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Alpine Update 13

Winter - 2005

Hello Everybody from the Alpine Fund,

The New Year (Norooz) is coming up soon in Central Asia bringing loads of changes. Spring is always a time of new energy and rebirth. This could not be more true for the Alpine Fund. Not only will there be new adventures and mountaineering experiences for at-risk youth,  the Alpine Fund has a new office location in Bishkek and recently the Alpine Fund has opened a new office in Dushanbe Tajikistan.

It’s an exciting and busy time here and we’re all looking forward to the challenges this year may bring.

In this Alpine Update

• Alpine Fund Tajikistan! New office and the first mountain adventure.  by Garth Willis - Alpine Fund President

• First day in the Mountains with Tajik Youth - by Kamina Shamsieva   - Alpine Fund Tajikistan Manager

• The Alpine Fund joins the Mountain Fund   -  by Garth Willis

• Environmental Responsibility and First Aid Seminar at the Alpine Fund Learning Center   by Asel - Alpie Fund Kyrgyzstan Manager

• A trip to the Mountains with the Alpine Fund  by Marlis FLEX student and Alpine Fund volunteer

• Time of Giving and Sharing Smiles   by Dasha, our committed volunteer

• Run for their Shoes Fundraising Action   by Dasha and Spanish contributors

• About dogs, English lessons, finding your way, and meeting new people     by Jamila and Ulan, English class kids

• Forgotten Children - by Lino, a Spanish soldier in Bishkek

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 Alpine Fund Opens in Dushanbe, Tajikistan!

by Garth Willis - President, Alpine Fund

I have long wanted to have the Alpine Fund expand to more countries and become a regional presence for youth programs, environmental protection, and mountain tourism development. With the opening of the Alpine Fund in Tajikistan that day has finally arrived. 

The goals of the Fund are the same as they were almost five years ago when we opened the Alpine Fund in Bishkek, to get kids into the mountains, and to promote responsible mountian tourism development. But we have learned a lot along the way and now we are starting Tajikistan with a comprehensive program of climbing, hiking, ecology, computers, language, and communication skills.

Starting a new office and program in Central Asia is not an easy task. The first step was to register the organization, then to find office space and staff. I found a comfortable 2 room office in the center of town and purchased furniture, a computer, and a conference table for lessons. There are already two staff: Kamina, who studied in the US for a year on the US State Department FLEX program and is now a student at the university, is the office manager; and Muzafar, who in the days of the Soviet Union trained rescue teams but is now retired, is the Alpine Trainer.  The two of them are already a great team, Muzafar teaches about mountains, climbing and safety, Kamina organizes the office and does outreach to organizations. Our initial partner organizations are a local school which houses kids that do not have support, and a street center for children that do not have a safe home to go to after school.

We started work in Tajikistan about a month ago by taking a group of six boys from a street shelter to go climbing outside of Dushanbe. The kids at first wanted to show us how tough they were, and that they did not need to listen to us, but we have an old tough alpinist as the trainer and by the end of the day they listened to what he had to say. After three trips to the mountains it is like they are a new group of kids. It is clear right from the start that these kids grew up on the street and have not had adults treat them with respect, but already with the trips to the mountains we have cut through their tough outside face and now they are asking questions, and proudly show us how they belay for each other, and check each others knots.

Most amazing is that on the second day climbing two of them were already climbing a 5.10 roof at the climbing crag. The other experienced climbers that were helping us were amazed at their ability and complete lack of fear.

At first the girls at the school did not want to go, and their parents did not allow them to go, but now that they have seen pictures of what the guys did we have three girls from a local school attending trainings. We will gather their parents together and explain what the Alpine Fund does, how it helps them in many ways not just to know mountains but to get ahead in life.  We are confident that within a few months we will have a team of boys and girls that are already experience hikers and climbers and the Alpine Fund in Tajikistan will be on its way.

And in a great step forward I decided to buy a van right from the start of the program, it will be the van that takes kids to new heights, it will be their magic bus and when it pulls up they know that an adventure is waiting.

