The other day as we were at Saramoldaeva picking up children for our monthly birthday party. We came upon a girl that was supposed to attend. She informed us that she would not be coming. When asked why, she responded that her mother was coming to the orphanage to visit for the first time in nine years. She told us that her mother had recently been released from jail and was going to come to see her. We congratulated her and told her we would bring her some cake and pizza from the party. She had such a look of hope and anticipation in her eyes as we left her there waiting for her mother to arrive. After the party, as we followed through on our promise to her, there was no need to ask if her mother had come. Her eyes told the story of yet another disappointment, although she tried to smile in the midst of it all. It is amazing to watch the hope that still lives in these children's eyes despite the many disappointments during their short lives.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
January Birthdays at Saramoldaeva
On Saturday we celebrated birthdays with two children from Saramoldaeva. Each month, we take the kids from Saramoldaeva that have a birthday to Ken's house for a party. We watch a movie, eat pizza, have cake and ice cream, give gifts, and play games. We have an opportunity during this time to get to know the children on a more individual level. It also gives the children a chance to get away from the orphanage setting for a few hours, be in a home, and celebrate their birthday like a child that has a family. Each child gets to invite a friend to the party. We hope you enjoy the pictures and that they are able to convey the wonderful time that we had! 
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Learning to Give Back
After one of the Youth Impact classes, 19 year old Moldir said, “I know that you go to the orphanages and play with the little children, is it possible for me to join you sometime?” This is the first time we have seen an orphanage graduate wanting to volunteer and give back to children in the orphanages. The concept of volunteering is very new here but these kids who survived life in orphanages know from their own experience what they lacked and want to give children the love and attention that they missed themselves. Starting the second week of January, she will be joining us once a week to play with young children at an orphanage here in Taraz!
Starting Over
Zarema (18 years old) has recently become part of the Youth Impact program. She has a sad, but hopeful story. Having no father or mother, Zarema and her two younger sisters moved to Taraz from the village. Zarema’s 16 year old sister was sold into prostitution. The police recently found out and her case has gone to court. The pimp’s lawyer offered Zarema a bribe so she would not testify against him, which she refused. She is wanting to start a new life here in Taraz. Zarema has asked us to help her find a job or get back into school so that she may continue living at the Youth House. During one of our Youth Impact classes, we talked about happiness. Zarema was asked “What will make you happy” and she responded, with tears in her eyes, “To see my little sister who is in the orphanage that I can’t find by myself.” She asked us to help her get there since she knew that we worked with orphanages. We are excited about helping Zarema start a new life here in Taraz.
Welcome to the Interlink Blog!
We are looking forward to being able to use this blog to keep you updated on the work that Interlink Resources is doing in Kazakhstan. Thanks for taking the time to read it. We hope you enjoy the stories.