Recently, we have hired new staff at the Crisis Center to care for the children. These individuals have the difficult job of caring for children who have been neglected and been through very difficult circumstances. As part of their training, the new staff are learning about psychological and behavioral issues of traumatized children, the medical and physical aspects of caring for these children, and techniques they can use to help the children adjust and function well in their new environment.
We have recently completed a series of trainings to 130 youth at local schools about HIV/AIDS. The disease is on the rise in Kyrgyzstan, so we decided to provide trainings to educate and increase awareness about HIV/AIDS.
In March, a team from the UK�s Samaritans Purse came to visit our organization. We hosted the team and their �Shoebox Event� where they distributed 500 shoeboxes filled with goodies to children in Balykchy and surrounding villages. After leaving Balykchy, the team went on the distribute another 500 shoeboxes to children in the Issyk-Kul region.
We have been providing monthly trainings for our target group to help them to increase their knowledge and life skills. So far, they have attended sessions on resume writing and job searching, self affirmation, problem solving, and children�s health. The trainings that we have planned in the future include parent/child relationships, HIV/AIDS, and women's rights.