Tajikistan travels

Two for the price of one!

The last two days for group 2 (Jema, Ali, Emily, Alasdair, Jo, Ruth, Hannah and Lucy) have been amazing - so much so that we're going to have to try and fit both of them into this one blog entry. Yesterday we spent the day with 'Rights and Prosperity', an advocacy NGO that campaigns for the rights of orphans in Tajikistan. They work both to improve the legislation as it's written, and to ensure that what is written is actually put into practice by the relevant bodies.

We spent the afternoon visiting two orphanages a little way outside of Dushanbe, and it was clear from these visits just how important the work R&P does is in ensuring the children we met have the chance to live up to their potential. Emily and I (Ali) chatted with a 13 year old boy who was disabled from the waist downwards. He had lived in the orphanage for the last three years and his eyes lit up with hope and contentment despite what we were initially expecting. Half way through the chat he dragged himself down the corridor to find his sketch books, embroidery and examples of his dressmaking skills...turns out he has many talents and a lot of potential. Things were tainted however by the fact that his future is not so sure. Unless laws are asserted, his opportunities when he reaches 18 may be more limited than he realises. The orphanage was basic, but the obvious commitment and love of the staff really shone through. The future may be unclear, but if the staff of both the orphanages and R&P are anything to go by, there's a lot to be hopeful about.

Editors note: you can read a moving story about a visit to another orphanage earlier this year in 'The Inside Truth' . A personal account of the internat visits can be found in 'Cold, Still, and Empty'

Today we went to see our last Christian Aid partner, RAN, an NGO working with those who are particularly vulnerable to HIV in Tajikistan; mainly injecting drug users and sex workers. As with yesterday, we had the opportunity to meet some of the beneficiaries face to face, and hear some of their incredibly moving stories. The stories are all too complex to do justice to here, but one thing that really struck me (Jema) was the incredible attitude of the staff there. Everyone who goes there is treated completely as an equal human being, no matter what their situation or their past - it was the most non-judgemental place I can imagine, and the atmosphere there really did feel like that of a family. It had got dark by the time Lucy was able to drag us all away, we were so engrossed in the conversation!

On the way home, Alasdair and Ruth filled the rest of us in on their conversation with the director of RAN, who had been talking about the problems the organisation faces from various sectors of society because of its work. For bureaucratic reasons, methadone is unavailable in Tajikistan as a way of helping people get off heroin, which makes any rehabilitation work much harder. Despite this and other problems, we left knowing this was an incredibly special organisation and we were very privileged to have been able to spend time with them.

HIV education at the market

After an early 6am start and a two hour journey behind us, group 1 (Alan, Oby, Joanna, Charlotte, Rachel, Laura, Lydia, Jonny and Nicola) arrived at Ghamkhori, one of Christian Aid's partners, situated in the south of the country.  Ghamkhori has 9 projects in 6 districts in the region.  They run women's centres and go into schools teaching young people about Malaria, drug addiction, HIV and AIDS, water transmitted diseases and reproductive health.

Editors note: You can read more about the journey in 'The Road to Kurgan Teppa'.  The work of the womens centre in particular is told in 'Thankyou for coming here to hear the story of my heart'.

We arrived at the women's centre in the Vakhsh district to be greeted by a line of teenage boys on either side of the corridor, hands to their hearts in traditional Tajik greeting.  These teenage boys are all street kids who work on the market as porters.  They were in the middle of a lesson being taught by a Ghamkhori teacher.  These lessons cover issues such as reproductive health, HIV, STDs and water and air born diseases.  The boys act as peer educators, gathering other market boys and teaching them what they've learnt at the centre. 

Farrukh Khabibullo, 16, sporting a bright blue baseball cap and a tee-shirt with the HIV ribbon logo, wears his uniform with pride.  Although he receives a few somanis for his work, his motivation shines from within as he speaks.  The ambition we saw in Farrukh is common to all the young people we met who are involved with Ghamkhori.  He said that his friends from the market think it's a noble thing for him to do. 

When asked what was the best thing about coming to the centre, Farrukh's face lit up.

"It's definitely a change of mind because I come from the market.  I didn't know about HIV but now I am aware... I am very happy that I became educated.  I am thankful to this centre."