There are also a lot of other challenges unique to Tajikistan. There is almost no tourism here, even though there are some of the greatest mountains in the world. Where in Kyrgyzstan there was a transfer of knowledge as the Soviet climbing teams metamorphosed themselves into private companies, in Tajikistan there was a civil war in the mid 1990's and just about everybody that was active in mountaineering left the country never to return. Now that the country is once again safe and quiet the tourists are starting to return, but there only a literal handful of guides and companies that are prepared to work with clients. To help meet this need the Alpine Fund will start to train university students on basic skills so that there will be a base of guides starting this summer. We will also be working on a website with climbing information for all of Tajikistan.

So as you can see, we have a lot of work to do, but there is an excitement in the air as the programs get started, and we already seeing positive results in the kids we work with. Be sure to follow our adventures, and come over an join us if you can.

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Alpine Fund in Tajikistan has been opened in February 2005 –

by Kamina Shamsieva - Office manager for the Alpine Fund Tajikistan kamina@alpinefund.org

On the 26 of the February the Alpine Fund and a group of alpinists gathered for the first time in the Varzob Valley near Dushanbe and practiced free-climbing.  The participants of the free-climbing were teens from the Refugee/street youth Centre. This center has existed in Tajikistan, Dushanbe from 1996 and the director was very enthused about their youth having the chance to go to the mountains. For this first experience we had boys of 15-18 years old, in the future we plan to organize trips of boys and girls together in order to develop their interpersonal communication skills. But the girls still need to be convinced that they can do it too.  It has been a great experience for the teens and as well for the Alpine Fund co-workers and volunteers.

The most important thing of the trip was to let teens know that someone cares for them and want them to be better, more communicative, open-minded, and respectful towards others. As the main idea of the Alpine Fund to impact positively the lives of teenagers these skills mean for them and for the lives of their friends and the people whom they live with. The president of the Alpine Fund Garth Willis is a person who really does a great job, a person that helps kids and a person that cares for them.  During the trip he really showed up not just like a good leader of the Fund but as a friend for the teens, who is able to do good things for them and help them to be better.

Alpine Fund in Tajikistan, Dushanbe is not about just alpinism, though it is a great place for practicing alpinism, it is about lives that are changing and will be changed more effectively.  For the first day being out of the city all of the teens tried free climbing and enjoyed it very much, all of them did well and were so exited now they are interested even more after going to the Varzob and looking forward going there again.  All the youth tried several times to make it to the top of the wall.  All of them looked happy for they have tried something new, experience they never had, new friends and new relationships. Nature really helps to be transformed in a new image, have new life style and other different things, these are things what our teens have been practicing whole day.  One day does not do much, but for sure I can say that this day did a lot.

One of the amazing things was seeing these teens changing and seeing how they were attracted by the attitude of the alpinists and volunteers.  Well, great things are happening when we are led by the sense of compassion, an improvement of this statement is that the President of Alpine Fund was lead by this sense and did, does a great things.  When youth are challenging themselves they are learning a lot of things, like friendship, hardships and sharing trust in each other.  These are some of the things that are going on in Alpine Fund; we are going to hold more activities and trainings.  All these things are happening thanks to the people who volunteer, donate, give their time, impacting the lives of the teens living in the streets, the orphans, or teens lacking family support.

Kamina Shamsieva

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The Alpine Fund Joins the Mountain Fund

This year opened a new organization called the Mountain Fund. The mission of the Mountain Fund is to help small organizations like the Alpine Fund with fundraising, grant writing, and marketing. As written on the Mountain Fund's website:

" There are many really good organizations doing work in the world's mountainous regions. In general, they break down into two categories -
 

Large, well-funded groups doing research and offering services on a global basis and small, grass-roots efforts with minimal funding and staff.

Our focus here at the Mountain Fund is on those small, grass-roots organizations many of which were started just as we here at the Mountain Fund were, by climbers, trekkers and tourists who visited and came away forever changed in their thoughts and perceptions of these, nature's most beautiful regions."

