Alpine Update

If you are in Bishkek or around, you can help also by joining some of our spring-summer activities: nature treks, trips to the surrounding mountains, climbing indoors and coming soon climbing in Ala Archa and Alamedin mountains. Several other trips will be also available soon. You can rent backpacks, tents, etc. And everyone is welcome to join us for a mountain adventure, or a weekend away from town, sleeping in tents or in our dacha (cabin), sitting around the campfire, sharing stories, shasliks (even vegetarian ones available!) and having a fantastic time.

All our fees will be helping to pay for the costs of these activities and the profits will help to support our at-risk youth programs. You can have fun and support a good cause!

Many volunteers are joining us, that's great because we have plenty of plans to make this fantastic organization even better. For that we need more people, there are so much to do here at the moment. We are preparing the "new" programs, also changing the ways we work to make it more measurable, everything is getting a bit more bureaucratic but later on this will allow us to analyze and follow up the impact that our programs have in the youth we work with. Volunteering here it is hard work I can tell you, but also great fun and a challenge, sometimes very frustrating but nerveless rewarding. I love it!

In March two American volunteers started working with us, Alita teaches English to the older kids in the VACH and Kristina has been great help developing and reviewing programs and asking tough questions. Next week, Esmond and Erica from the UK will join us and later on Chris from the other people like Chris, etc are coming later in the summer. Together we are moving forwards.

Since the last newsletter we had many occasions to celebrate here, Man's Day, Woman's Day, Nooruz (the Kyrgyz equivalent of the new year on the 21st of March) we organized some celebrations and presents for the kids. Apart from running the usual programs, we organized the clean up of the spring near the Alpine Fund Learning Centre, people tend to leave all over the place bottles and plastic bags.

Kids were very enthusiastic about cleaning it up and we even plan to make a sign and post it there so people stop littering.

We went on a spring trek to Ala Archa National Park, it was beautiful there and we camped on the snow. The weather was good apart from sudden strong winds that came and went mysteriously. There were kids from the children's home and kids from the Lyceum 18, who started attending our climbing wall trainings since February. For a couple of them it was the first time they were camping, sleeping outdoor or visiting the mountains. They really enjoyed the experience and already are asking when we will have the next one. We also had Earth day celebrations planting trees, ran outdoor seminars and a clean up game in the national park.

In a few weeks, we will be participating in a "Kyrgyzstan Youth Camp Competition", several youth from different programs and institutions in Kyrgyzstan will attend and compete to be the number ones. Of course, our kids want to win and are confident that they stand a chance. They have started training every day and are working hard it the moment, they want to be the best.

It is great to see them putting so much effort and having such a positive attitude, generally they feel like they do not have many chances for success, but we are talking mountains here and mountains are something they love and know very well.

marga@alpinefund.org

From our kids:

Hello, I am Jenya, and I am 16. I went to the Ala Archa trek organized by Alpine Fund at the end of March. It was really beautiful there. After arrival we set up camp and gathered firewood. During this trek I liked everything. We were sledging down the hill, we also went trekking to a small gorge, sat by the camp fire and played different games. We also had some interesting seminars about healthy lifestyle and the underground waters of Kyrgyzstan.

For a long time we had been waiting for the opportunity to go trekking and to be in the mountains and once we were there we had 100% fun. I enjoyed talking to Denis, Marga, Ryan, Lyosha and Ilya. We clarified and learned many things, while having the chance to practice our skills in the mountains. I am very thankful to those who gave us the opportunity to go to the mountains and to learn many interesting things. Good bye, everybody. It would be good if we go to mountains more often and have trainings and competitions.

Good bye from - Jenya

I am Grisha, 16. I've been involved in Alpine Fund programs for a few years and like it very much. I attend trainings, they are very beneficial for me. I develop my physical skills; learn many things about the environment, i.e. how to keep our nature clean. Also, we go to the Alpine Fund Learning centre, we call "dacha", it is like our home in the mountains. I like going to dacha in winter because I could sledge down the hill and talk to different people.

It would be good if we go out to natural environment more often and live in tents, so that we get closer to nature, get the opportunity to practice the skills and knowledge gained during the trainings.

And the most important thing for me is to have these wonderful memories about my happy times in the mountains, those I can treasure forever and I know they can make me cheer up when I feel down.

