MIDYEAR REPORT

June 23, 2002. THIS SPRING BEGINS THE FOURTH YEAR OF AFOC ACTIVITY. We continue to send outdoor gear, fishing, school, and sewing supplies.  Our  donated yarn collection proved successful and knitting supplies now go in almost all boxes. The number of thank you letters and individualized requests have doubled, and so far the donor network is adequate so that we are able to keep up with these requests. We continue to rely on parcel post except for the 3 closest villages where we can also send items home with travelers.
 
    Our efforts to get boxes sent as "humanitarian aid" failed again; in fact Russia has now declared that it will not accept international clothing shipments as official humanitarian aid (we did not hear the reason) so this makes our personal gift mailings all the more important. We know that postage is going up again, yet our system is working and other US groups will start to use it. Our biggest cost continues to be postage (everything else is donated except fishing supplies and a minor amount of sundries like nail clippers.)

    There are about 50 active links in the US side of our network. Some donate postage funds, some donate yarn, sewing and school supplies, and clothing, and many send boxes direct to Chukotka from their own site.

    This spring Nome-based AFOC and Chena Ridge Friends each received a $2000 grant from the American-Russian Center (ARC) at UAA to provide fishing supplies. Forty families received nets and outdoor gear this way. Jewel Lake Methodist in Anchorage, with funding help from us and RFETF, sent over 100 boxes to various sites in Chukotka. The American Friends Service Committee sent boxes and also located a great amount of good yarn for us to send. Several small groups sent up to 12 boxes direct. Thank you to the woman who has made and sent over 20 baby blankets, to the woman who goes to her local thrift store and ships to us regularly, to the traveler from California who left a check for $1000 with us, and to the youth group in Portland who sent many fine boxes to us. THANK YOU TO ALL YOU OTHERS WHO HAVE FOUND WAYS TO JOIN IN WITH THIS EXPRESSION OF CARING AND FRIENDSHIP TO OUR FAR NORTH NEIGHBORS.

NEWS:

    Although conditions are much improved (visitors tell me I would be amazed at the changes in Anadyr, the capital) and there are now over 5 active helicopters to supply the villages, supplies to villages are limited and often slow.  Pensioners, unemployed, and other poor families still can't afford much beyond food staples from their store even when it does come in. Physical health and social problems are very serious and will be for a time.
 
   Both the Russian and Canadian Red Cross are committing funds to aid and community development. RRC sent fishing supplies to several villages, and CRC will spend over a million in the Russian Far East, with their concentration in Chukotka (1/3) being community health. UAA's ARC is collaborating with the RRC to build up five selected villages concentrating on community and economic development and alcohol education and treatment.

   AFOC helped support a youth project in Lavrentia for a third year, and are presently collaborating on a grant application to continue a successful youth project run by Kaira Club in the villages and the Native Arts College. We provide information, aid to travelers, and technical assistance as we are able. All of our activities continue to be run by volunteers.

    FOR OUR FALL MAILINGS WE APPEAL TO YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR POSTAGE MONEY IN THE AMOUNT OF ROUGHLY $50 PER BOX.

   As you may know, Roman Abramovich has announced that he will not seek another term as governor. That means that in 2 1/2 years we can only hope that an
equally progressive governor will be elected to carry on his improvements. We believe that this announcement must have some unstabilizing effect and that power
struggles will pick up again as various factions try to push their programs for Chukotka. Hopefully this will not affect too much the moves begun by the Red Cross and the ARC.

  Other news: Jim Campbell, after over ten years' intense work, will be leaving the Russian Far East Task Force in June 2003, and it is not known what the future holds for RFETF in funding searches going on now. It has been a major presence in Chukotka under his leadership, and a great collaborator with us. Right it plans to switch most of the effort to the Koryak Region, just south of Chukotka, and Magadan Region villages, where there has been no "Abramovich" angel, and needs are serious. Godspeed to you Jim!

   Here are some statistics for our overall US network for January thru June 2002:

US network links active--48
Direct mailer sites--26
Repeating cash and material donors to Nome site--24,
(not counting yarn and stitchery donors--many )
Cash donations to AFOC/Nome: $6100.
Other links have their own donation means.

Villages where network served 10 or more families: 10
Villages where we served less than 10 families: 13
Schools served: 13  ( from 1 to 15 boxes, clothes and/ or school supplies)
Hospitals served: 2  ( baby clothes mainly)
Regional orphanage:  over 20 boxes
Special requests filled: 35 reported, we believe more.
Thank you letters or messages received: 75-80 reported.

Thank you again for your support and we welcome your suggestions and concerns! We will begin mailing again in August.
 

AFOC March 2002 Newsletter

AFOC January 2002 Newsletter

AFOC October 2001 Newsletter

AFOC September 2001 Newsletter

AFOC July 2001 Newsletter

AFOC April 2001 Update

AFOC February 2001 Newsletter

AFOC January 2001 Newsletter

AFOC December 2000 Newsletter

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