Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) alumni in Dushanbe, Tajikistan were inspired to throw a New Year's party for 319 remarkable children at the Hissor School for Children with Disabilities. The alumni first met the children last fall, when they volunteered to teach English at the school, a large facility for disabled children in the Dushanbe area. With the New Year fast approaching, they were determined to make the children's holiday special!
The FLEX alumni community wanted a real celebration, complete with gifts, decorations, and sweets; to do so, they needed to raise about 14,390 somoni ($3,000 USD). Fundraising pros Sino Usmonov '11 and Kholmati Kholik '09 set the strategy in motion: they approached senior FLEX alumni, partners, and friends across the globe.
First, they cooperated with the owner of a Dushanbe movie theater who agreed to contribute to their cause if they were able to fill a theater for a showing of The Hobbit. Sino Usmonov '11 achieved this by asking 20 FLEX alumni to each sell five tickets to friends, family, and neighbors. In all, they invited 300 people! A charity party at the American Councils office, with an entrance fee of 10 or 15 somoni ($2-3 USD), allowed alumni and friends to celebrate for the good cause as well.
With the FLEX alumni flexing their social media and networking skills, contributions started to roll in from friends far and near. Kholmat Kholik '09 reached out to a friend from Norway, who, in record time, raised 4,796 somoni ($1,000 USD) to support the project by selling used DVDs, books, and hand-made knitted items. Within two weeks, the group raised the equivalent of $2,500 USD.
Their next task was to figure out what gifts would be most appreciated by the kids. By talking with staff and children, they learned that not enough children had enough warm clothes. With no time to lose, on the eve of the party, a volunteer team headed out to the Korvon market to shop for presents! They purchased 319 sweaters, hats, scarves, and gloves for the children. They also brought bright flashlights that attach to the walls because electricity is shut off at night in places outside of Dushanbe; these flashlights would light the corridors so children could safely move around and even do homework in the evening. Alumni were inspired to see that so many businesses gave them big discounts when they learned about the project. After the group returned to the office with bundles of gifts, more volunteers sorted and wrapped the presents.
On December 29, 2013, 16 FLEX alumni and four volunteers brought the party to the Hissor School. US Embassy representative Zachary Barter helped by providing a car to transport the bundles of gifts. Alumni also performed a concert for the kids, followed by dancing, games, and of course gifts!
Since this memorable evening, FLEX alumni haved maintained their commitment to the Hissor orphanage throughout 2014 and into 2015 by teaching ongoing weekly English classes every Saturday throughout the school year. Since fall 2014, they have also been joined by American volunteers currently studying Persian on the Eurasia Regional Languages Program, which has given students at the orphanage a special opportunity to learn English from native speakers. Alumni also continued to raise money for the orphanage through community outreach, as well as charity parties for Navruz, Halloween and New Year's, and they plan to increase assistance to the orphanage in 2015.