The Mountain Fund has already worked with the Alpine Fund to organize a scholarship for Oxana Polonskya, one of our shining stars that grew up at Voenna Antonovka Orpahange, was an intern at the Alpine Fund, and now works as a translator. She has been nominated to attend a 6 week mountaineering course at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)   She has received a scholarship from NOLS for a North Cascades Mountaineering Course. Airfare and other costs are being provided by Summitclimb and the Anatoli Boukreev Memorial Fund. This is the Mountain Fund in action, creating powerful new ways of working together.

We look forward to more cooperation with the Mountain Fund and want to thank Scott Maclennan for his support of the Alpine Fund and vision that will bring all of the small organizations working in mountainous regions together as one strong voice. For more information see - www.mountainfund.com (coming soon)

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Learning and having fun in the Alpine Fund Learning Centre

by Asel Alpine Fund Manager

Children like winter because they can sledge and play snowballs. We decided to take the kids to the mountains for a day. However, we thought that it would be more useful not just to take the kids there but also to conduct a lecture on ecology and how to behave in the mountains.

The Alpine Fund closely co-operates with the Center for the Protection of the Children (CPC). Therefore, we decided to invite kids from the CPC, particularly from the Dordoi Market and Osh Bazar. The children were selected on the basis of an essay competition. They had to write an essay and explain why they want to go to the mountains. Essays were written in the Kyrgyz language, and most of them were sincere, open, and creative. 

Saturday morning at 9 am, all the kids gathered near the meeting place. Their faces were so happy, excited and I could see that they wanted to see mountains so badly because most of them are from mountainous areas of Kyrgyzstan but now work in the city. The mountains are so close but yet so far away; for them it is almost impossible to go there because they have to work hard in the markets to help out their families or simply to survive. It was reflected in their essays. On the way to the mountains, we distributed sandwiches and drinks. Children were singing all the way to Ala-Archa National Park, talking and asking so many questions. Finally, there we were!

First, we had to take all the things to the AFLC (Alpine Fund Learning Centre) through the bridge. Almost every kid had something to carry, because we had all the food, firewood, and coal with us. Therefore, everybody had a chance to work. When we reached our dacha it was very cold inside so the first assignment was to set up a fire, bring water and clean the place before the interactive lesson.

Of course, kids are kids. To be there where you are surrounded by loads of white, clean snow and mountains around you, so it is impossible not to play snowballs. Boys started teasing girls and soon they all were running all over the place, a snow war was happening and soon snow balls were flying everywhere. However, time of the session was coming up and all the kids gathered inside of the building ready to study.

The seminar was conducted in Kyrgyz language. “How to behave during treks to the mountains or picnics” was the main topic of the day. An icebreaking game started the seminar and after that, there was a brainstorming on what is ecology. We narrowed the topic to what is ecology for the kids particularly in Bishkek. Kids came up with all sorts of problems that bother them in their every day life. Air and water pollution, full trash containers all over the place, rats and wild dogs. The children also touched the topic of the killing of animals and cutting down all the trees. Some also mentioned the pollution in the mountains, etc, Based on the brain storming , we started the lecture on why do we have these problems and how we can prevent them with responsible behavior in our every day life?

Children were then paying much attention to the lecture and if they did not understand a certain part that would ask questions and give their comments. The seminar was very informal based on interaction and knowledge sharing. It was very interesting for me to find out how the kids started thinking critically and analyzing the problems that were listed previously. They actually realized that all these problems might touch them as well in their everyday life. I hope that the knowledge we passed to them will be useful for them in the future.

The other part of the seminar was dedicated to how to behave when you go to the mountains and how to conduct basic first aid in some emergencies. Particularly, what one has to do when dealing with a broken leg, arm, etc. Also how to deal with food poisoning and snake bites. The kids knew some of the answers to these questions, but were surprised .They were happy to learn how to deal with these emergencies in a correct way. My opinion is it always good to know the basic tips of first medical aid.

Now it was time for lunch and to have fun sledging down the mountains. The food was delicious and children ate it with pleasure. But even plov could not stop the kids from going to the mountains. In the beginning the kids were instructed how to behave but we could see that if we were not there they would run up to the top of the mountain and just enjoy nature.

It was really hard to handle them but the safety of the kids was strong in our minds. As soon as they climbed high enough they started sledging down like they have not been in the mountains for a long time.

