11 JULY 2001

For more information about our project and back issues of the newsletter, check out two web sites:

For general information about Chukotka:   <www.geocities.com/athens/atlantis/7097>

For specific information about our direct mailing network and how to mail gifts: <www.uuff.org/chukotka.htm>

ALASKA-CHUKOTKA SUMMIT IN NOME, MAY 2001. The summit meeting hosted in Nome was a success. The report is being prepared, and we hope it will be out soon.  Many political, social and industrial leaders from both sides attended. Humanitarian aid, education, health, subsistence, etc. had their work sessions. The focus was on community and economic developments that could be worked on together to enhance both regions. Many concrete proposals were submitted from the working groups.  We hope that they will continue to function as e-mail becomes more available in Chukotka. For more information contact Mayor Leo Rasmussen <leaknome@nook.net>.

RUSSIAN FAR EAST TASK FORCE CONFERENCE, MAY 2001. Also in May the Alaskan Missionary Conference of the United Methodist Church had their annual meeting to which the Moravians also were invited as they have a joint project in Chukotka. The eleven projects of the Russian Far East Task Force were presented a day before the conference and were interlarded throughout the whole conference. Nine Chukotkans presented, including two youths who did traditional singing and dancing during the evening entertainment. It was truly impressive, and a fine representation of the humanitarian work being done in Chukotka.  For more information contact coordinator Jim Campbell at <russia@gci.net>.

VOLUNTEER AWARD.  Nancy Mendenhall was honored by being chosen for one of the Alaska "First Lady" awards for volunteerism for the year for her work with AFOC, and it was presented at the Summit. Of course she is only one representative of a team that makes it all possible and stated so as she received it.
Congratulations, AFOC team!

AFOC FUND DRIVE for 2001-2002. we are now gearing up for our fall mailings, which we want to start in August.  This means we need to raise funds for postage. It is our largest expense by far since all of our labor, boxes, gas, and storage space is donated. We may buy some small household supplies like dental floss but all of our clothing is donated. As we have funds to do so, we purchase fish net webbing to send and ice fishing lures.

Parcel post is still the best way to reach the most remote villages because mail does have some priority on very over-scheduled helicopters and vezdekhods.
However when a plane is going over on which we can piggy-back we always take advantage of this to send too.

AFOC is a network of people across the country now, though mostly in Alaska. You are part of it.  Some people send funds, others send items to us for
mailing, and a growing number do their own mailing projects  with only technical support from us.

We assist travelers passing through Nome with travel, food, housing and anything else we can help with. For example, this month we met and assisted with food,
housing, translation, etc. a Chukotkan boy coming across for surgery with his grandmother, sponsored by RFETF.

Here is s brief summary of the work AFOC did January through June 2001:

Villages receiving clothing:  18, total families
receiving one or more boxes: 180
villages also receiving nets: 8, total of 62 nets
Village schools receiving school supplies: 13
35 or more clothing boxes to regional hospital and orphanage at Anadyr
Cash donations totaled $6800
Cost of one 20 lb box sent pp: $48.00
Large number of clothing, yarn, stitchery,  and school supply donations
Number of U.S. groups in direct mailing network: families--26, schools--7, church groups--27, other--2
Thank you letters received (that we know about): 55

IF YOU WISH TO CONTRIBUTE FUNDS FOR A CONTINUATION OF THIS WORK, THIS IS A GOOD MONTH TO MAIL THEM and we
thank you in advance.

For those of you who like to send items for us to mail, as usual, the things most in demand which we are short of are children's and adults' footwear. Any warm
outdoor winter clothing is fine,  Please do not send whites, pastels or women's indoor clothing as we always get too much of these.

Most of all we want to promote our network of direct mailers.  Sponsor your own family or school, directly! Read our web sites listed above to find out how.

Here are some quotes from  recent thank you letters:

"I am a widow 36 years old with four children.  My oldest is studying to become a driver. The youngest is 2 / 4 mo. He will be with me until he is three as the
nursery has no lights and when they do have lights they have no heat. I worked in the dormitory kitchen, but for  -4 months received no pay though I do receive
food rations and a small pension.... A huge thank you for your package. Maybe you could send us your picture."

From Chuvanskoe:
"We received two big boxes from you.  We are very grateful for your gift.  Especially glad were the children for the things they received.  Our family has
seven persons....  I work for the village administrator and my husband works for the reindeer brigade."

From Vaegi:
" Hello friends, a huge thank you for your package. which you sent the school.  It was a big event for the children to go through the items together and measure
them all out. Our school is not large and the supplies truly basic and poor.  We do not even have a television.  But life is interesting.  The elder students learn how to perform in the traditional Chukotkan life working with the reindeer and fishing. The girls learn knitting, beadwork and the mechanics of living.  They are learning drawing and different sports....  Our great gratitude to you especially from the parents and the students."

From Nutepelmen:
"Thank you especially for the fish lures."

People who do direct mailing also receive these thank you letters (Some have considerable detail).

And thanks to all of you AFOC supporters who have been with this project in its three year life!
 

AFOC April 2001 Update

AFOC February 2001 Newsletter

AFOC January 2001 Newsletter

AFOC December 2000 Newsletter

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