Belarus has never fully recovered from the Chernobyl explosion in 1986 and as a result is faced with high rates of single-parenting, alcoholism & drug abuse. Since 2006 Zest4Kidz has been partnering with Belarusian orphanages and the state prison system to bring light into the lives of forgotten children, the unfortunate casualties of such statistics.
Currently we’re in a pretty exciting time at Zest4Kidz as we are looking back at what’s been achieved in the past year as well as looking ahead into the future. These times of dreaming and planning are an essential part of any organization but knowing they will benefit children in some pretty desperate circumstances gets [...]
Saying “I forgive you” can be the hardest but most important sentence we ever speak. Forgiveness acknowledges the wrongs done against us while at the same time releases us from future harm. This lesson on forgiving is one we teach in Belarus where girls ages 13-18 currently serve four year prison terms for minor crimes. [...]
We visited Belarus in the summer of 2010 and were able to take a group of young girls out of prison for a week to bless them and remind them of how special and loved they are. At the end of the week they held a talent show and took a moment to thank us. [...]
We met Nastya (age 15) in a children’s prison in Belarus. She, like most of the girls there, was serving a four year scentence for a very minor crime mainly due to family problems which had her missing school. On the last day of our recent trip in July she handed Stuy Wilson, Zest4Kidz founder, [...]
We love our Zesty Legends because they are passionate about helping kids caught in desperate circumstances. We wanted to introduce you to a few of our Zesty Legends. Meet Alex & Linda: “Over the years Linda & I have supported many different projects and charities and during this process we have developed a sort of [...]