Belarus

July 5th-12th 2010 saw me joining up with ten others from Ireland to run a Zest4Kidz summer camp for prison girls aged 10-18 in Belarus. The week was life-changing.

When the girls first arrived in single-file you could see right away that their souls were heavy. They found it hard to smile or even seem interested in the camp they were visiting. They just kept their heads down and waited for orders from the prison guards.

The week consisted of morning talks and discussion groups, lots of games, crafts and sports. We soon found out that the Irish aren't too talented at Volleyball but that we can hold our own in Pioneer Ball (a national sport in Belarus). The activities provided a context for interaction with the girls and an avenue for us to let them know they are loved. Perhaps the most significant times we had with the girls was in the evenings when we could sit and share stories with one another.

I was blown away to find out the minor crimes these girls had committed in order to be in prison. One girl had taken her Mother's mobile to make some calls and her own mother reported her to the police and testified against her! Unfortunately this girl's story wasn't that unique. Most of the girls come from abusive homes where drugs and alcohol are destroying the families. Many of the girls had scars on their arms from attempted suicide and almost all had not received any visits while in prison. There have been 10 visitors to the prison since January 2010 and Zest4Kidz are about half of those.

On the first day a girl named Ira walked up to me and said she'd like me to ask her some questions. I was impressed with her courage to walk up to a stranger so I asked her to tell me her story. She too came from a broken home. Her father had died when she was young and her mother was a heavy drinker and would abuse her. She said she was scared because three days after our camp she was being released from the prison to go back to that abusive home.

We're currently trying to enroll Ira into a Zest4Kidz mentoring program.

I wish you could have seen the girls as we were leaving. They were alive! They were happy. We brought hope into their lives but they ended up changing our lives. Can't wait to see them again!

Be sure to check out PHOTOS FROM THE BELARUS TRIP.

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