Dear friends It looks s like we are under siege! Wherever we look, whatever we hear, whomever we talk to, sooner or later the “codeword” pops up! Crisis time! Everything turns to dark colors, everything becomes oppressive. Some people are distressed, some others become anesthetized plunging into everyday life, others say “think positive” as a remedy against depression. Is it enough? What is a really good starting point? Some years ago, when we started this bulletin, we thought to call it “Be grateful”. Now, even though this word is not in the title anymore, doesn’t mean we think differently. We cannot forget that all is given; that what we receive is much more that whatever is taken away or denied to us. This is Christmas! It is an unattended event, a free gift. Nobody could ever think something so positive! Our best wish for you and for us is that we all can feel that this is the re-starting point. The true one against which no crisis can stand against. We hope that our children smile, shown in our Christmas cards, can be the best guarantee. P. Guido Come on and join us on Noel‘s ARK
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The Ark Village Bulletin
Year XII – n° 135 – Dicember 2011
www.larca.org
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Read y fo r p i c tu res . . . cl i ck !
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This Christmas think differently! Together with your friends, donate a gift to the Ark Village children. Go to www.larca.org, click in the box written in English “Donate now” and participate to the new Noel’s Ark initiative. Choose the Christmas e-cards in English to send per e-mail to your friends wishing them Merry Christmas and sharing with them this solidarity moment.
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The Ark Village Bulletin
Year XII – n° 135 – Dicember 2011
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www.larca.org
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Chronicle of the Village ❤ A newcomer at Arca, her name is Sasha. Considering renewing the last old
and damaged house of the village... ✼ Thanksgiving celebration for the city orphanages. Greetings and gifts for everybody. ✼ Kurban Ayt celebration and happy moment to discover the Arca world. Sasha (Aleksandra) is our „new-entry“. She came to us under police and social services requests who found her living in a cattle or sheep shed. So far no sign of her parents or relatives. Few hours only, after her arrival and of course some moment of getting used to the new place and sitiation, she took part of all initiatives and activities of these periods and most important she semed to have found some serenity.
Sasha is not only the new entry; she is also the last entry. In fact with her we have reached the maximum capacity of our facility. Due to this fact, we thought, once more, to the possibility to renew the last house on our property that has never been touched since the Soviet times and of course it‘s quite ruined. As they say in Russian: „dreaming cost nothing! „
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! a e h om Sas c l e
The Muslim celebration of Kurban Ayt this year, has been an opportunity to receive edible presents (but not only) like mostly sheep meat, as part of the ritual linked to this festivity, but also it has been a moment to meet people that wanted to see closer the Arca reality.
Sasha and a group picture during the party...
For some years now, the American celebration of Thanksgiving has been modified into a Kazakh version of this commemoration. Asked by the President’s wife, Sara Nazerbaeva, this moment wants to be an occasion to remember all orphanages in the country. This year each orphanage received a photo camera, a computer and printer to create a photographic workshop. This initiative promotes the production of new bulletins like ours and also, maybe, a different version of it created entirely by our boys and girls!
The Ark Village Bulletin
Year XII – n° 135 – Dicember 2011
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www.larca.org
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Arca‘s Friends ☛ ”Helping hands“ this is the name of the group from Almaty International School that comes every
month to help us at the village. Together for new projects. ☛ Mouth to mouth works... many surprises... The mouth to mouth work that worked in Italy for many years in order for Arca to be known and explained, is now working in Kazakhstan as well. A nice example of it has happened a week ago: A friend of us talked to another friend about our village. One week ago this new friend called to ask if she
could come over with a group of hair stylist to cut and style hair to our entire group. Said and done! After our green light she spread the word among her friends and one Sunday morning a full crew of hairdressers came and not only cut the hair to everyone but got to the girls, of course, all the fashion
hairstyle they wanted. After they left one of them called and asked if she could come back with her child to have him playing with ours. Naturally these kinds of things make us proud and warm our hearts. Another example, involves one of the physician, that privately, on a monthly
base volunteers to visit our children, who passed by with an entrepreneur friends. After the visit this guy asked what we needed and he went personally to the bazaar to buy winter shoes for everyone. Also, he took the time to measure the sizes to all of the children and grownups to make sure it was all right!
