shopping and coal

This morning we were so happy to be able to get the rest of the clothes we needed for the kids at Emma's orphanage, and the day just kept getting better and better.  It was cold last night , and although I personally love the cold nights, It concerns me when I think about all the seniors at the seniors home. They can't handle the cold .  Before heading out to  go shopping for the kids, I did a quick update on Facebook about the cold nights, and through our the day funds began to come in , and by the end of the day we were able able to get the first of three loads of coal for them .  

this guy is great , we give him a list and he runs around and gathers up everything we need and charges us in most cases 1/2 the regular rate.. what a great way for us to shop for the kids.

only a few kids home when we got to the orphanage,but they were sure happy to see us

they sure love Emma 

We got there just as they were unloading the coal train. This was just the type of coal that they like at the seniors home . It is from a special mine in Kazakhstan and burns the best in the water boiler at the seniors home .  

The train drives out on this long raised track, and the coal is then dumped out each side where the trucks are waiting .. They fill up here and go to another area of town to wait for people to buy the loads from them .. buy going directly to the site and purchasing the coal from the yard and hiring the truck to deliver for us, we are able to save $16 a ton. 

all loaded up and on its way 5.6 tons in this load ... thanks everyone

The container is in place

Today started with an early morning trip to the Kazakhstan embassy to get our visa's .  We are in Kyrgyzstan on a 60 visa free pass, but have to leave and come back again to renew it. So we are getting visa's to go to Kazakhstan, and will go visit our friends Beth and Victoria .. We are excited because we will bring with us a dance group that Anya works with ..   It will be a great opportunity and experience for them.  

While in Bishkek, Jengish and I went and found the shipping crate, and had it sent to Tokmok where Vlady was waiting . Our end went very smooth... Vladys end had  little more excitement ... They hit a power line, knocking it out... not a big deal and easily fixed, but not before the neighbors found it in their heart to get the police involved .. I was purposely not around for this , so it remained not a big deal, and the container is now in place.. a perfect fit .

Calling Vlady to tell him that the container was on its way, and to have the crane ready 

Lots of room here for a waiting room and exam room 

this back part will be the washroom, procedure room and sterilizing room .. part of the second faze when a sponsor is found for this 

this long side of the container will be the front of the building and will have two large windows and a door.  It will be insulated with Styrofoam and then bricked  

looks great 

Doing the Happy Dance

Today we are doing the happy dance .  We have received some sponsorship money to help with kids back to school.  this brings us up to 24 kids sponsored with only another 10 to go on our immediate needs list.

At Olga's learning centre, we have started a homework club  day two and already it is well attended . 

we have 4 teachers already .  The kids can come in for hep on any subject .. the club is open from 3 until 7 Monday - Friday.     It is set up that the cost for a child is $1, The children from orphanages and struggling families are free. 

Emma doing a little one on one with the kids last spring 

another picture from the spring with Kamalla and a larger group of kids , Kamalla will be heading up the home work club.  she is a great teacher.

We made a stop at the Ivonofka children s treatment centre.  They were very happy to see us again, but  supper happy to receive new uniforms.  This was a joint effort between some nurses in the Peterborough area and the sponsors at www.ian1ru.com  .  

as an iam1ru dream agent, Bekah had posted a need for nurses uniforms at the seniors home .  funds were raised for the needed uniforms, then a great opportunity arose,  We received a donation of about 100 uniforms ..  enough to fill a couple suitcases.  We were able to use the funds raised for a few uniforms and pay the extra baggage fees to get them all here, so not only were all the staff at the seniors home able to get a couple uniforms each, but all the workers at the children's centre were blessed as well  . 

coal in the stocking .

I just got a message from Vera in Orlovka , in a few weeks is seniors day and she would like to have a celebration for them , and give them each a little gift.  She usually has about 80 seniors that she works with and is looking for $200 for this celebration.   I am glad that she reminded me , we would also like to do something for the seniors home ,  other years we have had to put a lot of thought into what we would get the seniors .. this year its an easy one , if we had the funds we would get them coal.  even if we could get 5 tons for about $450 to get them started , and we can buy more when the funds come in. but for now I would love to get them each a lump of coal in their stocking.

