How to Choose the Right Path

Even for children blessed with parents, education, and a life complete with things they want and enjoy, choosing a future direction after completing high school can be challenging.

Children growing up in the orphanage have a much more difficult time deciding what they want for their life, because their exposure to real world careers has been limited, and their options and resources are even more limited.

A few weeks back, we had a trip to Beregovo to visit the Yeshe Tomas Orphanage. We drove in two cars, one of which was a minibus where our donations, gifts, and treats for the children were stored. We were very excited to share all these with them because our volunteers collected and packed them nicely and warmly for the children to enjoy.

When we arrived at our destination, the children welcomed us with smiles and helped us unload the gifts from the bus. We started the program with a meet and greet with the kids, some activities, and a storytelling where we talked about making decisions in life and what the consequences of their actions might bring.

We discussed with them that by making good decisions, they are choosing the right path and creating a bright future for themselves. For example, if they were offered alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs, we told them that accepting these things and living with these vices will ruin their future because they will only get addicted to these, which will cause them to neglect their studies, family, and friends.

For children in the orphanage, they are rarely taught about the consequences of their actions. Opportunities like this, therefore, are important as they serve as an eye opener for children to be more aware and conscious about the decisions they make. Through a drawing and coloring activity, we were able to help them visualize what they want their future to be by choosing the right path in their life.

A 13-year-old orphan, Zhigulin, drew a lot of houses in his art work, along with a huge mountain, which he is climbing with a big backpack. I really loved the symbolism of this picture because it shows that he is ready to overcome any obstacle that may come his way.

By teaching children to choose the right path and turn away from the wrong temptations, you are giving them hope that life ahead can be wonderful and their future will shine bright. If you want to make a difference in an orphan’s life, here are ways you can help and work with Allies in Youth Development.

 

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