World Kindness Day is not just a day you talk about. It’s a real day that you should spend being kind to others. Each day should be a Day of Kindness. On November 25, 2021, we celebrated the Day of Kindness in Novosmolino with all the children. The youngsters have been waiting for this day for quite some time. It’s not always that they experience genuine kindness.

Kindness goes a long way. When you are kind to a person, you will bring them joy. You will also inspire them to be kind to others. And then others will also be kind to more people. You can say that it’s quite contagious. No amount of money could ever compete with kindness and the emotional and psychological effects it has on people.

During our visit with the children, we made sure that we modeled the lesson of kindness – it’s meaning and how it impacts other people. The children, too, had a chance to showcase their kindness by sharing beautiful and compassionate words with each other. The Day of Kindness program also involved watching a film where charity is the theme. We played games and passed out treats to the children – kindness is such a sweet thing afterall!

When the Novosmolino children hear the word kindness, they easily associate it with Luda and Sergey, the steadfast volunteers. They have become an important cornerstone in the children’s lives. They are constantly there, with a team of other friends they assemble, to help the children cope. They have especially played an important role during the pandemic, when the children’s contact to the outside world was cut off. Because of the kindness of Luda and Sergey, the Novosmolino children have a bright future. In fact, some of the children have already moved on to better experiences – finishing school and new jobs. Luda and Sergey are more than just volunteers, they are lifelong friends to these children.

They are also bound to become lifelong friends to Zhenya, a boy new to Novosmolino. He just came from Nizhny Novgorod, where no school wanted him. Novosmolino is his last chance to graduate and do better things. Zhenya was shy at first, but with kindness, he slowly opened up. He didn’t expect to learn about kindness and actually experience it firsthand on his first day of school. Once he felt comfortable, he joined the other children for playtime and singing songs. Eventually, Zhenya no longer felt unwanted. He learned that he is not alone and despite how harsh the world can be, there are many people who offer kindness.

We’re grateful to have people like Luda and Sergey on the Allies team to model the important things of life to children who have no one to do so. We’re also grateful for people like you who support this work to allow mentors like Luda and Sergey to bring knowledge and hope to a child’s life. Thank you.

With Luda and Sergey as mentors, and with kindness as their light, Novosmolino children have a better path and brighter future. They will face tomorrow with joy and bring that light to others.