to see some excerpts from some letters visit Sara's blog. The older children then watched a movie with us. These movies are chosen because they have good topics that the children can learn from. As we interact with the children, we have lots of opportunities to teach them life lessons that most children learn from their parents. You can see an example of this on Ember's Blog.