Kyrgyzstan

Emergency aid and development projects

The girl Venera has new hope

Girls like Venera at Oak House in Kyrgyzstan get a better life with support from Danish European Mission donors

By Henrik Due Jensen

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It was dark. The car engine was turned off and we stepped out onto the road where the Oak House is located in Bishkek - the home that houses girls who have grown up in various orphanages in Kyrgyzstan. We entered through an iron gate. A little further on I could see the light from an open window and from there I heard a girl's singing voice. It sounded like she was practicing a song of praise. When I entered the dining room of the Oak House, it was prepared for us to eat together. The girls were so happy and smiling. The atmosphere was good, and I sensed that they were grateful to live in Egehuset.

I met the girls several times during my trip to Kyrgyzstan in September. The girls are like family to each other. Several of them have lost their biological parents. Some of the girls have had to live with their father leaving them. But in the midst of it all, they are experiencing God's love mediated by the Danish European Mission's partner.

Venera has changed

One of the girls, named Venera, says she has been living in the Oak House for two months. She had no other place to stay. She tells me that she has lived in an orphanage since she was four years old. Today she is 16 years old. For Venera, growing up in an orphanage became part of everyday life. It was a tough environment. She sometimes experienced it as a bad community. She is glad that she no longer lives in the state orphanage.

Venera says she had a mother. But her mother had heart problems and couldn't take care of her. Venera has never seen her father, but she says he was an alcoholic. For her, living at the Oak House feels like home. She considers the other girls to be her sisters. They cook together. She experiences freedom at Egehuset, and she has the opportunity to visit her friends after she has done her homework. This wasn't so easy when she lived in the state orphanage. There wasn't the same freedom.

Venera feels that there has been a change in her life. She explains that the change has happened inside her heart. Others have also noticed a change of character in her life. She has now started going to church. Venera has a sister named Salkyna. Today they both live in the Oak House.

Venera dreams of finishing her studies as a clothing designer and then hopes to go to university. She also dreams of going to the US and Korea one day.

At Egehuset, a number of women are employed to help look after the girls. One of these is Nurjan. "I see changes in the girls. God has changed their feelings," she says. Nurjan counsels the girls in everyday life. She helps them make choices and makes sure they are involved in their daily chores. There is a sheet of A4 paper on the wall where the girls can see what needs to be done in the house. There is discipline in the Oak House. She keeps an eye on the girls, but she doesn't force them to do homework. She says: "I care about the girls. God has created them. They are like my sisters," and explains that she has two sisters and a brother.

Image: One of the girls from Egehuset. In the background is a helper.

Dansk Europamisson supports the home so that the girls can move on with their lives after growing up in various state orphanages. Without this help, the girls would be easy prey for people who would exploit them for their own evil plans, and in the worst case scenario, they would end up in prostitution. Instead, they now find that there are people who care about them and want them to have a good future. And that can mean big positive changes in their lives, both now and in the future. Thank you for supporting the girls in Egehuset.