The Antares Summer 2008 Postcards Project was a greater success than we realized! We had heard that all of the RBS children at summer camp received at least one postcard, and that they were thrilled. We had also received a few photos and had posted those here.
It was such a wonderful surprise to recently find in the Antares Foundation mailbox a package from Petropavlovsk! This package contained about a dozen postcards and letters from some of the RBS children! It really made our day!
It was very touching! Some of the postcards originally sent from the US to KZ had been written in pencil. Some of the children in Kazakhstan wanted to reply, but paper (especially at camp!) is not a readily available resource. Sooooooo……some of these children ERASED the pencil writing on the postcard they had received and wrote a note to send back to the US. Others did manage to find scraps of paper they could use to scribble a note.
We had thought the children would really like the pictures on the postcard, to keep, to trade, and/or to serve as a reminder that someone cared and was thinking of them. However, just as with the sponsorship program, the “connection” and knowing that someone cares is more important than what is sent!
Two of the children even sent photos, which we know are treasured possessions there. They have so little that is their own, but they still wanted to share and experience the joy of giving! This is something that they do not get to do very often because they have few, if any, possessions of their own. Here are the two photos:
It was such an incredible act of generosity for this boy to give this photo away!We know from the Siblings Reunions how much he loves his brother!
********UPDATE********
We are busy as we have started coordinating details for our many programs (new and old) with the orphanages. Since the children enjoyed the postcards so much, we are looking into the possibility of a pen pal program with the English class. This would certainly be a means of encourging them to practice their English!
We are busy as we have started coordinating details for our many programs (new and old) with the orphanages. Since the children enjoyed the postcards so much, we are looking into the possibility of a pen pal program with the English class. This would certainly be a means of encourging them to practice their English!
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