The Dacha Project is an outreach of Orphan’s Tree. The majority of orphanages in Russia are in rural areas or small communities. Children are raised with an appreciation of simple pleasures and love for the outdoors. When their orphanage days are finished and they are sent to a technical school, most often those schools are located in urban areas. Often the kids become homesick for the quiet, simple ways of life.
Combining the quiet of a rural village, the abundance of nature, and some ‘good old-fashioned” labor, the program will help older orphans explore their own life journey with a professional and caring staff. We envision our dacha to be an enticing and encouraging refuge for orphans over weekends during the school year and longer periods during the summer.
The graduates enjoy their time in the country so much – there were requests from all the regions to begin a program there as well. In early 2011 we purchased our second dacha. This one in Kostroma. Before the ink was dry on the purchase agreement Mahov and a number of the graduates were already preparing the soil and planting potatoes. We look forward to many happy years of ministry in Kostroma and Vladimir.
Nearly every weekend there is something special going on at the dachas. In the winter there is cross-country skiing, cooking and conversation. During the summer there is planting, fishing, walks in the woods, eating together and building relationships. Since many of the young people live in the dorms at the technical schools during the school year, the dachas provide an extended visit opportunity during the summer. For more details visit the update page.