The You are Not Alone Foundation is a charitable organization founded and backed by Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva to provide comprehensive help and support to orphaned children and orphanages in Uzbekistan.
Contents
- National Centre for the Social Adaptation of Children
- Educational Centre
- Assistance in Healthcare
- References
The charity was founded in 2002 and one of its top priority tasks is to create conditions close to the home environment in Uzbekistan’s orphanages. To this end, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva’s Foundation has financed the renovation and refurbishment of a number of orphanages and institutions for people with special needs in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, in Tashkent Region and the city of Samarkand. From 2010 to 2014 the Foundation has carried out renovation and refurbishment work in:
The Foundation has equipped these charitable institutions with modern furniture and state-of-the-art facilities, thanks to which the children can live and study in comfort.
In 2011, the Kibray orphanage for children with severe learning disabilities was fully equipped with new furniture and other necessities. From 2013 to 2015, the Foundation has overseen major relocation projects for Tashkent Mercy Home No. 23 and Samarkand Mercy Home No. 6, thanks to which these two orphanages now enjoy brand new premises built and furnished by the “You are not Alone” Foundation.
At present, about 2,200 children are brought up in Uzbekistan’s Mercy Homes (orphanages). An important area of the charity’s work is to provide them with books, text books, equipment, school supplies, computers and children’s clothing.
National Centre for the Social Adaptation of Children
The You are Not Alone Foundation works in close partnership with the National Centre for the Social Adaptation of Children, a charitable organization founded by Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva in 2004 to provide children with disabilities with assistance in the areas of diagnosis, orthopaedic and neurological treatment, speech therapy and education. The Centre’s specialists, including special educators, speech pathologists, psychologists, child neurologists, therapeutic exercise specialists, masseurs, sign language specialists, art therapists work together to develop individual assistance programmes for every child with disabilities and signs of stunted growth who comes to the centre. The charity is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for the functional recovery of children suffering from musculo-sceletal disorders. Locomat treadmills, Solosptep physical therapy devices, and standing frames all increase the efficiency of the treatment provided. The centre also provides psychological and financial assistance to children with disabilities and their families, with special focus on supporting women marginalised and victimised by their husbands and families due to the condition of their children. One of the charity’s priority tasks is to expand the work of the Centre for Children’s Social Adaptation into Uzbekistan’s regions. Regional branches are already up and running in Ferghana and Samarkand regions. Both charitable organisations – the You are Not Alone Foundation and the Centre for Children’s Social Adaptation - provide funding for the treatment of children from orphanages and low-income families, including surgery grants for children with serious medical conditions. The operations are performed by Uzbek and foreign specialists both inside Uzbekistan as well as in clinics of Europe, Japan, India and Israel.{{http://lolakarimova.com/en/practical_services_i}}
Educational Centre
The promotion of better education and learning environment at Uzbekistan’s Mercy Homes (orphanages) is a top priority area of the charity’s work. In partnership with the National Centre for the Social Adaptation of Children (NCSAC), the “You are Not Alone” charitable foundation provides medical, educational and financial assistance to disabled children, children from disadvantaged families, gifted children who have insufficient opportunities for development. In 2003 the charity founded the Educational Centre where children from mercy homes, low-income families and children with disabilities can attend classes in math, chemistry, IT, English, history, literature, history, choreography, singing, drama and painting. Specialists at the Educational Centre play an important part in the children’s development. Often taking on a parental role, they encourage the children, motivating them towards higher academic standards, better overall behaviour and regular attendance by taking a caring interest in their day-to-day progress and helping them develop a positive attitude towards schooling. Since the Educational Centre was founded in 2004, over 240 of its pupils have gone on to study at universities in Uzbekistan.
Assistance in Healthcare
In 2012 the You are Not Alone Foundation financed the major reconstruction of the National Centre for the Social Adaptation of Children (a charitable organization which provides children with disabilities with assistance in the areas of diagnosis, orthopaedic and neurological treatment, speech therapy and education), providing it with state-of-the-art facilities for the functional recovery of children with musculoskeletal disorders. In 2011 the Foundation provided the newly-opened units of perinatal and neonatal surgery of the State Perinatal Centre in Tashkent with advanced, state-of-the-art medical equipment. In 2013 the Foundation renovated and refurbished four operating theatres of the National Specialized Centre of Surgery in Tashkent, providing them with the state-of-the-art medical equipment, which make it possible to perform the most complex cardiac surgeries.