Children are children, they like to have fun. It is amazing how many times they went down the hill and up the hill. Me, personally, after two or three times I was already tired, but the kids were like energy generators. Watching them from the side, I could see all the happiness and joy in their faces.

At the same time I was realizing that after this trip to the mountains these kids will be back to their normal routine, turning like grown ups who have to go back to their normal life, most of them work very hard to earn money to feed themselves and even their families. And this little girl or boy will remember this day and keep it in their hearts and memories as one of the most fun days in their young lives.

I would like to thank the American Embassy for sponsoring this trip, without their financial help these kids would not have gone to the mountains, back to enjoy their childhood for a day, a very special day as they said to us before leaving, that will stay in their memories for the months and years to come. And we hope this is not the last time we can invite the children that work so hard most of the year to come to the mountains and to have fun and to be a kid again.

Also, I would like to thank all FSA/FLEX alumni and volunteers who took part in organizing this event.

Asel  asel@alpinefund.org

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Trip to the mountains with children -  

by Marlis - FLEX volunteer

The Alpine Fund organized a special trip for the special children of Kyrgyzstan. Just the fact is so impressive that Alpine Fund gathered these wonderful children who work everyday at the city bazaars such as Dordoi and Osh. Children are mostly from poor families or have left their families in Naryn, Batken, Osh, etc., in order to work in Bishkek and they are only 10-15 years of old. So young and already have faced the real world of surviving in the crowd, while many of us live in much better conditions of life.

Personally, when I volunteered to join the trip to help out the Alpine Fund, I understood how wonderful it would be for them to be cared about and paid attention to. A day before the trip I imagined these kids playing altogether completely unaware of their usual daily lives, which is filled with the crowd, noise and headache. I thought what a wonderful chance for me as well to be around these children, as they rejoice and experience the greatness of life after the heart-warming laughs and smiles.

We had a trip to dacha in Ala-Archa with 17 children and 6 AF volunteers. As we got to the dacha we quickly tidied up in the dacha to get ready for the lecture for children and for the preparation for our lunch. While Asel Akmatova was lecturing and sharing experiences with children about the importance of ecology and its tight connection to human lives. She explained how to care for the environment and how to offer first aid in times of need. Children were happy to get many of their questions answered. Meanwhile, other volunteers were eagerly preparing lunch in the stove and making a salad.

Afterwards, we altogether enjoyed the delicious ‘plov’ for lunch. Then we all headed for the mountains to play with children after a hot tea with cookies. Playing in the snow and skidding down the hill on nylon bags, rushing all around laughing, and feeling the collective joy made us all happy. We took lots of fun pictures with the children and didn’t realize how fast time past so we had to head back.

We came back to the AFLC (Alpine Fund Learning Centre) or dacha as we call it normally, for a hot tea with snacks and cleaned the dirty dishes, tidied inside the dacha and prepared to head back to the city. It was so lovely to hear children singing and telling jokes to each other as we were coming back from the trip. Another amazing part about the trip was to hear the children say “Thank You!” as we were saying “Bye!” to each other.

I will never regret joining this fun trip with wonderful children sacrificing my time, which I would have spent sitting at home readings books or just listening to music. Many thanks go to the US Embassy in Kyrgyzstan for sponsoring our trip with children to experience the wonders of life on earth. 

Marlis Esenakunov FLEX ‘02

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Time of sharing and warming hearts

by Dasha, Alpine Fund volunteer

During Russian Christmas most people have the day off in Kyrgyzstan, but not people working at the Belovodskoye Centre for disabled kids. The staff there works very hard everyday, including holidays and weekends. There is plenty of hard work to do: cooking, attending the kids, changing nappies, cleaning, etc.

When we arrived at the center’s gates, the few kids allowed to go recognized us and came running, while asking “Where is Marga?“ Where is Father Christmas?”  They remember us from our last visit during our Christmas actions to deliver presents (toys, clothes, food and clothing material) plus sweets and biscuits. And we were wearing Christmas costumes. This time I had no Snow Princess costume on; there were not many of us just Asel and I. We didn’t have many presents, or toys or big boxes. We had only sweets and some little presents for the staff, we decided to come to visit the kids, play with them and share a few smiles. The children that can walk and are allowed to be out were very happy, friendly and consider us their “very good and old friends” because even if we do not come here often normally no many people visit them regularly.

