06 December 2005, 11:18
by Matteo Mode

To mark International Volunteer Day 2005, the United Nations Volunteers and the donor community in Uzbekistan have organized an event in Nukus, Karakalpakstan, with the children of Kostruba, a remote community in Karakalpakstan.

The event will include:

A concert where the children of Kostruba and the children of the Progress Centre will play and sing together. The Progress Centre, a leading educational institution in Nukus will host the concert which will take place on Wednesday, 7 December at 14:30.
 
An exhibition of traditional handicrafts from Kostruba and from the communities where the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project "Enhancement of Living Standards in Karakalpakstan and Namangan region (ELS)" is working, plus a photo exhibition of the people of Kostruba and of Karakalpakstan. The exhibition will open on Tuesday, 6 Dec. 2005 at 14:30 at the Savitsky Karakalpakstan State Art Museum in Nukus.

Kostruba is a remote community in the desert of Karakalpakstan.  In Kostruba there are no roads, electricity and gas. It takes three hours by jeep to get to the nearest village or road. The village has only one school for all ages. Nukus, the capital of Karakalpakstan where colleges and institutes are, is six hours away by car. Children in Kostruba have no access to educational or recreational activities, and no possibility to further their education in the community. Still, cultural traditions in Kostruba are rich: children and adults retain the ancient musical skills of the Kazakh nomad culture.  Children themselves can play traditional instruments, like the domra and dutar, and sing the ancient songs of the Kazakh epic and ballads.
 
The organizers would like to thank:

The  EU and UNDP project "Enhancement of Living Standards in Karakalpakstan and Namangan region (ELS)" (http:www.els.uz) for funding the initiative and for contributing to the organisation of the event, and in particular for for the handicraft exhibition.

The UNDP project "Clean Energy for Rural Communities in Karakalpakstan Phase II" for involving the community in Kostruba where the project operates, and for providing support to the organisation of the initiative.

TICA - Turkish International Cooperation Agency - for funding the initiative. TICA has also funded the Energy project). The UNDP office in Uzbekistan for supporting the organisation of the event.