Winter shows for everybody!!
Hair stylists on hand for our girls and boys! Awesome!!
The relationship with the Almaty International School is getting more and more organized and stable. This month they came to visit us several times. The students created a group called „helping hands“ committed to pay visit twice per month and to give
their support under different forms such as: Playgroups, after school homework group, sport, painting. Also, they organize fund raising at school to support some of our projects. Another group of students, asked a long term project to work on and we proposed
to re-furnished the houses rooms. This work has, as goal, not only the refurbishing itself but to stimulate the fantasy and practical experience of all the teens involved. We‘ll see what they come out with.
The last and smaller group collected many books in English and Russian language for our library. Most of these visits have been promoted and organized by Jenifer. She is becoming our most important ambassador and PR in Almaty.
The Ark Village Bulletin
Arca News
Year XII – n° 135 – Dicember 2011
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✮ A new library for our new look English classroom after being painted by our team of professional and committed children. ✮ Each week an important educational moment for our over 14th to prepare their future. ✮ For Christmas: In Italy, Christmas cards available on Arca web site ready to download. In Kazakhstan, now available the 2012 calendar with the children pictures. As we were saying earlier, Jenifer, not only took the groups from Almaty International School to see us but she organized some visits by the Almaty International Women‘s Club. After these visits, some members came back with other friends and so on and on…a good congestion of people! The books collected by the group of the Almaty International School, have been immediately put on display on
the new library shelves of the English classroom. It is important to mention that Danette (our English teacher) begun a teaching program for all ages and involved everybody in the decoration of the classroom. It is impressive to see with what a commitment and professionalism some of the people involved worked to this project, especially those painting the walls. It took us two days to wash them properly… the kids I mean!
Our encounters with the group of the over 14th is becoming a weekly appointment. This is not a scheduled meeting but it is more a moment to think and discuss about some problems or concerns at/ or about the village , a moment of sharing our views, involve into the discussion this age
group in a more active way, and to talk about their future. It will need time but so far we already had some unexpected result. Few of them asked to be able to participate to the payment of some family costs with the money they already had earned with some jobs.
Danette is painting the English classroom with her pupils.
Children look at themselves on the 2012 Arca Village calendar edition.
In Italy this year we decided to use the beautiful Christmas Cards as a way to be remembered by our friends, In Kazakhstan we decided to stick to the Calendar. Thanks to the support of our friends at EPMG who took care of most part of the printing costs, we started to de-
liver the calendar to those who offered their support and thanks to whom we have been able to carry on our projects up to the conclusion of most of them. This calendar includes still some shots of Fulvio‘s famous pictures collection and some other less professional from our local editorial office.
The Ark Village Bulletin
Year XII – n° 135 – Dicember 2011
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Dear friend, like every family, we would like to prepare for Christmas and we decided to do it together with you with the support of our new Christmas e-cards prepared by Anna G. with the pictures by Laura and Anna. We hope you like them too and that you chose them as a solidarity tool as well as a renovate sign of your friendship. The great family of the Ark Surfing together the site of Arca Village
www.larca.org
e on us m o C join d n a ARK S ‘ EL O N on
Together with your friends donate a gift to the ARK Village children.
For informations, suggestion or if you have problems to surf our site please contact us at our new e.mail address:
[email protected]
in HOME PAGE www.larca.org click on:
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and... buy the Christmas e-cards for your friends!
S CARD E s ith tma Chris friends wtivs K R A ur mo THE to yoristmas d n ! To seerent Ch oday t e l b diff vaila Are a
You can give your contribution to help the ARK Village children by changing your friends gift into a donation for these kids who are orphans or disables and that need a help to support themselves, to receive an education, rehabilitation treatments, an introduction to the working world in order to prepare their future.
«ARCA» ASSOCIATION The Ark Village Talgar - Kazakistan «ARCA ITALIA» ASSOCIATION ONLUS Milan - italy www.larca.org e-mail:
[email protected] To give your donation: «ARCA ITALIA» ASSOCIATION A/C 00015500 BANCA POPOLARE DI BERGAMO PIAZZA DUOMO, 5 20052 MONZA IBAN IT 59 W 05428 20406 000000015500 SWIFT/BIC Code: BEPOIT21XXX
