WE ARE NOT FORGOTTEN!
COLORADANS BAND TOGETHER TO HELP STARVING THOUSANDS IN TAJIKISTAN
Sister City Demonstrates True Meaning of "Family" with Relief Effort
for Tajik Victims of Worst Winter in Memory
BOULDER, CO - February 28, 2008 - The citizenry of Boulder, Colorado
and surrounding areas are taking part in a massive relief effort to
help get food to Tajikistan, where the harshest winter in memory has
sapped energy resources and caused food shortages so severe that the
U.N. has declared that as many as 250,000 Tajik residents are in need
of "immediate food aid."
Boulder shares a unique bond with Tajikistan: the capital of
Tajikistan, Dushanbe, is Boulder's sister city. That in itself may
not be so unusual, but how many sister cities can boast an iconic tea
house, hand-crafted and shipped piece by piece across oceans and
miles, to be reassembled and become one of the city's most beloved
fixtures?
That tea house is the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, which was built by
hand in Tajikistan over the course of two years, and then shipped to
Boulder, as a gift from the people of Dushanbe to their sister city,
in 1990. Since its arrival, re-assembly, and opening, the Boulder
Dushanbe Teahouse has become one of the best-loved spots in all of
Boulder. And with good reason - the handiwork of the Tajiki
craftsman and artisans is truly something to behold, and the tea
house is a gift beyond compare.
In exchange, Boulder is constructing a cyber cafe for Dushanbe. The
cafe will be a model of many different green construction techniques,
giving Dushanbe not only a cyber cafe, but a living model of new
energy-saving construction techniques.
But right now the people of Dushanbe need something much more
immediate. Something much more urgent.
"Now it's time for the citizens of Boulder to repay the kindness, and
come to the aid of their generous Tajiki friends," explains Anne P.
Mitchell, organizer of Boulder Dushanbe Relief (http://
www.DushanbeRelief.org/). "Tajikistan is suffering what has been
referred to as 'the worst winter in living memory'. The power plants
there are barely generating enough power to provide heat for a few
hours a day - the rest of the day and night there is no heat; people
are freezing to death. And they have no food."
The Boulder Dushanbe Relief effort, which is working with the United
Nation's World Food Programme, is a joint relief effort coordinated
by Mitchell, and supported by the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, the
Boulder Dushanbe Sister City organization, and Mitchell's own
organization, ISIPP. Boulder Dushanbe Relief will be coordinating a
series of fund raising drives and events over the course of the next
three weeks, including dinners, silent auctions, and a reception for
a visiting delegation from Dushanbe, and culminating with the annual
Navruz Festival at the teahouse on Sunday, March 16th. The funds
raised will be used by the U.N.'s World Food Programme to put food
directly in the hands of the people of Tajikistan.
Explains Lenny Martinelli, proprietor of the Boulder Dushanbe
Teahouse, "I have been in the unique position to see on a daily basis
what the gift of the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse has meant to the
people of Boulder. To be able to now in some small way return the
favor to the people of Dushanbe in their time of need is not only the
right thing to do - it's a privilege."
"Our thoughts and hearts go out to the people of Dushanbe and
Tajikistan during their time of need. Through our sister city ties
we have learned that Tajiks are among the most generous and
hospitable people in the world. We can follow their example now,"
said Sophia Stoller, a member of the board of the Boulder Dushanbe
Sister City organization. "To be able to help our sister city of
Dushanbe in such an immediate and tangible way when they desperately
need it is exactly what the sister city relationship is,
fundamentally, all about, and we are thrilled to be able to help to
facilitate this effort," added Stoller.
In addition to the various fund raising events and activities that
the Boulder Dushanbe Relief effort is organizing, corporate and
individual donations can be made through the Boulder Dushanbe Relief
website at http://www.DushanbeRelief.org/. The website also offers a
schedule of events and activities.
"I have to believe that if the people of Boulder knew what the people
of Dushanbe were going through right now, they would open their
hearts, and their wallets," said Mitchell.
For more information, or to donate to Boulder Dushanbe Relief, see
http://www.DushanbeRelief.com, or send email to dushanbe@isipp.com.
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About Boulder Dushanbe Relief
Boulder Dushanbe Relief is the cooperative effort between the Boulder
Dushanbe Teahous (http://www.boulderteahouse.com/) the Boulder
Dushanbe Sister City organization (http://www.boulder-dushanbe.org/),
and the Institute for Spam and Internet Public Policy (http://
www.isipp.com/). Created in response to the dire situation in
Tajikistan, the Boulder Dushanbe Relief effort is working directly
with the United Nation's World Food Program to get food to the people
of Tajikistan. For more information see http://www.DushanbeRelief.org
Until Next time, God Bless!