At that moment, lunch for the kids was getting ready and the kitchen was busy; some of the girls were helping out with the cooking and cleaning. Sveta and Damira helped us to inform all people working there that they should come and get their little presents. They work very hard here and this was our way to say thanks for taking care of the kids. We met the staff by groups because kids cannot be left alone.

They were surprised and grateful, they didn’t really expect to receive anything and were delighted with the little extra money they had now, it was a small amount but as they said, it would make a difference during the Christmas season considering their poor wages. When I see this people, I cannot express how grateful I am to them for doing such difficult work. “Did everyone got their present?” – we asked the girls. “Yes, everyone was here except cleaners, they are shy to come” - was their reply. We had to insist, the cleaners work very hard and we wanted to share our little presents with everyone that helps these kids. As many of the children are confined to bed due to their illnesses or cannot control themselves the cleaners have plenty to do here.

Once we finished meeting all the staff it was time for the kids to have lunch: bread and milk so our cookies and sweets came just on time. We got a few of the oldest girls to help us distributing things fairly to all the children. The girls came first and the boys afterwards. We offered little Aijan help to open her sweets but she said resolutely - “No thanks!  I can do it myself.” She has some problems with her hands but we are happy to see that she is a very independent girl. The boys are more active and cheeky trying to get one or two extra sweets. Lunchtime is over and we join the kids inside for plays and games the kids that cannot walk and others with different disabilities.

Inside we went to visit Volodya, our friend that lives in the part of the building for kids that cannot walk. This center is like a country and news spread very fast, even before entering everyone knows that we are here to visit Volodya.  Well, the truth is that we came to visit you all, not only Valodya - we tell them.

We sit and chat and play with them for a little while until the nurse comes and says is time for us to leave. Time flies and we feel a bit sad but before leaving we ask Volodya and others what they would like us to bring in our next visit. Books and school pencils is the answer. We say bye-bye See you again soon and the kids are already asking eagerly when we will be coming back again. We promise we will come soon to visit them all and will be bringing some books and color pencils. OK then good-bye - they say – but don’t forget the books next time.

We go home but already we are looking forward to our next visit to the kids here, to bring Volodya and the others books and art materials that will make their winter days more interesting. And of course, we should not forget to bring more sweets for Damira, Sveta and … all of them

Dasha

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“Running for their shoes” Fundraising Action

By Dasha and Spanish contributors

During the Christmas season we joined Alpine Fund staff and volunteers to deliver some humanitarian aid and presents to different centres outside Bishkek. It was a great experience; we met some remarkable people, children and youth making the best of very poor and challenging conditions.

We had fun and felt good but also realized the big needs of most of the people we encountered. It was so vast that it was difficult to think where to start. It was winter, temperatures were mostly below zero centigrade and one on the things these kids were lacking was appropriate shoes to cope with the harshness of the winter here. So here is our mission, to fundraise money so that we can buy shoes for the children of a couple of centres. That is how the idea "Running for Their Shoes" was born. We decided to make T-shirts for sale and organize a mini marathon in the Ganci airbase. It was a great success and all the people in the Spanish contingent bought a T-shirt.

We had to delay the actual running due to freezing temperatures but that week we went to the Dordoi market with Asel and Dasha and bought loads of shoes for the children the next day. Then we had the run, despite the cold temperatures, ice and snow we ran the several kilometres until reaching our finishing line. It was worth it knowing that kids would be warmer even if we were cold!

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More about visiting children and shopping in the markets

by Dasha

It was a very cold morning, but the Osh market is as crowded as usual despite early hours and freezing temperatures. A minibus full with people and boxes of humanitarian aid (food, closes, soap) arrive to the bus stop. We need to buy last minute things before departing to visit a couple of centers located at about one hour drive away from Bishkek, the Petrovska Children’s Home and Belovodskoye orphanage for disable kids.

