Inspire the Growth of Kazakhstan's Global Citizens

Every year, International Children's Day is marked on 1st June, and at Salem we try and use that opportunity to do something special. As it fell this year, we were in the midst of our registration for our Summer semester of English courses that day. And although we were again able to invite a significant number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds to study with us at greatly reduced rate, or even for free, as part of our social priorities, we wanted to do something more than just that.

Previously, through the kind generosity of Medline Industries Inc and the help of Crossroads Foundation, Salem Social Village received a large shipment of high quality wheelchairs for children and adults. Whilst the adult wheelchairs were in huge demand and quickly distributed, we don't have so many connections with children in need of such equipment.

But for a key day like this, one of our team got on the case and was able to track down a number of families who were incredibly grateful to receive a wheelchair for their child. Not only that, but we were able to provide them with training in getting the most from the wheelchair, correct sitting positions for the child in it, and other helpful resources.

As well as being able to give them much needed assistance in their challenge of bringing up a child with significant disabilites, we now have new contacts that we can keep in touch with and help along the way. It takes more than just a wheelchair to transform a family's life, but when you need a wheelchair, receiving one is a very significant start.

Earlier this year, Salem Social Village signed a partnership agreement with the AIDS Centre in Shymkent, which was a big step forward for us. A close working relationship with a government body like this will hopefully allow us to reach a much larger quantity of students and teenagers in the city, enabling us to more effectively tackle the challenge of HIV/AIDS, which is still growing here.

The innovative interactive project which we call the AIDS-Xperience has been going for six years already, and remains an entirely free resource for people in the city. During that time, more than 4,200 people have learnt more about the problems of HIV/AIDS and the importance of making good life decisions.

The AIDS Xperience was developed by Crossroads Foundation Inc in Hong Kong, and its unique form of walk-through simulation makes it a highly effective form of training, allowing participants to literally walk in the shoes of someone at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, by hearing their life story whilst passing through different rooms representing scenes from their life. Students, those in the higher grades of school, and representatives of NGOs have all discovered key facts and learnt the importance of compassion towards those directly affected by HIV/AIDS.

We have certainly found that this format is very effective by providing an immensely realistic feeling of what it is like to be in each situation of their lives, and enabling participants to gain not just knowledge but empathy and understanding towards those who are HIV positive. The goal is not just greater understanding of the issues and risks to help reduce infection rates, though this is of course vital, but also breaking down assumptions and prejudices around the whole subject of HIV/AIDS, fighting the discrimination and marginalisation that is still so common here.

This new agreement is another big step forward in the realisation of these goals!