Gift Personal Mentors to 100 Orphans in Kazakhstan

Dear friends,

2023 year is coming to an end, and we are ready to share with you the results for the entire year. The year turned out to be very successful for us. We worked very hard and we are happy with the results.

Over the course of the year, we received more than 2 600 questionnaires throughout Kazakhstan, more than 300 candidates were trained in mentoring, and 102 children across Kazakhstan found their mentors. Moreover, 22 children, who received additional training with tutors entered colleges and universities and are now students.

In Shymkent for 2023, we introduced 11 children to mentors. Now in Shymkent we have 15 “Mentor-Child” pairs.

Sabina (a mentor) has been friends with Alexa for 7 months, and their friendship is developing quite quickly and interestingly. They meet every Sunday and spend their time in different ways: going to the cinema, walking in the park, playing various board games. The mentor also teaches Alexa how to choose and buy food and things. Once they even took part in a tik-tok challenge organized by our Foundation and won a prize. Alexa had previously asked Sabina to teach her how to cook pilaf, and Sabina supported Alexa in this. According to both Sabina and Alexa, the pilaf turned out to be very tasty and soulful.

Sabina says that she and Alexa have many similarities and hobbies in common. “We both like going to the movies. We are creative people, we both love books, we have the same desire to acquire knowledge, and we are both non-offensive and kind.” - says Sabina.

Alexa is graduating from school next year and she asks her mentor various questions about building her life further outside the orphanage: choosing a profession, a university, setting up an apartment and much more. Communicating with Sabina, the ward also sees and learns about how relationships work in the family, about role models of parent and child, and about building communication with children.

In Karaganda, our coordinators actively conducted training for new candidates, accompanied our mentors and got acquainted with new children. Over this year, 3 children have found their mentors and now in Karaganda 25 children communicate with their mentors.

Alina and Dasha have been in the project since March 2022 and since the couple has developed a friendly, trusting relationship. From the latest stories, Alina shares that she attended a drawing master class with Dasha. It was very interesting for the girl. “It was especially pleasant to paint pictures together, I saw how significant it was for Dasha, and she was really looking forward to my approval, and I, of course, did not skimp on kind, sincere words,” - says Alina.

After the drawing studio, the girls visited Alina’s mother for a dinner party. Dasha is already like a member in the family. Such meetings help her see how people in the family communicate at the table, how they cook together and have a good attitude towards each other.

Alina often takes Dasha with her on necessary tasks as well, for example, to do household shopping. “Dasha sees how I choose some stuff for the house and where I buy it, and often asks me questions about what these things are for, what to do with them. I supplement my answers with what I pay attention to when choosing the things. I think such trips are also useful for her and will help her adapt faster after leaving the orphanage,” - says Alina.

Recently, Dasha stayed overnight at Alina’s house. It was a real holiday for the girl. She and her mentor spent the entire evening chatting, making snacks, and watching chick flicks.

“If we spend time in an eventful and interesting way, we always praise each other later that we are great and have accomplished a lot.” - says Alina. All meetings usually go this way, because Alina and Dasha have become true friends.

This year in Pavlodar we introduced 13 children to mentors. Now in Pavlodar 30 children have their own individual mentors.

Our couple Dana and Roman have been friends for 1.5 years. The boy is very cheerful, active, hardworking and athletic and he is similar to his mentor. They both love active recreation and are ready to help those in need. At the first meeting during the games, conducted by the program psychologist, Dana and Roma immediately became close. In the process of joint activity, they began to open up, learn more about each other, and ask questions that interested them.

Dana says that she has wanted to help children for a long time, who were left without parental care, without family comfort and warmth for some definite reasons. After learning about the project, she realized that this is what she wanted to do. She had no fears, but there were questions in her head about children from orphanages. In the process of training, as well as working with the coordinator, she received answers to her questions and became convinced that she was ready and wanted to become a mentor for a teenager from an orphanage.

She also shares that Roma taught her a positive and easy attitude towards many things that she had previously been worried about, and learned to solve things with some ease. Since Roma is an optimist, he taught her to enjoy the little things. Roma also introduced his mentor to sports and active recreation.

“I try to give Roma confidence in himself in the future. Together with him, we are considering options for his happy and successful future, of course taking into account his personal features. I show him by personal example, with stories from life, that everything is possible, you just need to want it. I also try to show concern, I listen to him carefully, I am interested in his life, what events are happening in his life, and he consults with me. Through our communication, I show him stability, his importance and his self-worth.” - Dana shares.

Dana meets with Roma 1-2 times a week. They spend time in different ways: entertainment, sports, participation in various events, conversations, walks, also on the territory of the Children's Village.

In Uralsk, Milana, a pupil of the orphanage, took a training course in the profession of “Manicurist”. Our team from Uralsk learned that Milana wants to master this profession and found a corporate mentor for her - a beauty salon. The salon director agreed to train her free of charge. Milana attended classes, learned what types of manicure there are, how to sterilize all instruments properly, and gave manicures to models during practical classes. At the end of the course, Milana received a certificate and she was given a set of tools so that she could further develop in this profession and practice in this matter.

In addition, our mentor Aigul shared wonderful news: her mentee Rinat and his friend entered the Academy of the National Guard of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The boys took the oath of allegiance to the Fatherland. Aigul is our very first mentor in Uralsk. She met Rinat when he was 14 years old, and this year he turned 18 years old. Over these four years, they became very close to each other. On the day of taking the oath, an important day for Rinat, Aigul was also nearby. She had various feelings: love, pride, but also worries for Rinat, because he will now study and live in Petropavlovsk city for several years. Aigul intends to continue to support Rinat and help him, albeit from a distance.

In Atyrau in September this year, we celebrated our traditional event “Mentor’s Day”. We have prepared a vivid program for our 18 mentors and children. On a warm September day, our children and their mentors had a great time: they played various games near the Ural River in the beautiful territory of the recreation center, danced a flash mob, had fun and took beautiful photos and videos in memory of the fantastic day. All the mentors and children were very pleased, because such an event was held in Atyrau for the first time. “Mentor’s Day” helped lift the mood, bring mentors and children together, relieve psychological stress and increase motivation among children and mentors.

Gauhar (mentor) and Milana met in June this year. This is one of the most positive couples. They are very similar in character and have many common interests and hobbies. They are a very active couple who spend time usefully and always have fun. Gauhar and Milana took part in the Tik Tok challenge, which was organized by our Foundation. According to the terms of the challenge, Mentors and children had to make a video of how they spend their time. Gauhar and Milana made a video on how to do hair styling and make-up. In the video, Gauhar shared her knowledge with Milana and showed how to use a hair straightener, what types of make-up there are, and how to apply makeup correctly and carefully so as not to spoil the skin. As a result of this challenge, Gauhar and Milana became winners and won a certificate for purchase at the Marvin store. Now this couple will be able to use this certificate to buy themselves a fun board game or an interesting book and read it together.