How can you achieve transformational change in a community marked by generations of distrust and disenfranchisement?

The answer is nurturing opportunities for local communities to become healthier and for people to flourish more fully. People need healthy spaces to develop and grow.

Danara, a vibrant 39-year-old mother of five children aged 3 to 17, grew up in Kazakhstan during the country's transition to independence. She is deeply shaped by her nation’s transformation and embodies the resilience of her generation.

She was just six years old when the Soviet State Farm her parents and grandparents worked at dissolved. Years later, the land was distributed to villagers, her grandfather being one of them. The new landowners didn’t always have the equipment or know-how to make the most of it. Much of the land sat idle, waiting for revival.

When Reclaim first began working in Kazakhstan in 1998, the agricultural sector was far from healthy. Blessed with excellent conditions and rich soil, old Soviet methods and trappings still hobbled it. While a small group of professionals may not be able to take on all of them, they can offer an outstretched hand and work alongside locals to find solutions.

She was in the 10th grade when Patrick Brady and others from Reclaim began to work with her father’s inherited acreage. Prior to that, some of the State land had been used to grow tobacco—a filthy crop to grow, nurture, harvest, and store.

“My father, Akmat, dreamed of planting an orchard,” Danara remembered.

Danara watched Reclaim work with her grandfather and later her father. Together with the organization, her family found their dignity restored, helping them become self-reliant, self-assured, and strong.

“Following the lead of these men, my father's dream became a reality. He was able to do the work he loves.”

And now the dream is being passed on to a new generation.

The ongoing work of Reclaim has made a difference in Dinara’s village. As far as the eye can see, thriving orchards and farms now cover the land. Downtown open-air markets brim with green, yellow, and orange melons and fruits overflowing from vendor stands.

“The Bradys are well-loved in our community because they brought work opportunities,” said Dinara. “They are such good people, and the village thinks highly of them.

Reclaim collaborates with local farmers to identify techniques that enhance yields and promote greater sustainability.

“We learned so much about orcharding, how to plant, and how to pick. We now know how to continue with the work. They taught us how to work the land and earn a living. With God’s will, we will continue with the work they started.”

Thanks to a recent land gift from her father, she is now the sole manager of her own orchard in her hometown.

Female orchardists aren’t always visible in Kazakhstan, but she has little hesitation in her endeavor.

“We can now take responsibility for our own lives”

Her status reflects the entrepreneurial spirit of a new, post-Communist generation. Her voice, and others, is now amplified as never before.

“Because I want to be an orchardist, to be the owner, I don’t have to go work for someone else,” she proudly states. “I can do my own work, be my own boss. I only answer to myself, and I like that.”

Her time with her father over the years was a series of mini-lessons in life and work.

Observing the trees grow their first buds, inching their way toward the sky, was like watching her father’s dreams begin to take shape. And then, as those trees would later bear fruit, she saw the joy it brought him.

“Growing up, my dad and I spent so much time in the orchard. We planted. We nurtured those trees from little sticks. We harvested. We were together.”

She’s ready to take on the challenge of her own orchard. After all, she’s had mentoring from her father. She will also continue to receive professional, ongoing training and guidance from Reclaim staff.

The thought of carrying on her father’s legacy is deeply important to her.

“Our father designed the orchard and showed us how it could be profitable. He told us what kind of good things would come from it.”

The effort has brought good things to her family and marriage.

“My husband, Shakhmurat, loves the work I do. And he is eager to partner with me, working side by side,” said Dinara. “It’s good work for us to be able to do together.

“We don’t think it’s a good idea for a husband and wife to work far apart. When we work in the orchards, we invite our children to join us when they can. We love to work together as a family in the orchard.

However, the calling of the crop and the calling of five children intersect frequently, so the two work together to meet all the responsibilities. And the extended family is always ready to help.

She’s known Patrick and Ligi Brady from Reclaim for most of her life.

Their impact has been profound.

“They are such good people. They are committed to our village. They mix with us.
We all know them, and they are our friends.”

The family's involvement with Reclaim goes beyond the orchard. It’s a whole-life influence.

In the past, Dinara has also enrolled her children in English classes at the Reclaim Center. They recently attended an English program summer camp, a four-day language-intensive program incorporating games, music, and community partnerships to improve their English skills.

“When they returned home, they all told me, ‘We want to go back! It seemed so short! We want it to be longer, so we can learn more."

The family is active in Reclaim’s sports programs. One of the activities is annual bike tours to the mountains, where local farmers cycle among the towering peaks on the horizon that most people never get a chance to visit.

“I had never been on a bicycle, but we got to go to Lake Kolsai for the first time 12 years ago. I loved it.

When Dinara was in high school, she attended Reclaim’s first English course 20 years ago.

“That’s where I first learned English, where I started my foundation,” she said

She’s still learning and improving her skills and is currently participating in the Light on a Hill English mentoring program. In the program, Reclaim pairs an English learner in Kazakhstan with an English speaker somewhere in the world. The two will have bi-weekly calls, giving her a chance to improve her speaking skills and develop encouraging relationships.

“Last winter, I partnered up with a lady in America named Beth. We practiced English together,” said Dinara. She explains things really well. It was so helpful for me, and I hope to continue.”

A simple, yet beautiful vision shapes her future.

“My dream is for my children to be with me in the orchard, smiling and happy.
And to be at my parents’ side, working, playing, and living.
I want to spend my life in the orchard!”