I thought my last post about the orphanages was a bit negative, but at the time I was pretty upset about the conditions and everything that I’ve observed. So today I thought I’d try and come up with some of the things I was pleasantly surprised about:
One
The Vidrare Orphanage has a swimming pool. That’s right, they have a pool! It’s not half bad (pictures below) I’ve seen some of the kids use it once. I only wonder if children who might not be able to use floaties or swim can use the pool with the help of adults in the water.
Two
At the Vidrare Orphanage there’s a cow that the older children help milk it, and they even drink the milk!
Three
There’s a Greenhouse that I’m told the children help maintain, which I think is great.
Four
The older children (when I say older children some of these individuals are in their late 30’s) help with everyday chores like sweeping, cleaning, or delivering the food to the rooms the other children are in so the caretakers can feed them.
Five
Some of the children get to go on holiday to the Black Sea. How cool is that? The children look forward to it months before they get to go, and talk about it all the time. I’m not sure how their picked and how many go but it’s pretty cool they have that opportunity.
Six
With the help of a Peace Corps volunteer some of the kids were able to make the long trip to Istanbul, Turkey to sing at a conference for children all over the region. For kids whose highlight of the day can be taking a walk in the village, this was a major event.
Seven
A lot of the kids get to play outside, even if it’s just laying on a mat, it’s much better then laying in bed all day!
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| Stimulating the children by swinging them |
