New Thing is your love in action, inside the former Soviet Union

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A report from Doug Brendel to all who support or follow New Thing in Belarus...

School pictures

Portraits of Love

Our dear friend and photographer Oleg traveled to the Children’s Village for orphans in Kobryn, Belarus, to shoot photos of graduates preparing to leave for school.

Oleg has served New Thing for nearly a quarter-century. I’m always amazed and delighted by his magical ability to peer deep into the soul of his subjects.

These are the young people we’re planning to send off with “Life Starter Kits” so they can enter school on a level playing field alongside students who come from their own biological families.

Angelina S., Snezhana, Darya L., Elena, Darya V., Ekaterina, Yana, Valeria, Artsiom K., Sergey, Ruslan, Yaroslav, Artsiom S. (Another Angelina was absent because she had to leave for school early.)

Each Life Starter Kit includes towels, blanket, bed linens, pillow, kettle, saucepan, frying pan, iron, lamp, printer paper, thumb drive — and for those going to university: a laptop, laptop bag, computer speaker.

Average cost: $1000 per Kit. As a friend in Fresno wrote: “$14,000 for 14 kids? Only $1000 each? Oh my! That pays for 14 potential careers?”

Well, it gets them launched!

We’re thankful for 5 households and one Rotary Club who have given a total of $1554.85 toward the $14,000 goal.

If you’d like to help cover the cost of a Life Starter Kit, or a portion of a Kit, we’ll welcome your support.

I know the orphan-graduates will be grateful!

Thanks for journeying with New Thing!

More adventures to come!

Much love,

Doug Brendel

Photos by Oleg Yarovenko

To help the people of Belarus by giving to New Thing online, click here

To send a check by snail mail: New Thing, 403 Linebrook Road, Ipswich MA 01938

Thanks again!