How do we set our priorities

As I have been sharing over the last few weeks, we have seen so many needs . Apart from the projects that we are working on , We see new needs every day , At the door, on the phone,and at the homes and offices of many that we work with , people come daily looking for help.   Every one of those looking for help is sure that their need is the most pressing .  Medical needs, dental needs .. they should take priority because of the pain they are experiencing right .. well what about the kids that were to go back to school last week and could not go because they did not have tuition, or uniforms , Thats a priority right.. life is moving on with out them, and soon it will be too late in the year to start.  Maybe the seniors off the street being looked after at the seniors home see heat as a fairly pressing need , in the mountains , already the nights are cold .. this should be a priority, or should it ?..
  The kids that come to our door and say " you have to feed me , I am hungry "  maybe this should be a priority .. Maybe its food for the families living and working at the dump....  Its so hard for me do say where we should focus resources, but  for me making those decisions is out of our hands,  We don't have the resources , and most funds come in designated , so in a way I guess the ultimate decision of what is a real priority is a decision best left up to you. Please consider how you can help at this time, and be sure to put in the memo box what you think is the greatest priority and we will be sure to direct your funds in that direction.  .. the decision is yours .

The knowledge store

Today I would like you to come with me on a little tour.  A tour of one of the greatest places here in Tokmok.   Not just Tokmok, but all of Kyrgyzstan, this school was one of the very first to direct their resources to children with  special needs , something that has not been popular here in Kyrgyzstan. 

Our friend Olga has worked hard to break through the staryo  types and have an inclusive center. this school Uses 3 newly renovated apartment , all side by side on the first floor.  this gives them 3 large class rooms, a nap room, a small kitchen/dining room, 2 smaller classrooms for one on one teaching and counseling, along with 3 full washrooms, and three nice bright balcony's.    They have 5 qualified teachers , including music teacher, speech therapist, social workers.  

This is the school that many of those kids we are helping go to to get extra help getting caught up so they can go to a regular school.  As well as working with children requiring extra help, they have a regular pre-school / kindergarten program.  The kindergarten program runs daily from 8 am until 6 pm and provides the kids with two meals in this time.  

Another program that we are are working on with her is to have a home work club.  A class room that will be open from 4 until 7 every night where kids can come if they need  extra help with homework.  Kamalla and Bekah will take the lead on this program, and we know it will be busy as the Bacute kids will be their first students, stoping at the centre on their way home from school every day to get the homework help they need. 

We have been working with Olga for many years now, and we are so thrilled to see how far the center has come.  The cost for a student to come here , including meals is 120 com a day or around $2.50 Canadian . 

right now they have room for 15 more kids, and if these places are filled, the center will be self sufficient.

As I look around, I know of so may kids that could benifit from this school , many on the streets and in the poorer families we know, but even such a low tuition is too much for them, yet we simply can't take more kids unless we can at least cover the food budget, and with winter coming it is always difficult. 

I would love to be able to set up a scholarship program here as well .  If we could find sponsors for 15 kids at $50 a month , the school would be self sufficient and , not to mention the awesome support these kids would get .   As a person growing up with a learning disability,  I know first hand how difficult school can be and how important it is to have someone that believes in you.  I had that , and you can be that person for one of the struggling kids here in Tokmok

classroom 

nap room 

music class room

kitchen

small therapy room

another classroom

speech therapy room

Later today we were at bacute getting the kids all set up for homework class starting Monday  .. Julie was happy to see Samic and Eliza ,, they were drying off potatoes before putting them away for the winter.  

A vision of things to come

7 years ago , along with our friends David and Jayne Schooler, we ventured into what I thought was the about the darkest place on earth.   The mens home was in such a state of disrepair, it was post Soviet and had not had any repairs for years .  The men were weak and lacked even the most basic food and clothing needs.    I left the home and vowed never to return .  A couple days later a sponsor contacted me and said they were sending some money and challenged me to go back and see what we can do. 

there has been a lot of water under the bridge since that day.  

Today I learned that this place, the place that was forgotten and neglected  is today voted the #1 home for disabled in Kyrgyzstan .  Step by step we have worked through Larisa to improve conditions for the men.  things like renovating all the halls and the bed rooms, sitting rooms in each section, fixing the water system, the heating system and replacing much of the electrical system.  creating an ICU unit to stop the spread of infection, painting inside and out, the creation of a physiotherapy wing with class rooms and music and craft rooms, and even a library .  Gardens complete with water fountain and benches.  A barber shop and washing facilities.. it is totally incredible all that has been done.  We are just so thankful for all the sponsors who have come on board to help us here.  