We asked Farrukh about his future dreams and like so many young Tajiks, his dreams are generous,

"I would like Tajikistan to become better developed and people to be aware of diseases like HIV and AIDS."

Neki = Kindness

"Life is short and we have to do something good with it".

These are the words of wisdom from Rumanov Sadiq, the Director of the Neki Centre. Mr Sadiq is dedicated to transforming society's attitudes to disabled children and also to eradicating the stigma attached to disability within the Tajikistan community.

Editors note: You can read more on the work of Neki from the original Tajikistan five in 'Heaven Must be Missing an Angel'. Stories from two of the families Neki serve can be found in 'Diminishing Horizons' and  'At The End of the Road'.

Through home visits and the Neki Centre, food, day care, health care and educational facilities are provided for families with disabled children. The centre also holds seminars which aim to re-educate and train individuals on issues to do with disability.

As we (Nicola, Oby, Jonny,Joanna, Rachel, Charlotte, Lydia & Laura) meet the children transformed by this centre, I am amazed by their energy, especially when I am informed that just two years ago, these children would often be found sitting in a corner silent and emotionless.

I am particularly impressed by the progress of two  members of the Mavijud family, Safarmu and Saed. Safarmu (17 years old), shows us the hats and dress that she has made. Her dream is to one day open a factory where she can make dresses. Saed (16 years) shows us a model of a van that he is currently working on. The detail is impeccable, it looks so professionally made. I fall in love with it immediately and would love to take it home( I'm sure that my nephews would love one too!), but it's still a 'work in progress' and has so far taken him a month to construct.

Without the kindness, dedication and altruism of Rumanov Sadiq and numerous volunteers who work at the Neki Centre, these children would not have discovered the talents they harbour, nor would they be able to hold such high aspirations for their futures. This is just one of the projects that Neki hopes to develop. Sadiq wants to acquire more resources (floor space, raw materials for dress making, handicrafts, cooking etc), in order to provide these children with a means of achieving their dreams.

Neki bimonaol joviolon - translation "Kindness will live for ever!"

Hmmm...!

Wow, what an interesting day!  I (Emily) am not quite sure where to begin so we'll start with the 5.30am rise and internal flight at 8am north to Khudjand.  Thankfully, despite the age of the tiny aircraft, we arrived safely at our destination, exhausted but relieved at our survival.

Today, Group 2 were designated to visit YGPE (Youth Group for the Protection of the Environment) to learn about their ecological work.  However, after a morning of interviews, I think the real education began.  Following a group debate about the serious sewage problems in Tajikistan, we were whisked off to the Mayor's office in order to be grilled about the work of Christian Aid and encouraged to support the plight of a Tajik arm wrestler soon to compete in Manchester.

Next, our group were escorted to the town hall where a concert ensued.  We later found out it was to celebrate a week-long ecological focus in which films and seminars had been taking place.  Thrown back fifty years, we experienced traditional dancing, cheesy-pop and a large dose of patriotism.

After dancing with the Mayor's band of merry men (some more merry than others), we were ushered to his house in a nearby suburb.  Bizarre!  Beyond the sepia-coloured heavy wall-papered corridor lay a long room, in the centre of which awaited our supper. The supper of doom (the culprit of an interrupted night's sleep for a number of the group!).

It soon became clear during this meal that our agenda was not shared with the Mayor.  However, on the bright side he did laud the work with and of young people on the ecological front and fully supported YGPE in all it does.  As was evident from the morning interviews, the Mayor had good reason to be proud because the passion and enthusiasm of the young people we spoke with really was tangible. 

One boy Ali and I interviewed said that YGPE had 'opened his eyes' to the damage being done to the world and although he was only 13 years of age, had committed himself to educating others about the importance of recycling, saving power and keeping the streets clean.  Hopefully we will be able to evoke the same enthusiasm in young people on our return to the UK.

Finally, after this tiring but somewhat unique day, the group of us piled into the minibus and headed for 'home'. I think it is safe to say that all of us were very much looking forward to being near our beds and a flushing toilet!

