The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan visited the Solnyshko orphanage and congratulated the pupils on the upcoming New Year and Merry Christmas

December 31, 2023. Alma-Ata region. Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan visited the Orthodox monastery of mercy - the social protection center of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, located in the village of Tuimebaev, Ili district.

The archpastor, together with benefactors and the president of the public foundation G.G. Sosnovsky congratulated the pupils of the Solnyshko orphanage on the upcoming New Year and Merry Christmas.

Children sang New Year's poems and songs for the guests. Preparations for the festive event took place under the guidance of an employee of the shelter, priest Andrei Raspopin, who has a pedagogical education and extensive work experience.

On the eve of the New Year and Christmas holidays, on the initiative of the patrons of the social protection center, the “Solnyshko” orphanage held the event “Letter to Santa Claus.” The pupils wrote to the fairy-tale character on postcards about their dreams and desired gifts for the holidays. The benefactors read the children's requests in advance and prepared a special gift for each person who wrote a letter.

The children presented the archpastor and benefactors with New Year's souvenirs made with their own hands.

Metropolitan Alexander and guests, accompanied by the head of the social and charitable department of the Alma-Ata diocese, Archpriest Vyacheslav Pugachev and the director of the orphanage I.G. Smirnova, inspected the residential buildings, territory, farm buildings, and then talked with teachers, educators, employees and medical personnel. Currently, the diocesan social protection center employs a large team of qualified specialists working with children of different age groups and “difficult” teenagers.