A little book to say “You are important, you matter.”

On the last day of February, I and the director of Interlink, Beth Turnock, attended a special ceremony at the orphanage of Saramoldaeva where I spend most Tuesdays. The orphanage had just published a book of their history, including stories about individual children. It’s the first of its kind in Kazakhstan. Reporters, who contributed research and articles to the book, gave speeches interspersed with songs, dances, and skits from the children (see one of the "captains" below).

Beth Turnock, the Director of Interlink, was also given the opportunity to speak as Interlink was a sponsor of the book. What she said made me think and it went something like this… “You care,” she said to the director, “about these children. You care enough to give them a home, and for this I thank you. But, you care enough about who they are, about their own stories to write it down and say to them ‘you are important, you matter’ and this shows that you love them.”