Repair the Roof of a Children's Home run by Religious Sisters in Kazakhstan

Project Code: 351-05-19

A few hours’ drive from the capital, Almaty, the town of Kapshagay in Kazakhstan has a population of some 57,000 people, and many of its children have not had an easy life. Thankfully, the Church is trying to help. In 2001, an Italian priest established a sort of Catholic center. He built a church on the edge of the town and purchased a group of houses. A congregation of Sisters settled here and began to take in children from difficult family backgrounds. Gradually, a Catholic community became established around the center, and today the number of people from the town who attend Mass here on Sundays continues to grow. Repair the Roof of a Children's Home in Kazakhstan

The 60 or so children who are being cared for by the Sisters have been through some pretty tough times. In some cases the mother has died or has simply left, going away with another man. In others, the father is an alcoholic, or works miles away on a construction site, or has abandoned them. In many cases, their parents also live on the streets, and some of them are drug addicts.

Seven-year-old Ola was raped by older boys from her neighborhood before she came to the Sisters. Her father knew about it, but ordered her to tell nobody about it. Rima and Ina, who are twins and also seven years old, told the Sisters, “Daddy chased mummy with an axe.” Little Ania lived on the streets before she came to the Sisters.

Here, for the first time in their lives, these children are able to experience love, security and an ordered way of life as they would in a normal family. They can play, study, pray together, and sometimes enjoy beautiful excursions. Moreover, since the center is close to a lake, they can also enjoy the beauty of nature right outside their door. This is a precious experience for these children, who until now have often known nothing but misery and chaos in their lives.

Many of the former protégés of the Sisters have grown up and founded a family of their own. They are still in contact with the center and with the parish community, and often help out where they can.

Now, one of the six houses in which the children live with the sisters is in urgent need of a new roof. ACN has promised to help with $9,300. Will you help us fulfill this promise so that these Sisters can continued to serve troubled children in Kazakhstan? We are sure the Sisters, and the children, will remember you in their grateful prayers.

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