EID

Today was Eid the day of celebration that marks the end of the month long fast called Ramadam. We were invited with exceptional warmth and hospitality into three local houses with an overwhelming, mouth watering array of cullinary delights. We were informed we must eat at every house at to not cause offence.....we prepared ourselves for a day of veritable feasting! As we entered the rooms we were confronted with large floral patterned rugs surrounded by long cushions where we sat, legs folded and then gave thanks.Thanks consisted of an arabic paryer followed by the raising of hands and the passing of the hands over the face.  At the first house the men and woman went into seperate rooms and the men had a highly pensive conversation about the police in England and Tajikistan. The differences are innumerable!

On the rugs lay halvo which is breadcrumbs,oil and sugar, chagal dak which is onion pastry, Bugursock which are dough balls, Orzuk which is cheesy pastry, sambusa which is pie with meat, turtle cake which is gooey chocolate sponge. As well as beef and onion pasties...the onions are so crisp and succulent a reflection of produce being grown so locally.., raisons, nuts, coconut balls, Tajik Rafallo which is cookie.

They also have a type of fruit called persiman which has a vivacious fresh cinnaman taste.

The food is left there for three days and people visit continually. During this time there was a wonderful sense of community and sharing.... embracing neighbours, friends,families and total strangers.

NVC - a lifeline

On Monday group two went to spend the day with NVC, an NGO which works with pensioners in Dushanbe. The morning was spent talking to the volunteers at the charity, and then in the afternoon we went to visit two of the elderly ladies NVC is helping in their own homes. The first experience was especially heart-rending; every single one of us was in tears at some point, even our translator. And while the second lady, Claudia, seemed to be in better spirits, it was still clear that no-one should have to live the way she does.

One thing which really struck us was both old ladies' amazing warmth and kindness, directed as it was to a large group of foreigners invading their houses and asking lots of difficult questions. The first old lady, Nina, was very upset that she was unable to offer us tea as she would once have done. Whenever there was a pause in the conversation with Claudia, she filled it by blessing us and wishing us every happiness. They were both so very gracious, and I think we all found it quite humbling to see both dignity and humour in the face of such difficult conditions.

Clearly both suffer from not only poverty, but also the loneliness that seems to be such a frequent feature of old age all over the world. When I asked Nina if she could tell us about a better time in her life, she told us details about her life in Moscow that  she hadn't remembered in a long time. It's nice to think that we were welcome company for them both, but also hard to accept their gratitude at our visit when we knew we were going to walk away in a few minutes and never see them again.

It is abundantly clear that the work NVC does is vitally important to them both. It's very simple - volunteers go in to help cook and look after them, and also provide them with help in making sure they get as much of the meagre state pension as possible - in Nina's case, approximately eight pounds a month. Yet this is what they depend upon to keep them going - as Claudia said: 'to make me happy all I need is some lunch and a sleep'.

So many cakes, so little time!

Group 1 spent two days with the Youth Eco-center in Dushanbe.  YEC recognises the potential role of women and young people in decision-making and works to build civil society through environmental education programmes.  The organisation is working to develop a culture of volunteering in Tajikistan and already 1,200 young people participate in their projects which range from debating clubs, summer camps, community based projects and seminar sessions.  We met members of one of the TYDEC debating clubs in Dushanbe and heard a presentation about the clubs from the project’s co-ordinator 19-year-old Ruso.  The clubs were established to give young people the opportunity to develop their critical thinking and conflict resolution skills and encourage their participation in wider decision making processes.  At the end of each debate on issues that relate to government policy a summary document is sent to the Ministry for Youth and any government department it is relevant to.  They also organise debating conferences for groups from all over Tajikistan to which they invite the mass media and observers from government.  We were amazed at the participants' passion, enthusiasm and drive for bringing change to their country, especially compared to the apathy amongst many young people in the UK. 

The people were so welcoming and made us feel really at home – even inviting us to the cinema (we’re going later in the week!). This welcoming attitude, that is in such contrast to the UK, was demonstrated when we went out into the countryside to visit a project that YEC works with.  After a brief meeting with the group leader – a very strong, passionate woman – we were treated to a table full of cakes, sweets and fruit but, painfully, only a few minutes to try them!