That's all from me this time,

Grisha

From Syomonkul, our Business Assistant:

Hello Dear Visitor to our website,

I am glad to announce that Alpine Fund in collaboration with IREX, and ACCELS organized an Ecological Camp to celebrate Earth Day.

The event is financed by IREX and co-financed by ACCELS (Both organizations funded by the US State Department) with the Alpine Fund planning and organizing the event. This is a 1 day ecological and educational event and the target group are 20 children from Voenno – Antonovka Children’s Home. The goals of the event are to enhance children’s awareness about the methods of environmental protection, one of which is planting trees, endangered animals of Kyrgyzstan, and to develop leadership skills.

There will be series of interactive seminars for children conducted by skillful and experienced FSAU alumnae on the following topics:

Methods of Environmental Protection
Endangered animals of Kyrgyzstan.
Leadership Skills.

We are convinced that this information will increase their knowledge in natural sciences, teach them to be more tolerant to the environment and prepare the children for independent adult life since most of children regularly go to mountain treks to conduct ecological trainings. The event is planned to take place at Ala – Archa National Park. There children along with FSAU and FSA/FLEX alumnae will have chance to plant birches and pine trees and by doing so contribute to the preservation of the forests of Kyrgyzstan. After planting the trees children will give this small forest a name, which will be selected during a competition for best name. The area for planting at the territory of the National Park was kindly provided by the administration of the park.

At the moment children are going through selection process. They have filled application forms, which includes several tasks as to answer certain questions, and write a composition on what they would do in an imagined difficult situation. So far we are very enthusiastic about the event itself and hope that this event will be very beneficial for vulnerable children, and they will use the gained knowledge in their future adult life.

Sincerely, Suymonkul Kutbidinov,

Business Assistant, Alpine Fund.

Earth Day Celebration:

Well, the newsletter got delayed due a nasty virus and other technical problems but the great news is that thanks to that we can tell you all about Earth Day here

It was a great day all participants, we met in the morning and all together (almost 40 people) went to the awesome Ala Archa National Park. We started by planting 30 trees in the National Park, according to the manager it was the first time that an organization took such an initiative there and they were very happy and provided us with assistance and advice.

The location for planting and the type of trees were selected carefully by National Park experts; they decided that the best action would be to repopulate a damaged part of the forest which was washed away by flood during the winter. The planted trees will strengthen the soil and make it more resistant to floods. The manager from the park said they would call this forest the name chosen by us and after some deliberation the kids came with the most predictable name “Alpine Forest”, but I must admit that we all like it.

We arranged with the administration a schedule for watering and taking care of the Alpine forest. They will provide us with free access to the national park to water and look after these trees. If we cannot make it, they will instruct the rangers to do it for us. It was a great experience for the kids and also a new responsibility. This place is not that far from the Alpine Fund Learning Centre so we can come often and look after the trees. Kids were happy planting trees, a bit disappointed that there were not more of them, they dug the wholes, went to collect water from the river and were making little stone arrangements around each tree.

They are looking forward to coming back and see them growing. As one of the kids, Nyrgazy, put it himself - “Maybe one day in the future, I’ll be back here with my friends and family and I will tell them about this day, how I planted this tree many years ago, and how it has grown big and strong as I have done myself”.

Later on we left “our” forest and went to a more remote area where 3 rounds of interactive seminars (Environmental Protection, Endangered Animals of Kyrgyzstan and Leadership skills) were conducted by 4 ECA alumni.

During the Leadership Skills seminar it was interesting to see the reactions of the kids when asked where they see themselves in 10 years. Most of them laughed and could not come out with a straight answer, they see the future in front of them as a reflection of their present life, they do not believe in themselves or in their opportunities to get a better life, as they say "What future can we have if we are coming from a children's home". We always try to challenge this way of thinking to a more optimistic approach and our programs are designed to help them to have a better sense of self and a positive view of the future. If you want something strongly enough you can get it! It may be hard but we all must fight for our dreams. We have good examples to support that it is possible to find success even if you come from a Children's Home; some of the kids that participated previously in our programs, have became role models for all the younger ones. Oksana (19) about to finish very successfully her Technical School and hoping to get a scholarship to continue her studies in the American University of Central Asia. Or Yura (16), who is doing very well on his first year of "independence"; he is passionate about cars and studying to become a mechanic.

