Center for Civil Society International ([email protected])
Thu, 25 Sep 1997 16:18:46 -0700 (PDT)
CCSI presents excerpts from the Agency for Social Information (ASI) e-mail
information bulletin. Translated from Russian by CCSI volunteer Alyssa
Deutschler. For more information on how to receive ASI's bulletin
regularly, contact:
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AGENTSTVO SOTSIALNOI INFORMATSII
Kutuzovskyi pr. 22 pod. 14a,
Moscow, 121151
Tel./fax: (095) 249-3989
E-mail: [email protected]
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N 36 (145)
5 - 12 September 1997
In this issue:
* "Youth Solidarity" Renames Lenin Monument on Kaluzhskaia Square
* Global Ecology Fund Supports 25 Projects in Russia
* 14 Cossack Schools Receive Special Textbooks for the New School Year
* Conference on Refugees and Resettlement in St. Petersburg
* Red Cross Aids Orphanage Near Nizhnii Novgorod
* Library for Non-Profit Organizations Opens in Irkutsk
* Rock Group ChaiF and the Java Corporation Help Retarded Children
* Informational-Educational Center for Women Opens in Chelyabinsk Region
"Youth Solidarity" Renames Lenin Monument on Kaluzhskaia Square
On September 11, the "Youth Solidarity" group held a ceremony to rename a
Lenin monument on Kaluzhskaia Square, changing the statue instead into a
monument to actor V.B. Shchukin who portrayed Lenin in several Soviet-era
films. The renaming was sanctioned by the district's central
administration office. Roman Tkach, a member of "Youth Solidarity"
explained the idea behind the monument's name change, "The debate in
Russian society surrounding the events of 80 years ago still hasn't been
resolved. People continue to divide themselves into pro-Lenin and
anti-Lenin camps. But neither camp harbors any ill-will towards V.B.
Shchukin. We believe that there's no reason to get rid of all of the
political monuments--it should suffice to rename them in honour of actors
from stage and screen." Tkach goes on to assert that the Moscow city
government should support the renaming campaign in an effort to alleviate
societal tensions. "Youth Solidarity" has already prepared a list of
monuments in need of renaming, including statues dedicated to Dzerzhinskii
and Kalinin.
Contact Telephone: (095) 229-1671
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Global Ecology Fund Supports 25 Projects in Russia
On September 8 and 9, a conference on cooperative efforts between NGOs and
the Global Ecology Fund (GEF) was held in Moscow. The Global Ecology Fund
helps implement initiatives and projects dedicated to protecting the
environment in transitional economies. Over the past four years, the Fund
has supported 25 different large-scale environmental projects in Russia,
providing approximately 250 million dollars of funding. GEF was
originally created in 1987, as a result of the World Commission on the
Environment and Development (the Bruntland Commission). Today, according
to GEF president Mohammed El-Ashri, the Fund is both a platform for
international cooperation, as well as a mechanism for attracting investors
for environmental projects worldwide. 142 governments currently donate to
the Fund.
The fundamental goals of GEF are the preservation of biodiversity,
protection of the world's water quality, and prevention of global warming
and ozone depletion. In Russia, GEF supports a large-scale program on
preserving biodiversity and protecting ecosystems from degradation, a
crucial issue, since in recent years the disappearance of certain species
and populations in Russia has greatly accelerated.
Contact Telephone: (095) 125-2870
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14 Cossack Schools Receive Special Textbooks for the New School Year
14 Cossack national schools in Volgograd, Kuban, and Rostov received a new
textbook for the coming school year. 3500 copies of "The History of
Orthodoxy on the Don," which describes the cultural and religious history
of the Cossack people, were distributed by the "Cossack School" charitable
foundation to the schools in time for the new school term. Lev Fil'kin,
general director of "Cossack School," traveled throughout the Don region
to deliver the new history books, visiting both villages and cities.
Fil'kin stated that one of the most pleasant results of his trip was
getting acquainted with the emerging "Cossack intelligentsia" that he
encountered at various schools. In his opinion, it is this intelligentsia
that will help determine the future of Cossack national education.