Soon we got all the things we needed: yogurt, apples, fruits, sweets and cookies, material for making nappies and bed sheets. Now we are ready to depart! I gave some instructions to the driver, which at the end turn up to be incorrect and we start our trip, first stop: Petrovka. The road is icy, frozen, and slippery. We all look out of the windows. It’s so beautiful outside, all white, snowy and cold. We reach the place but took the wrong turn and have to come back. Nobody complain it is cold, we are almost lost but people, mainly from Spanish air Forces contingent based in Manas, are happy, laughing and joking.

I am also happy, I see a place I recognize and tell the driver “Yes, this is it, this is the place!” We announce our visit to the guard and in less than 2 minutes the director, staff and kiss are greeting us. As usually everything is very organized including the kids, forming in 2 lines in front of the two walls, to the right the big kids and to the left side the smaller ones. The director gives a short speech and soon we start playing with the kids and giving them sweets, cookies and soap also. It is funny to observe the kids here, they are so orderly, and obedient. Soon they are all forming in line, a long queue, waiting patiently to get their presents. Even the army guys were kind of shocked and envious, not even in their army lives are things so well organized! The older kids decided even to let the younger ones go first. We gave away everything and left boxes of clothing for the teacher to distribute according to the needs and size of each particular kid, they know better than us.

We took a group photo before leaving and the kids were very happy to see Pedro again, he has been here recently with Asel to bring shoes for the kids after organizing a small marathon “Run for their shoes” at the Ganci airbase.

And the kids are smart you know, after receiving some visits from the Spanish some kids have decide that they want to start studying the language so that they can communicate better with their new friends next time they visit.

Then we continue to Belavoskoye, I know this place quite well and got many friends here. I am happy to come because in our last visit we promise to bring some books and arts material for Valodya and other kids. We talked to the director; leave the fruit and yogurts in the kitchen. The fruits will be washed and given to the kids that due to diverse illness cannot leave their beds. It is siesta time in the center and most kids are taking a nap.

We visited the kids, some cannot speak, others cannot hear but all of them say - thank you - some how, with their hands, eyes, smiles… Gulnara is mute and deaf but she is very friendly and happy to see everyone. Pedro and Gulnara manage to communicate despite Pedro knowing just a few words of Russian and her inability to speak they understand each other, it seems like they communicate through their hearts. And this is the common language of the world. Our group of Spanish is great with the kids they interact and pay attention to every kid, never forgetting anyone. All get cookies and sweets plus caresses, smiles, tenderness and sometimes a few Russian words.

There are many rooms in this center, and may children, boys girls, small and big.

The older girls have the privilege of not having to take a nap after lunch so they use this time to prepare some present for the boys because very soon the whole country will be celebrating Man’s Day, which is on the 23^rd of February. The girls are busy sewing, gluing, cutting colored papers…

We move from the second floor to the first one, where Volodya is already waiting for us impatiently. I am so happy to see him again. He tells me life is going well and is delighted with the books we have brought for them. He tells us he will read all the stories for all his friends including the ones that cannot read but can listen. He also mentions that the center has a video player and a TV and wonders if next time we could bring some children movies for them to watch.

He also prepared a poem for us and we were told that they are already preparing for the Woman’s Day celebration coming up in March.  So by the looks of it there are plenty of celebrations coming up for the kids here. We are happy for them and once again leave from our visit with plenty of smiles and looking forward to the next time.

Desvidanya kids, see you soon!

That evening talking to Asel she came up with a very good idea, we will ask all our friends, colleagues, and everyone if they have any videos that they don’t use anymore so that next time we visit Valodya and company we can bring a few movies. And by the way, if anyone reading this has some videos and wants to donate them (after all we are now in the DVD era) please contact us via email on (info@alpinefund.org). very happy and we also!

Dasha

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About English lessons, finding your way, meeting new people and dogs -

by the kids from the Alpine Fund English class

Toktorbai kyzy Jamila (age 14)

The semester is almost over and soon our winter break will be over. I normally go to the Center for the Protection of Children at Kelechek and have my lunch there and after I come to my English classes with Alpine Fund.

This time we were supposed to meet at the crossroads of Chui and Sovietskaya at the Rubin store. I went there and my classmates were already waiting for me and for our teacher Aselya eje. So we arrived together and went to the apartment where we will be having our English lesson for a few weeks. There lives a very cute cat called Lolita.

