Center for Civil Society International ([email protected])
Sat, 26 Sep 1998 19:03:27 -0700 (PDT)
Sender: [email protected] (Ecologia)
Subject: Scottish Org'n Responds re Food Shortages in Russia
How does the current financial crisis in Russsia affect the ordinary citizen?
Through my organisation Ecologia Trust in Scotland, I work to support
Kitezh Children's Community in Kaluga region, Russia. The recent
financial crisis has hit them very hard indeed. The implications of the
crisis in Russia for ordinary people are difficult for us to imagine or to
understand. I was in Russia from July until 7th September and experienced
the crisis first hand. I'll try to give you a feeling for it.
Kitezh Children's Comunity is a non-profit partnership of foster families
who live together on a large piece of land in the countryside and who adopt
children into their families and provide them with an education in their
school. At present there are 7 families and 30 children at Kitezh, with
more waiting to join as soon as they are able to raise enough money to
build additional houses for them. The state pays a small monthly stipend of
approximately $70 for each adopted child. However Kitezh has not received
money for their children since June, and when or IF this is paid, it will
be the same amount of roubles that was due to them before the crisis, and
its buying power will be a quarter of its value in June. As a result, this
will be a very hard winter for them, and we are doing everything we can to
raise money for them to see them through the winter.
On 1st July $1 bought 6 roubles. On 7th September $1 bought 18 roubles.
(Apparently the rate has gone back down to around 10 roubles now.) This
meant that anyone earning in dollars was fine. Anyone earning roubles was
in big trouble. Of course the big companies, wealthy Russians and
foreigners were fine, and the ordinary people running ordinary businesses
were in trouble.
When I was in Moscow in early September, I went to a Bank where I (and MANY
people) have an account: there was a notice on the door that simply read:
"Closed". Nothing more. My account held very little, but for others, their
life savings are probably gone. If the bank does re-open, the value of the
roubles held in the bank has de-valued by 4 times.
I went shopping for groceries: the shops were rapidly emptying of all basic
foodstuffs and expensive imported items as well. People were spending every
rouble they could lay their hands on as quickly as possible, hoarding
things because they were afraid that very soon the value of their money
would buy one quarter of what they might want in the future. It happened
exactly that way. Toilet paper that cost 1 rouble is now 4 roubles, etc.
Imports dropped by 80% within a week, and many shops have closed, giving
their staff 2 months unpaid leave until they can understand what prices to
charge for their goods.
We are making an urgent appeal for support for Kitezh Children's Community
to help them through the winter. If you are concerned and would like to
help, the people at Kitezh would be enormously grateful. We can receive
donations by US$ check sent directly to us in the UK or larger
tax-deductible donations, earmarked for Ecologia Trust (Kitezh), can be
channeled through Hygeia Foundation, c/o Sloane & Hinshaw,Inc, Suite 1B
165 East 72nd St NY,NY 10021 USA tel: 212-737-1011 Fax: 212-737-6459.
We will be happy to send more information about Kitezh. Please e-mail us
direct at [email protected]
Very best wishes,
Liza Hollingshead
Ecologia Trust
Ecologia Trust
The Park, Forres
Moray IV36 3TZ Scotland
tel/Fax: +44-(0)1309-690995
Reply To: [email protected]
Web Site: http:/www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/ecoliza
*********************
Ecologia Trust is a Scottish Charity reg.no SC023976 working with Russian
NGOs in youth, ecology and education since 1988
*********************
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