Dara and her sisters have grown up in a family where alcohol and poverty have set the agenda for the family's well-being. When Dara's mother leaves them, her father struggles to provide for the family. He sends one of Dara's sisters to an orphanage. "Lida and I stayed at home with Dad. But after two years, we were also sent to an orphanage. Then my father and mother had their custody of us children taken away.", says Dara.
Dara is just one of many vulnerable children in Kyrgyzstan who are abandoned by their parents and sent to orphanages every year. However, Kyrgyz law only allows the child to stay in a state orphanage until the age of 16. After that, public assistance is restricted, which puts pressure on vulnerable young people, many of whom find it difficult to complete their education. This is especially hard for young people who have no family members to lean on. Ultimately, some young people may end up in prostitution, crime or human trafficking.
Egehuset steps in when the public system fails
Egehuset is a transit house for girls where the most vulnerable orphanage children can seek refuge when they can no longer live at the orphanage. In the Oak House, the girls have a safe place to stay and the housewives cook for them. In addition, the Oak House staff show the girls care and the love of Jesus in a very practical way. The girls are not pressured to go to church or attend a Bible study group, but the opportunity is there. The Oak House is a program for young girls that supports them through the difficult years of adolescence and trains them to stand on their own two feet. The girls are enabled to get an education and develop social skills while living in Egehuset. The goal is for the girls to become an integrated part of society as well-functioning members of society.
When Dara turns 16 in 2016, she finds herself without a roof over her head and no means of support. "I didn't want to live with my parents because they don't like me and they are both alcoholics", says Dara. Luckily, the Oak House staff visited Dara's orphanage. "They were interested to know what program I wanted to apply to and if I had a place to live. They said they would take three girls from the orphanage, of which I was one", continues Dara.
Dara is deeply grateful
Although Dara's mother is currently in prison and her father is living with another woman, Dara is filled with deep gratitude that she was given the opportunity to live in the Oak House and get a second chance in life. Today, Dara is part of the local church in Kyrgyzstan and is involved in the church's children's work. Dara sends a personal thank you to the donors of the Danish European Mission who faithfully support the project: "Thank you to everyone who thinks about us and gets involved in our lives".