The next day I was supposed to come to the same place, but I was in such a hurry that I missed the apartment. Well, rushing I just went into the wrong building door. I came out and a house down I saw my classmates, I was so happy to find them. They were all waiting for our teacher, for some reasons our teacher was late, or at least we thought that she was late, which was unusual in her. We waited and waited and decided that something was wrong. We went to another house and soon we discovered our teacher already looking for us! So, we all got it wrong that’s why we could not find it and it is difficult because all the buildings look the same in that place.

Our teacher said that today we would have a guest speaker. We were in the apartment waiting for him and getting ready and here comes a man with two huge dogs. He introduced himself, his name is Terry and his two dogs were Binka and Bobo. And right in the beginning we had almost an emergency situation Bobo’s right leg was bleeding.

We helped Terry to wash Bobo’s leg and put a bandage on the wound. These dogs are so smart and nice and I liked them a lot. We played with them for a while. While we were playing Aselya made a lunch and set up the table. She prepared fried potatoes and we also had cookies, candies and strawberry jam. So our lesson that day was eating and talking with Terry. He told us about his work, family and dogs and all the other things he does in his life. He used to work in Tajikistan, he got his dogs there. From the conversation I understood that he has 5 brothers and sisters. He has four brothers and one sister. The conversation was so interesting that we completely forgot about time it was already well after five and it was dark.

We said good-bye to Terry and Aselya eje and all together went home. It was interesting to talk to a foreigner and to speak in English with him. He could understand us, which makes me feel so good. I am glad that I am taking these classes. Alpine Fund I want to say “THANK YOU” very much.

Jamila

Yrysbek uulu Ulan (age 15)

So the New Year came and now it is the year 2005. We have a saying here, how you meet the New Year is how you will live that year. But I am afraid of it and do not want to spent my year sleeping, because I fall asleep before the New Year came in. It is strange because it is a year of Rooster but I do not hear this kuu-kaaa-reee-kuuu and every time I am late for my school. Maybe it is because I do not have chickens and roosters.

Before the New Year I have heard that Alpine Fund will move, I thought it will not exist anymore and I was so sad!!! I did not show it to other people but I was very sad. But they said that we are just moving offices and that everything will be fine and back to normal after the New Year. And it was true, after couple of days and nights we met again. We went to a new place there we were supposed to continue the English Classes. It was so interesting when the teacher said we are here, I saw the building it was a big one, we went in and I saw such a warm and nice apartment. There we had our lesson. But on the second day we missed almost half of the class because we confused the entrance. We were thinking that our teacher is late but what happened is that she was waiting for us and we were in the wrong door. Now everything is totally fine. This month we have learned the Progressive tense and how to ask all sorts of questions and how to answer them.

This month was also interesting because we had a guest speaker with his two dogs. He said that he is from the United States. His name is Terry and he is 39 years old. He has two dogs and he comes from a big family. He has four older brothers and younger sister. We used to work in Tajikistan, he worked for National Democratic Institute. He got his dogs in Tajikistan. Their names are Bobo and Binka.

Bobo wounded his led and was walking around with a bandage. Bobo is all black and Binka is also black but with light spots on her ear and face. We played with the dogs and then we had a lunch with Terry. He is a very smart person, he knows so many languages. We also told him about ourselves. I said that one day I will reach United States because this is my goal, my dream.

Thank you Alpine Fund for giving us a chance to study English and to meet such a great people and practice our English.

Best regards,

Ulan.

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Forgotten Children- by Lino

A few years ago, when we started working in Kyrgyzstan as part of the Spanish Air Forces detachment based at Manas airport, some of us decided to do also some social work in different centres. Then it was when we contacted for the first time Alpine Fund. Our intention was to distribute basic humanitarian aid to centres according to their needs. To arrange all this we had our spare time and our determination, we counted also with many friends and family from Zaragoza and from other parts of Spain. We had also Alpine Fund’s staff and volunteers, they always gave us their honest advice on how to help, directing our efforts so that we could make the maximum impact or at least know that that goods and all donations sent from Spain would reach the people and children that we intend and make a difference in their lives. The last 16th of February we visited Petrovka Children’s Home and another centre for kids with neurological disabilities to distribute some basic humanitarian aid: clothing and food. We also brought sweets and biscuits for the children; we wanted to share not only things with them but also our time and get to know a little the children object of our efforts.

