A Workout Ground in the SOS Children’s Village

This is exactly what the Almaty Marathon organizers thought when it became clear that the competition would be cancelled. Back in December 2019, we promised that we together with the participants of the Almaty Marathon would traditionally build sports grounds and do everything necessary so that children from different institutions could do sports.

Although the coronavirus made its own adjustments to our everyday life, the sports, especially today, remains the most important ‘medicine’ to fight against viruses.

This summer we completed the construction and installation of a new workout ground at the SOS Children’s Village in Almaty.

The SOS Children’s Village is an organization of family type. There are 12 houses, where children constantly live together with their “mother” and sometimes “father”. Mothers have a compulsory pedagogical, psychological or medical degree. Up to 10 children can be brought up in each house. There are mothers who bring up their own biological children and several adopted orphans. On the facility commissioning day, residents of two village houses were preparing to welcome children from an orphanage, who would now become part of two families. Every time the host family sets a table with testy dishes to welcome the newcomers and prepares a room for its new brothers and sisters. Children in the village attend various sports classes and groups. Previously, there were only a basketball playground and a playground for kids. Now, thanks to the Almaty Marathon runners the village has a workout ground where both kids and adults living in the village can do sports. All equipment ensures maximum safety during training (strong installation, high-quality gymnastic apparatus, soft rubber coating)

Amid the quarantine, children go outside to play strictly on schedule, try not to contact children from other houses and do not leave the village in order to avoid spreading the infection. All employees must undergo coronavirus testing, especially after their vacation or a long trip. Guests also can visit the village only if they have a recent negative test.

Many children living in the village attend sports classes, and now they can keep fit on the new ground, even on vacation days.

We wish the residents of the SOS Children’s Village to enjoy their time at the new ground and thank everyone who contributed to this good deed.