micro-enterprise/life skills
Making a Difference for Older Orphans
CBN.com – Two years ago a unique training center was opened by Operation Blessing in Berdyansk, Ukraine. This training center was created to meet the needs of the “aging out” teens from the local orphanage, as well as other at-risk children in the area.
During their training at the center these children have had the opportunity to learn English, computer and life skills, and study the word of God through Bible studies. The skills they have gained are invaluable, but the relationships are also cherished.
This spring, 40 students graduated from the two-year program. The students, from various backgrounds and life challenges, each expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to have spent so much time at the center. Many talked about the dear friends they had found among the students and the staff, while others expressed how their lives had changed after turning to Jesus. It was not easy for the staff of the center to say goodbye to these first students, who had helped pioneer the center.
Recently, the Berdyansk training center’s reach has also gone beyond the center’s walls. The staff of the center has been privileged to develop a good working relationship with the administration of two different technical schools in the city, and as a result, doors have opened, allowing leaders to speak to students of all ages and backgrounds. They have been given the opportunity to influence students with a Biblical world view.
In May 2008, the staff was asked to provide seminars on guy-girl relationships at two local technical schools. The goal of the seminar was to get the youth thinking about right and wrong relationships and some of the consequences for poor choices in physical relationships.
The staff of the Berdyansk training center is already planning and praying for the new students that will join them in the fall. Seeing the changed lives of the graduates reminds Operation Blessing that love can make a difference in the life of young people.
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