Cooperating in these type of social activities is a good thing per se. Nevertheless, I should admit that I lacked direct experience to properly evaluate the impact of our actions. Here, I wanted to express everything from my own point of view. Reality, as often happens, surpassed my expectations. I could fill page after page talking about small and deep dramas but it will be better to concentrate on the impressions I got that day. I am still shocked by the crudeness of it all today, three days after our visit.

We arrived at the Petrovska Children’s Home after driving more than one hour over frozen white roads; there we found poor but clean facilities. The director and staff of the centre greeted us. Dasha, Alpine Fund’s volunteer since 2 years ago, was our translator and she introduced us while the children obediently came into the hall of the main building marching obediently in line.

After a little speech by the director we gave them all the boxes with clothing and food brought for them hoping that most of the things will reach the children. In any case it was encouraging to see the kids were wearing shoes that we gave them after the “Run for their shoes” fundraising marathon we organized in January. Afterwards some colleagues spend some times with the kids playing and sharing the sweets and biscuits while Oliver and I went into the kitchen with Dasha to translate for the cook some of the instruction for preparing the food (the labels were in Spanish). The premises were very basic but clean.

When we came back to the main hall, everyone was having fun and taking photos except a few kids that just observed us and looked like they have never laughed. I was wondering how the kids could be so happy considering our humble presents, a few cookies and sweets. What these children need is a proper diet, school materials, furniture and a healthy environment in which to live. I cannot imagine the bathroom, showers and heating system in a place where outside temperatures in winter can reach over –20C and an educational program that gives them the minimum useful knowledge.

They need the love and affection of parents they don’t have, they need newer and better buildings but despite of it all there they were laughing. And when we left we took with us their happiness and laughter.  The second stop in our day leaded us to the Belavodskaye centre for disabled children, on our way Dasha explained that due to the centre’s policy we will not be allowed to take photos. Later on I understood why, the main difference is that many of the children and adolescent living in this centre cannot look after themselves, many were always in their beds, unable to move without help.

We took also sweets and biscuits but what they seem to value the most of the physical contact, a caress, a smile. Sometimes it was hard to smile, there and then I felt like my soul was shrinking. I don’t know the medical terminology to tell you the problems and handicaps suffered by these kids. But I do know that in “our” first world we are means to help their social integration or to relieve the impact of some types of brain damage, Downs syndrome, tetraplegia, hydrocephaly, etc. When this happens to a kid, and to a in this circumstances, orphan, lacking resources and care the centre becomes their only asylum, a place where they cannot get out.  There are not enough resources; not enough beds or clothing; industrial washing machines are unheard of here. The smell is pungent when you enter the living areas of the centre. There you find plenty of kids, receiving you with smiles, complicity, games after all they are kids and happy to share some moments with new people.

Sometimes when we were giving them the biscuits they would grab our hands and put them on their heads as if they wanted to be touched, caressed and loved. Surely with medical attention some could have normal lives, others could improve their life expectancy and the quality of life they have at the moment. And above all, implementing the proper educational programs could guarantee helping these children to integrate into a society that at the moment forgets they exist.

The workers at the centre try their best but they have many limitations. More than once I have to stop my tears after leaving a dorm with 15 or more kids seemingly forgotten by God. In the next hallway it was impossible not to smile when hearing the happy greetings “Priviet” (Hello in Russian) from the bedridden kids, they find little excuses to be happy. That was my big lesson there, we should learn from these kids that have very little and manage to smile.

We left this centre in pensive mood, impressed by Irina’s look, the little one, eating her biscuit slowly while laughing at the tickles from one of us. We left this centre with the determination that we are not alone, and without each others help we will never manage to make this world a better place.

Lino

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The Alpine Fund depends on the support of individuals and small grants, if you can help us in any way your support is needed and appreciated - Thanks!

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