A Zumrad Adventure

The crisp autumn sunlight that greeted us today on our first morning was reminicent of a cool and sunny September day. From a cocktail of meats, salads and pastries (our first breakfast at Hotel Tajikistan), my sub-group of GAPPERS (headed up by Lucy and including Jema, Jo M, Emily, Alistair, Hannah, Ruth and me (Ali)) set off for the office of Christian Aid's partner organisation Zumrad based in Dushanbe.

Getting out of our minibus, I noticed a rusty crane leering over the Zumrad buildings ominously with its operator leaning out of its open front - a sudden reminder that despite the surprisingly leafy streets of the city, I was far removed from England.

We were greeted warmly and ushered quicly into a dark room thick with flies. I'd glimpsed a medley of Tajik faces as we had come in...humble eyes of blues, greens, black or chocolate hues, gold teeth...shy, excited, gentle, earnest...

As I balanced on a creaking chair in this office room I had my first experience of communication through translation (I'm still not sure who to look at!). With an excited impatience we introduced ourselves and heard from Margarete, co-founder of Zumrad. This organisation offers disadvantaged young people and children training and social opportunities such as sewing or summer activity camps up in the Tajik mountains. Suddenly proceedings were interupted by platefuls of fruit, biscuits and chocolates (already we've realised that displays of hospitality like this are the norm here).

Later on Emily and I chatted to Sayohat, 19, a young woman learning to sew here at the centre. She hopes these new skills will one day lead to a career in fashion design. Somehow I felt simultaneously disappointed and hopeful for her.

The group of us are treated like celebritites (as if!), which makes me feel uncomfortable and humbled.

The highlight of the day for me was the afternoon when we visit a Zumrad club based in the countryside. We emerged from the club buildings into floods of late afternoon orange sun. In the far distance the rocky mountains of Tajikistan looked like the ripples of sand dunes, but in the near distance the land was flat and barren. To the delight of the flocks of Tajik teenagers, I found myself on a zipwire from the upper rooms of the building down to the group. The language barrier seems to have given me an unrealised boldness. I'd been quite literally roped into the mountain rescue skills demonstration the Zumrad young people had been impressing us with!

My yawning exaustion didn't lift after this unexpected adrenaline rush, and I regrettably dozed through our evening of beautiful Tajik music (or maybe I was hypnotised by the Arabian lullabies...?) while some of the others in the group made a brave attempt at traditional Tajik dancing! 

We made it!

We made it! The first day and our first blog.  After two safe and food-filled (plus complimentary booze) flights, we finally arrived in Dushanbe airport at 3.30am Friday morning.  That was the easy part...then came the wait!  Amanda warned us that it could take up to two hours to be legally admitted into the country.  However, we almost broke the record with a 3 hour forty-five minute preamble (the record is 4 hours) before eventually passing all necessary checks. The time was filled by watching the one airport official filling out what seemed like hundreds of little bits of paper to allow us to eventually get a visa stamped in our passports (although the visas themselves are very pretty!) and watching to make sure our bags didn't mysteriously disappear off the carousel.
Dawn had already broken by the time we were able to drive to our hotel, so if any of us had been awake enough to appreciate it we had a lovely sunrise to admire as we took our first look at Dushanbe.  The hotel itself is a lot better than some of us were anticipating, including en suites, fridges, tvs and even dressing gowns.  After a breakfast of rice, sausage and breads we all collapsed into bed for a few hours, before visiting the ACT Central Asia office to meet our guides Jannat and Zarina.  Both made us feel very welcome, in their virtually perfect English, and gave us an exciting preview of what's coming up for us in the next two weeks.

So to all our loved ones, we are here safe and well, and evidently in very good hands.  Watch this space.....

We're here!

We arrived in Dushanbe airport at 3.30 in the morning.

After a few hours waiting for visas in a concrete room that bore a striking resemblance to a cell but with officials who were very friendly and easy-going (and who wore winkle-pickers), we finally stepped onto Tajik soil - or rather, pot-holed concrete.

So, this entry is really just to say 'We're here' and to ask you to check the blog later tonight when we should have our first proper entry about arriving here and first impressions.

We look forward to sharing this experience with you over the next couple of weeks.