Today we came to the home to see the completion of the dinning hall .  This room was dark and dingy .  the walls and ceiling were peeling and flaking off, the windows were rotted out, the heating did not work, and the floor was rough and uneven and open cement .  Let me take you for a little tour today ...   

this is the dinning hall , newly painted and all new windows 

In side you can see the new floor, , lights ceiling , even curtains on the windows .even the chairs have been rebuilt and have all new seats on them .

Check out the raised platform and the wall ready by faith for a movie projector .  We envision one day a beautiful Kyrgyz pattern rug here along with a dozen long Tushuks ( mats ) that men can sit on to watch movies .The other thing we would like to do here is put new tops on the tables .. all together this would be about $1000. 

today we had a special gift from Andy at Give first, and Larissa received a top of the line power point projector .  Here I am showing her all the different methods of input.  

They were all so excited to see this 

From this angle you can see the heaters , the new lights and ceiling , new windows and curtains and the renovated chairs .. and finaly .. the new floor 

we spent a little time and visited some of the men in the class room

This is the wall way in the physiotherapy wing

This is the front  entrance hall even new lights here .. I look around and I am starting to see pride in  what they have happening here  .. an incredible transformation not only in the building , but in the hearts of all that call it home. 

All the way up the drive way and completely surrounding the building and the court yard there are now beautiful gardens, the greatest part is that I witnessed both residents and workers tending to the gardens .. Larisa has worked hard and faced a lot of opposition , but here she has created community .  Well done Larisa .. and well done , all those who have heard the stories and seen the photos, and have stepped up to make this home what it is today. 

After the home, Julie and Emma went with young Kolya to his school for a parent teacher interview .  It was about 10 minutes into the interview when they were talking about financial needs at the school and how the students had to bring in funds to help with renovations.. when Julie asked for some clarification, Kolya turned and translated for her .. at which point the teacher looked shocked and asked what language he spoke to his mother in .. She had no idea that Julie was not his mother and Emma was not his sister .. that will certainly give her something to ponder over the next few days .  hahaha

After lunch we met up with Vlady and headed for the mountains .  There is a family there that Vlady has been helping for many years.    Together they have raised bees , planted gardens and harvested fruit.  they live way up the mountain and have their own solar collector and wind mill for power .  with two little kids and a few extra, and one more eon the way any day ,  they continue to work hard at making a good home.   We are there today because they would like us to help them to find a investor in their farm.  We started a cow barn there in the spring, and we need  about $2000 for this project .  Here in Kyrgyzstan families will keep the mother cow home for the milk, and the calfs are sent to the mountain to be fattened up for the winter.  This could be the place to send them 

 Any one who is interested in investing in this great project I can guarantee 100% that you will get NO financial return on your money, In fact I can guarantee that you will get NO return of the initial investment .. just want to be clear about that ...  So whats the benefit ?    well the loan will be repaid, but will be repaid by boarding cows for us from the initial investment, $1000 will finish the barn and $1000 to purchase 6 calves in the spring, these calves will  grow up good and strong, then provide fresh meat all winter for the families , students and institutions we support. in the spring we can sell the last cow and buy 6 more caves for the next year.   This is a good family with a proven track record, and Vlady to over see it all ... a real recipe for success   The dream has been started , and when one of you catches the dream, we are just weeks away from completion.

mountain road to visit the cow barn project 

families of bees ..  In the house during supper our friend noticed that about half a dozen bees in the window, I watched in amazement as he went over and plucked them off the window with his fingers and put them carefully into his closed hand and took them out side .   after a few trips I asked why he did not get stung... the bees know him and trust him ... 

This is the beginning of the cow barn in the foreground and the house in the back 

This is a root cellar used to store the garlic they grow .. they will fetch a much higher price in the winter

this is the view back down the valley (from the outhouse )

cow barn from another view .. its about 12' by about 80' 

we had knitted dolls for the kids from seniors in Canada 

The kids loved Emma and Jengish 

this is Vlady out with the bees .. he says that he has a couple families that are not as strong and need a little help so he brings them a little extra food to help them out ... Families of bees he is referring to.



"If I had a million dollars " I could have easily spent about $3000 of it today .. but for now we have a vision of things to come .. and they are encouraging 

Tomorrow we will source out the shipping container and work on getting it to the hospital to be used as the structural base for the medical clinic we are building. As well we will  continue sourcing out astro turf for the baby orphanage playground . the place we had a quote from will only sell it in 2 m x 100 m rolls and we budgeted on 50 meters , so we are looking for it else where .. While in Bishkek , Emma also has some of her kids that she want s to check up on and make sure they are back to school OK. 

summers break is over... back to school

Last weekend was one more wedding celebration.  Most of Jengish's family lives in the Talas region, so last weekend his grand mothers arranged one more celebration.  The drive was hours through switch back and tunnels, across some of the most beautiful terrain in Central Asia  

 so many incredible sights along the way.. despite breaking down a couple hours from the final destination, the travel party did arrive on time for the celebrations .  

