TRANSPORTATION AID PROVIDES CRITICAL LIFELINE TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000748 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA, DRL, AND EUR/ACE EUR/ACE FOR GERALD OBERNDORFER, JOHN POST, AND NICOLE SHANK E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/27/2018 TAGS: PHUM EAID PGOV PREL SOCI UZ SUBJECT: TRANSPORTATION AID PROVIDES CRITICAL LIFELINE TO UZBEK NGOS REF: 07 TASHKENT 328 Classified By: POLOFF R. FITZMAURICE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Summary: Humanitarian supplies delivered through transportation programs funded by the Office of the Coordinator for U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia (EUR/ACE) continue to fulfill critical needs of NGOs and other institutions in Uzbekistan that serve many of the country's most vulnerable populations. Despite difficult political conditions, a local representative of U.S. NGO Counterpart International's (CI) Community and Humanitarian Assistance Program (CHAP) continues to coordinate and oversee the receipt and distribution of Department of Defense excess materials and humanitarian supplies donated by U.S. non-profit and for-profit entities which are transported to Uzbekistan with EUR/ACE funding. The local representative also monitors State Department-funded Small Reconstruction Projects (SRPs) at CHAP end-user institutions and oversees delivery of U.S.-donated humanitarian supplies transported under EUR/ACE's Small and Medium Transportation Program (SMTP). Recent budget cuts and a rise in fuel costs have led to a temporary suspension of humanitarian shipments for the remained of FY08, making recipient organizations' jobs even harder in an already difficult operational environment. Continued funding and resumption of these programs is especially important in Uzbekistan, where they provide not only a critical lifeline to recipient organizations but also a rare opportunity for people-to-people diplomacy. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Poloff accompanied Nicole Shank, a visiting EUR/ACE Humanitarian Program Officer and a Counterpart International (CI) representative, on a June 9 visit to the New Hope Rehabilitation Foundation (NHRF),an Irvine, California-based NGO with a branch office in Tashkent that provides medical assistance to amputees and orthopedic patients and receives humanitarian medical supplies via SMTP shipments. Poloff also accompanied them on a June 11 visit to the Ghazalkent Town Boarding School for Mentally Disabled Children, a CHAP end-user and beneficiary of a State Department-funded SRP that renovated an indoor bathroom previously in deplorable condition. Local Representative Keeps Humanitarian Aid Programs Afloat -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Counterpart International's (CI) local representative, Kamol Khusainov, said that his registration as a private entrepreneur rather than an NGO - done after the government closed CI's operations in Uzbekistan in June 2006 - continues to work well as he coordinates and oversees CHAP, SRP, and SMTP operations in Uzbekistan (reftel). Wary of GOU authorities associating him with State Department activities or the U.S. Embassy, he noted that he maintains a low profile while overseeing program operations to avoid attracting unwanted attention. (Note: Khusainov's firm operates out of an unmarked apartment in downtown Tashkent. To date, there have been no problems with government authorities. End note.) SMTP Provides Lifeline to Prosthetics Clinic -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Dr. Ronald D. Hong, President of the New Hope Rehabilitation Foundation (NHRF),informed poloff that all of NHRF's prosthetic supplies come from U.S. donors via SMTP container shipments (Note: Dr. Hong is the organization's only full-time physician, although another doctor assists NHRF on an irregular basis. All told, NHRF has a staff of about 20, including nurses, administrative assistants, and a team of technicians who construct prosthetics in a workshop on the premises. End note.) Dr. Hong said that SMTP shipments deliver second-hand artificial limbs and other orthopedic devices that NHRF refashions and customizes for its patients. He said that NHRF receives no significant prosthetic or medical supplies from any other sources. ¶5. (SBU) Dr. Hong noted that demand for NHRF's amputee and orthopedic medical services is rising, while supplies of artificial limbs and medical goods and equipment are falling. He said that car wrecks caused many patients' injuries; others lost limbs after contracting gangrene or while serving with the Soviet army in Afghanistan. NHRF also treats patients with scoliosis and other non-amputee orthopedic conditions. During the visit, poloff met with a number of amputees undergoing physical therapy at NHRF, and all expressed gratitude for the U.S.