Dinara, one of the trainers, wrote down their plans for the future and then they all promised that they will try their best to achieve them. Working hard to achieve your dreams will help you, do not give up! There are loads of people here to help you through the difficult moments. You too can be a leader in your community and make important contributions to your country's future!

The other seminars focused on ecological issues and endangered species in Kyrgyzstan, Kids and as part of the seminars they made some posters and contributed with ideas about solving some environmental problems. To end the day we organize a treasure hunt and the three teams were soon competing with each other to see which could find the treasures hidden away and at the same time collect as much garbage as possible.

We hope that thanks to events like this we are helping to create a new generation of environmentally friendly people in this country. We also hope that their habits will spread across the community and "our" kids become role models for all. Kyrgyzstan is a land of awesome mountains and beautiful natural spaces so it is everyone’s responsibility to keep them clean and pristine.

From Ryan, our volunteer from the USA:

Climbing wall

Alpine Fund has brought youth and the public together at the climbing wall every Sunday since January. We would like to thank our guests for participating and encourage first-time climbers to come on out. We are still trying to improve everyone’s experience but overall are happy with results and plan to continue the wall into summer and next fall.

We rent the wall at Kyrgyz Physical institute Sundays 6-9 pm to allow youth and the public to interact as well as to promote Alpine Fund awareness.

We provide gear, set-up and climbing pointers. We fund the wall by asking for small donations (usually 150 soms or 75 soms for students) to help cover rental, gear depreciation and make up for days when expenses exceed donations.

We appreciate our loyal guests’ patience as we work out kinks like trying to get the old Soviet lights to work. But for the first time the wall is financially sustainable, and we are excited to continue and develop the activity as long as we have climbers.

Although Alpine Fund is not a professional guide agency, we are attentive to safety and require that all climbers understand and follow international climbing safety protocol. We have developed written instructions in English and Russian that are easy for everyone to understand and provide a 15-minute introduction to all first timers.

The climbing wall is an ideal recreational experience for beginning through advanced climbers as well as families.

“Interact” with Alpine Fund

Although we are a nonprofit organization and not a guide business, Alpine Fund knows hiking, climbing and the mountains in Kyrgyzstan. We are piloting an innovative new way to share our insights with the public while remaining focused on our youth. We invite you to “interact.”

Alpine fund provides five mountain “interactions” that no other nonprofit organization or business does in Kyrgyzstan:

● The instructional climbing wall

● English-guided instructional rock climbing

● English-guided day hiking

● Cabin rental of our dacha for stargazing

● High-end Red Fox brand gear rental

Redesigned website

If you are interested to see what's cooking at Alpine Fund we hope you will visit our newly redesigned website.

We’ve added deeper information on volunteering, links for Kyrgyzstan and loads more images of the country and its amazing young people. We are striving to develop a site that introduces not just us but gives a springboard for travel research on Kyrgyzstan.

Volunteering

It’s not too late to volunteer this summer at Alpine Fund.

We have an assortment of needs including:

● English teaching

● Seasonal programs coordination

● Researching grants and sponsorships

● Organizational and "Interactions" marketing

● Volunteering from your home

Volunteering at Alpine Fund in Kyrgyzstan is an amazing opportunity. To learn more please visit our volunteering page.

To learn more about the climbing wall, interacting or volunteering with Alpine Fund please watch our website at www.alpinefund.org, email info@alpinefund.org or give us a call at 665-567. You can email Ryan directly at ryan@alpinefund.org.

Alpine Fund cooperation with the small NGO's community:

Last week a couple of new shelters for street kids have been opened in different areas of Bishkek. Each shelter will provide attention to more that 15 youth which otherwise will have nowhere to go, from now on they will be able to spend the night there. Some members of the police and several organization are working together to make the place better and applauding these initiatives, especially now in spring and summer when the number of kids living in the streets of Bishkek increases rapidly.

Alpine Fund has donated some portable beds, blankets, toys and many books so that the places are better equipped to receive these children. And hopefully while they are there they can get advice and help to change their situation.

We are part of a small NGO's group working together towards the same goal, to improve the lives and conditions of the disadvantaged, young and old. Each organization bringing to the group the expertise, ideas and planning future joint projects to achieve positive results.