Balti

Let me just say, I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to update, things have been crazy busy here. Which is such a good thing, right?? On Friday, January 31, we took a day trip to Balti (pronounced Belts) for a wonderfully productive day. Leah has been working with the transitional living program that CERI has developed for children who are “graduating” from the orphanages. The participants of the program must be enrolled in high school or a professional school to be involved in the classes. The program hopes to teach the children life skills as they make the transition from the institution to independence. Leah was telling us a story about a child who literally had no idea what an egg looked like. They knew what it looked like after it was cooked and served to them, but they had no idea that an egg had a shell. They had never seen a fresh egg. How can a child who could not even identify an uncooked egg be expected to survive when they all the sudden at the age of 16 have no guidance? In response, CERI, with the amazing help of our Leah, hopes to prepare some of these kids to live happily and successfully following their release from the orphanage. Leah is so great at this too. From choosing a good roommate to budgeting, Leah is equipping these youngsters with some great information.

I had the opportunity to join Connie and Svetlana to go visit a foster family in a rural village close to Balti. This family has taken in four beautiful children. Their mother died last year from Tuberculosis and the children have been in multiple institutions from the time of her death until now. Connie was very involved in the conversation with the mother and only had time to translate parts of their interaction for me. I was forced to catch on to the dynamics of this family using non-verbal cues. It was an interesting experiment for me, especially when my assumptions were confirmed by Connie. The children seemed happy and safe in this home and the mother’s eyes and obvious concern for the well being of these kids warmed my heart. I was so ready for some time to love on kids. I love the work that I am doing, but I spend so much time researching and writing, I needed to see the energy and love that people have to share.