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Hesed Astana was established in February 1998. Years passed, directors changed, but Hesed keeps growing and uniting community members. About a year ago the town of Stepnogorsk with its own growing Jewish community joined the Hesed Astana.
Hesed includes the following programs:
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FOOD PROGRAMS - hot meals, monthly food packages, meals on wheels. The head of the program is Natalya Golovina.
1. Hot meals
Clients of this service visit "Altyn-Ay" cafe everyday to receive hot lunch. Neither bad weather nor ailments prevent the old lonely people from coming there. They gather in the cafe to socialize, share impressions, and celebrate Shabbat.
2. Meals on wheels
This program is meant for elderly people unable to go to a canteen or cook by themselves.
3. Monthly food package
This program has the largest number of clients. Unfortunately, most of elderly people receive minimal pension and Hesed food packages help them greatly. Every food set includes sheets of paper with Hesed news, information on Jewish holidays, physicians-volunteers' schedule, latest numbers of "Davar" newspaper.
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HOMECARE - homecare service employees look after ill and immobile clients. The head of the program is Oksana Bayetova.
The main task of the program is to ease lives of elderly, ill people and invalids who need physical and moral assistance. Our employees do everything possible to ease clients' lives and to make them feel needed and cared for.
Most of the Homecare clients are lone immobile people. The staff connects them with the outer world. They tell the clients about communal life, holidays, news, and accompany mobile clients to Shabbat and other events.
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MEDICAL PROGRAM - physicians' consultations, provision of medications. The head is Oksana Bayetova.
Twice a week clients receive medical consultations of physicians-volunteers and audit lectures on prophylaxis of their illnesses. The clients come to the Hesed with pleasure, because they do not need to stand in line there. They also receive medications in the framework of medical program.
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REHABILITATION EQUIPMENT - selection, distribution of equipment, and training clients to use it. The head is Oksana Bayetova.
This program is meant for people requiring physical rehabilitation. Oksana Bayetova is the head of the program. She treats every client with care and consideration. She always accurately assesses individual needs of each client.
Everybody can borrow rehabilitation equipment. Oksana teaches clients to use it either in Hesed or at home.
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WINTER RELIEF - the head is Elena Levina.
Hesed helps poor clients to fight severe frost. Since Astana city is situated in the northern region, public utilities in winter are very expensive. Hesed Astana partly pays for heating and distributes fuel, clothes, and bedding.
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VOLUNTEERS - volunteers participate in all Hesed programs. The head of volunteers' service is Olga Kreitchman.
Today it is impossible to imagine the work on renewing and developing Jewish communal life without volunteers. They help elderly, lonely, and ill people to overcome difficulties and join to Jewish Tradition and customs.
Their team-leader Olga Kreitchman attracts more and more community members to volunteering.
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