The diocesan crisis center Home for Mom was established with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and has been operating in Almaty since 2013.

This project is overseen by Protopriest Vyacheslav Pugachev, Chairman of the Social Service Commission of the Almaty Diocese and spiritual advisor of the Mercy service. In 2023, the charitable institution celebrated its 10th anniversary. Over the years, Home for Mom has provided support to over 100 women, including 22 pregnant women, and has cared for 158 children. Seven babies have been born within the center’s walls.

The center’s mission is to assist pregnant women and mothers with young children who are facing difficult life situations. The causes of these crises vary, including job loss due to childcare, pregnancy, family issues, abandonment, or lack of close relatives. The charitable institution operates on a fully anonymous basis.

Women in the center receive spiritual, psychological, social, humanitarian, and legal assistance. They are provided with a place to stay where they can recover their health and rebuild social connections. With the help of specialists, women are encouraged to adopt a proactive and self-sufficient approach to life.

Another critical mission of the Home for Mom crisis center is to prevent abortions. Anti-abortion efforts are primarily informational: leaflets are distributed in churches, conveying the message that abortion is a spiritually and physically harmful act for women. “It’s essential for us to prevent a woman from considering this act,” the center explains.

“Each mother’s story is unique. In every woman’s journey, we see God’s special purpose. During their time here, the women reassess their lives. They have a chance to find peace and stop worrying about the future. It gives them time to reflect on their next steps,” says the center’s director, Protopriest Vyacheslav Pugachev.

Over the years, Home for Mom has developed valuable experience, enabling the center not only to operate effectively but also to support similar projects focused on family, motherhood, and childhood protection, as well as abortion and child abandonment prevention.

The center has established a close partnership with the secular social project Ana Uyi (Mother’s House).

On April 28, 2024, with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, a charity handcraft fair was held at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Almaty as part of the Heart to Heart campaign. Organized by the Social Service Commission of the Astana and Almaty Diocese (led by Protopriest Vyacheslav Pugachev), the event aimed to raise funds for the Home for Mom crisis center. Additionally, on March 24, 2024, the White Flower charity event was held at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Almaty with the blessing of the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander.

To support the center, donations can be made to the Kaspi Gold card of the Home for Mom crisis center: 4400 4301 2996 7615 or by calling +7 777 547 4732 (Anna B.) with the note “Home for Mom.”