Teen Girl Finds First Friend in Kazakhstan

Zhanar and her mother Madira lived a lonely existence in Kazakhstan’s Turar village. There wasn’t any of the normal teen socializing after class or slumber parties at the 15-year-old’s house. She didn’t go to school or have friends. Zhanar had Downs’s syndrome. She passed the hours by watching dancing on TV. There wasn’t a class in the area designed to meet the special needs of a student like her.

Then something out of the ordinary happened in this family’s quiet world. A lady in their village knocked on the door last summer. She surprised them with an invitation to Operation Blessing Kazakhstan’s free 7-day camp that was especially designed for children with mental and physical impairments. Madira couldn’t remember the last time she and Zhanar had left Turar!

The day came for mother and daughter to go to the meeting place in the city; the kind neighbor helped them get there on time. Zhanar was among thirty other children with special needs that were invited to our camp. It was the teen’s first experience ever to make friends! “We made so many friends,” Madira remarked. “May God bless you for [holding] this camp. Thank you, thank you all!”

Education and programs for those living with disabilities in Kazakhstan are almost nonexistent. Children living with Down’s syndrome, severe mental disorders and cerebral palsy as well as those who are deaf and mute are often ostracized and their entire families treated as social outcasts. This is why OB Kazakhstan holds this camp for impoverished families every summer. Campers get to swim in the lake, participate in friendly competitions, and eat healthy meals. Their parents learn from each other as well as seminar sessions. This experience is often the first time that families have to unload their struggle onto someone that cares. They also leave educated, empowered and have a hope for their children’s future.

There are many hurting families in the world like Madira that can’t afford to give their children the most basic food, medical care and education.

Please help them today!