Contact Telephone: 482-6168 (Lev Alekseevich Fil'kin)
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Conference on Refugees and Resettlement in St. Petersburg
A conference on the creation of a network of organizations dealing with
resettlement of refugees in northwest Russia took place in St. Petersburg,
September 6-10. The conference was organized by the Forum of Resettlement
Organizations and the St. Petersburg Refugee Association, with financial
support from the Eurasia Foundation. Leaders of refugee organizations
from 20 regions in the Russian Federation met at the conference to discuss
their experiences, successes and failures. Specifically, conference
participants focussed on the issues that currently impact the creation of
organizations for refugees or displaced peoples--among the topics
discussed were financing, cooperative efforts between organizations, and
how organizations can work with the government. In the last year and a
half, 47 organizations dealing with refugee or resettlement issues have
been formed in Russia. However, according to conference participant Lidia
Grafia (director of the Moscow-based Council of Aid for Refugees and
Displaced Peoples), many of these organizations don't truly work to defend
refugees from government policies, but rather, to defend the government
from refugees.
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Red Cross Aids Orphanage Near Nizhnii Novgorod
On September 4, the Red Cross delivered warm clothing, toys, medicine and
food to a newly opened orphanage in Navashin, outside the city of Nizhnii
Novgorod. Items were donated by various businesses and organizations in
Nizhnii Novgorod. The Red Cross had received a letter asking for help
from the orphanage's directors in August. The orphanage was slated to
open in mid-September, but was unable to acquire necessary supplies.
Donations of food and clothing were difficult to find in the Navashin area
due to the recent closing of the Oka shipbuilding plant, which employed
many local residents. The Red Cross hopes to continue helping the
orphanage and other charitable organizations in the area.
Contact Telephone: 33-42-27 (Yuri Likhotnikov)
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Library for Non-Profit Organizations Opens in Irkutsk
The Citizen's Information Initiative has opened a library in Irkutsk aimed
at those working or interested in the non-profit sector. According to
Citizen's Information Initiative president M.P. Safonovaia, the library
will contain over 600 foreign publications (in English) on topics ranging
from management and marketing to public relations.
Contact Telephone: (3952) 46-2429
E-Mail: [email protected]
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Rock Group ChaiF and the Java Corporation Help Retarded Children
Patients at an Ekaterinburg psychiatric hospital for children received
school supplies and a party to celebrate the beginning of the new school
term from rock group ChaiF and the Java Corporation. The donations were a
continuation of ChaiF's previous charitable actions; the group began
raising money for sick children in 1995, and became acquainted with the
Ekaterinburg hospital during that same year. ChaiF members have visited
the hospital many times since then, bringing presents and needed items.
The Java Corporation, which sponsored ChaiF's recent tour in England,
decided to take part in the rock group's most recent donation and visit to
the hospital. According to ChaiF members, the mental states of a majority
of the young patients at the hospital (many of whom have lost their
families due to their medical condition) have suffered simply because of
abuse and neglect. The group hopes that by visiting the patients
frequently and relating to them like "normal" children, perhaps they can
help them towards the path to an independent life.
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Informational-Educational Center for Women
Opens in the Chelyabinsk Region
An informational-educational center for women has opened in Snezhinsk; it
is the first such organization in the Chelyabinsk region. The creation of
the center was organized by the Independent Women's Forum and local
women's groups, and was funded by the Ford Foundation. It is hoped that
the center's activities will help strengthen civic initiatives both in
Snezhinsk and throughout the Chelyabinsk region. According to the
director of the Independent Women's Forum's information center, Elizaveta
Bozhkovaia, women's groups in Snezhinsk were previously caught in an
informational vacuum, due to the fact that the city was closed to free
entry and exit. The telephone isn't always the best means of communication
and the postal system is both slow and expensive. But today, e-mail and
the Internet connect women's organizations from Moscow, Petrozavodsk,
Pskov and Voronezh. Women's organizations from Snezhinsk can use the
Internet to find out about the development of the women's movement in
Russia, as well as make contact with foreign groups and potential
partners.
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| CCSI presents excerpts from the ASI Bulletin. The |
| ASI Bulletin is a publication of the Agency for Social |
| Information (ASI) in Moscow. Originally published in |
| Russian, selected stories are translated and posted to |
| the CCSI listserv CivilSoc. Back issues are available |
| in both English and Russian language by following the |
| "Archives" link and choosing "ASI Bulletin Excerpts" |
| |
| http://www.friends-partners.org/~ccsi/ |
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