-donated prosthetics and praised Dr. Hong's work. ¶6. (SBU) Dr. Hong told poloff that NHRF received four 40-foot containers filled with prosthetic and other medical supplies through SMTP in 2007. He said that he had thought SMTP had been cancelled since NHRF stopped receiving shipments in December 2007 (Note: A shortage of SMTP funds--caused in part by rising transportation costs--has led to a temporary cessation of SMTP shipments until FY09. End note.) Dr. Hong said he was happy to hear that SMTP shipments might resume later this year. "We depend heavily on your help," he said. "Without these shipments, we could not continue our operations." State Department Grants Greatly Assist CHAP End-Users -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) During the June 11 visit, the Director of the Ghazalkent Town Boarding School for Mentally Disabled Children (School No. 125),Ms. Tursonoy Kazakova, told Poloff that they had just completed the State Department-funded SRP renovation of the school's indoor bathrooms. Ms. Kazakova said that the school has received CHAP-transported humanitarian supplies for five years, including clothing, footwear, and school and hygiene kits. She showed poloff photographs depicting the deplorable state of the bathrooms before renovation and noted that prior to renovation, students were often forced to use the school's outdoor bathrooms during winter. She said that the SRP renovations -- which included separate toilet facilities for boys and girls as well as a hot water heater for washing -- would greatly improve hygienic conditions at the school. Ms. Kazakova also gave a tour of the school's dilapidated kitchen and requested assistance with renovation and acquisition of new stoves and other kitchen equipment (Note: The government fully funds the school's annual operational budget but provides no assistance with renovations since other schools are in even worse shape. Ms. Kazakova said that she hopes her school will qualify for government renovation funds by 2010. The school serves 155 mentally handicapped children aged seven to sixteen, drawn from a number of different administrative districts. End note.) ¶8. (C) Ms. Kazakova was happy to have her photograph taken in front of the completed SRP renovations with a Department of State banner but noted -- jokingly but with serious intent -- that the photo should not be shown to President Karimov (Comment: Ms. Kazakova herself is a former government official, having recently served as deputy head of the Hokimyat, or local administration. Although Ms. Kazakova's comment demonstrates a continued sensitivity to working closely with the U.S. Government, further improvements in the bilateral relationship could make a formal dedication ceremony possible when the school resumes classes in September. End comment.) ¶9. (SBU) Ms. Shank informed poloff of the success of two other recent Small Reconstruction Projects (SRPs) in Uzbekistan. One SRP provided the Ganjirovon and Tulaboy Village Polyclinic in Kokand with running water and roof repairs. She said that the project greatly improved the clinic's hygienic conditions, and she noted that the running water finally allowed the clinic to use a water purifier and a blood and urine analyzer received several years ago from USAID. Shank noted that the clinic serves a community of about 7,000 people. ¶10. (SBU) SRP funds also were used to renovate a shelter building at the Umid Interregional Rehabilitation Center in Samarkand, which provides refuge and assistance to female victims of domestic violence or attempted suicide, including self-immolation (Note: EUR/ACE allows grantees, such as Counterpart International, to request up to 10,000 dollars in additional funding to conduct structural repairs for recipient institutions that serve vulnerable populations, including orphans, the elderly, medical patients, and schoolchildren. End note.) Comment -------------- ¶11. (C) State Department-funded Small and Medium Transportation (SMTP),Community and Humanitarian Assistance (CHAP),and Small Reconstruction (SRP) programs all fill a critical aid gap in Uzbekistan by providing humanitarian assistance to NGOs and local schools, medical facilities, and other institutions that serve vulnerable populations, including children, the mentally and physically handicapped, and female victims of violence. In certain cases, these programs are a lifeline for our partners in Uzbekistan, providing them with otherwise unavailable supplies and helping sustain social helping services that otherwise might not exist. Since the closing of most international NGOs in Uzbekistan in 2005 and 2006, these institutions have had few partners to turn to for assistance. Further program cuts will leave many of them even more desperate and will weaken one of the few active channels of people-to-people diplomacy in Uzbekistan. NORLAND