Lots of different projects going on today so I will try to give you a flavour.  Stephen MacKinnon was working with a group of students on another video project, this time it will include some of the Canadians and it includes a tour of the orphanage.  Here Stephen is checking a shot with Yulia.

One of the girls who had graduated from the Chausy Orphanage and then went on to work at the orphanage is now expecting her first child.  Last Fall, Meghan MacKinnon did some Hair Stylist training with some of the children and Kristina participated.  Dave went by her home to have a visit and got Kristina to give him a haircut!

Progress is being made on Anna’s apartment.  Here you can see one of the new windows that have been installed.

The new front security door has been installed.

and the boys have started working on the flooring now that the interior doors have been installed.  Here Colin and Dan pose for a picture as I couldn’t get a picture with them in motion.

Chris Izatt celebrated his birthday today and we discovered that it was also Kolya’s birthday, one of the boys learning to play the drums.

Stephen MacKinnon along with Mike and Brittany McEachern are hosted by Larissa who is the cook at the orphanage.  At lunch today she made them sit down in the children’s cafeteria so she could be sure they were getting enough to eat!

Jann Smith has another great project happening this week.  She is holding international cooking lessons with the kids.  They not only get to learn to prepare and cook a meal but they get to enjoy the fruits of their labour!  Today was Italian night and they made spaghetti with meat balls, garlic bread and salad as well as a apple pie pizza for dessert.  Here you see Volva, Jann Smith, Tanya our interpreter, Maxime and Vlad.

Here Annis Moreau works with Boris, Yanna and Nina preparing the garlic bread.

Here is the dessert crew working on the apple pie pizza, Sasha, Yanna and Tracy Yuille.

This is such a great opportunity for these children, who have been raised in an institutional environment, to gain some real life skills.  They will know how to prepare an inexpensive and healthy meal from scratch!   Just one more piece of the puzzle in helping these children prepare for life after the orphanage.

Eric McKenzie