It was a wonderful time, and a great opportunity to learn more of the rich history of that region .

Yesterday was a holiday and for that reason , so was today.  But it was also first day of school for many of the kids we support.  
Today started off so encouraging, a young friend of ours from Canada contacted us and has arranged to provide monthly sponsorship for one of the kids we are helping.   we recognize that to make a difference here , it will take many committed sponsors.. today one more was added to the list ... so blessed. 
  So there was a lot of work , not just financial support , but a lot of advocacy for  kids who have no one else that seems to be pulling for them.  Some times we are not very popular but we never claimed to be here in a popularity contest , but are here as a voice for those who are not being heard.   In many cases we can do little more then challenge the powers that be to do the right thing, then step back and wait for that to happen.  such a difficult task . 

It was not all bad, we had the opportunity to help out 17 other kids today so that they could attend school , like our young friend here with Bekah that worked very hard all summer, and came up only $200 short of covering his tuition.  We were so blessed to be able to help him.  His goal is to finish school , get a good job and support orphans timing out of the orphanages work through the maze and financial restraints to attend collage or university .   A fine young man that I am sure will remember for years to come the impact that one of you sponsors made in his life today.  

Today was back to school for Baktagul as well , Like anyone returning to school she was a little apprehensive, but as the day arrived it was met with some excitement.  We got to see her in action yesterday.  Our babushka  neighbor came over to get her blood pressure taken .  Baktagul jumped right to it and got out her kit and was helped her out.  

 Today we had to go to the bazaar top get clothes for the kids from one of the orphanages, so Baktagul came along and  and got her nurses jacket, and some note books etc. 

after a couple more stops, including some more sponsorship stops and stops to pay the taxes, we went over to one of the orphanages to deliver the shirts for them .  The shirts sell regularly for about $8 to $12 each, but we have one of the young sellers that helps us out a lot.  We give him the list and he goes around the bazaar and finds what we need .. today he got us a dozen shirts for less then $5 each .   When we have the funds we will go back and get them the pants , we have a price of $6 a pair .. again more then half the regular price.  such a blessing ... It will be great when we can find a sponsor to help with this while the deal is still available.

As well as the shirts, we also paid for the first month of kindergarten for a couple of the kids as well as some paint and renovation supplies for the school for the older kids , part of the deal to get them to be aloud to go to school .  next we will work on note books for the kids .. this is about $10 a kid.  In total for the kids in the orphanage to attend school, it will cost about $75 each for the year.  and the two in kindergarten will be about $200 each .  

This evening we went to meet up with a family that we have been working with.  They are trying to get into a home before winter , and were excited to tell us that they had found a place and asked if we could come and talk for them to try to get the home at a price that they could afford.  

this room alone is about twice the size of the entire home that they are in now.

After seeing the house, we migrated out to the back yard and in the garden the negotiations began.  The owner is a nice man and we could tell he wanted to help, but financially things are tight for him as well .  The negotiations started at $17 000 US , and after about 45 minutes, the deal was struck and hands shaken  at $350 down and $50 a month for the next 7 months, then we would renegotiate in the spring .  This gives a winter home for our precious little family .

the kids were excited to see their new home 

Vlady was buy the house early today to bring us some more produce from the garden and to let us know that the foundation on the clinic was complete, and he was ready for the shipping container to be delivered .

Originally the plan was to have an exam room and a waiting room , but somewhere along the way the project has grown to include public washrooms and a procedure room as well as a sterilizing room .  We have agreed to break this down into two fazes and begin.  We will have the waiting room and the exam room open by this winter, then the rest we will call faze two and begin as soon as we have a funder in place .

Tomorrow we have another busy day , in the morning we are meeting Larisa at the mens home to check out the new floor , and bring her a projector so she can show movies to the men , then at noon Julie is going to a parent teacher interview with one of our kids, then in the afternoon we will head to the mountains with Vlady to discuss with a family looking for a micro loan for a cow barn so that they can board cows in the summer .   This is the same family that looks after all the bees, and the gardens .    A beautiful family, a beautiful location, and such a potential for them to prosper.