Agriculture project at Ark Village | Photo Agenzia Fides
By Agenzia Fides
July 11 2020
ALMATY, Kazakhstan – The state of emergency due to COVID-19 has provided an opportunity for the emergence of new relationships and forms of cooperation, both inside and outside the Church.
As is happening all over the world, even in the large family of Caritas Asia, of which Caritas Kazakhstan is a part, we started working in ‘smart working’ with periodic meetings, exchanges of experiences and sharing of future projects.
One of the last video calls was particularly significant, because members of each national Caritas told how they are responding to the pandemic. We have created groups to collect and distribute information, but also to request support”. This is what Fr Guido Trezzani, a missionary in Kazakhstan and director of the national Caritas, reports in a note sent to Fides.
“During one of the online meetings, with great pride, we were able to present our agricultural project, which is currently experiencing a phase of particular momentum. In two greenhouses, in fact, we have collected the first results, both in terms of work and in terms of profit, thanks to the growth of strawberries and other crops,” notes Don Trezzani.
The missionary adds: “These small initial successes are giving enthusiasm to those who work there, also stimulating further ideas for the future. For example, we are considering expanding the agricultural project with new technologies, different crops and other areas of interest”.
The opening of a day care center for children with Down syndrome remains pending, due to the rules of social distancing: “The COVID emergency had a significant impact on all activities. We are waiting for the resumption of work to continue the negotiations for the opening of the center, for which a state financing plan is envisaged. In the meantime, however, our employees, with the help of a group of young people from ‘Ark Village’ orphanage, have taken care of preparing the rooms: all the rooms have been whitewashed, cleaned and equipped”.
In Kazakhstan, Caritas has been operating since the late 1990s. The projects carried out by the organization aim to combine material assistance to the needy and vulnerable with the development of professional skills for the inclusion of young people into the world of work.
In recent years, for example, Caritas Kazakhstan has activated, among various initiatives, online English language lessons and a professional training course for people with Down syndrome and former drug addicts. – Agenzia Fides
