DUSHANBE, February 26, Asia-Plus — The OSCE has donated 7,000 euros to the Tajik non-government organization Nasli Navras, which supports disabled children, and a dormitory for orphan female students run by the Committee for Family and Women’s Affairs.
A donation-handover ceremony was held at the OSCE Center in Dushanbe on February 25, State Women”s Affairs Committee. The donation was made at a reception, hosted by the OSCE Center, following an OSCE-Tajikistan Task Force meeting that discuss ways to further assist Tajikistan.
Speaking at the donation-handover ceremony, visiting Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Center, Ambassador Herbert Salber, noted that the funds had been raised by the Organization”s staff members during a charitable action in Vienna this month.
“The OSCE offers this humble donation to the people of Tajikistan affected by the unusually severe winter,” said Ambassador Salber. “We are prepared to further assist the Government of Tajikistan if requested.”
Of this amount, 5,000 euros were provided for 115 orphan female students studying at Tajik higher educational institutions and 2,000 euros were provided for the art school at the NGO Nasli Navras.
Accepting the donation, Ms. Khairinisso Yusufi, chairperson of the Committee for Family and Women’s Affairs, underlined the role of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in conducting training seminars on legal education of girls and expressed gratitude to the OSCE for creation of 10 recourse centers and women support center in Khujand.
Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, the Head of the OSCE Center in Dushanbe, noted that the event had also been timed to coincide with the 14th anniversary of the OSCE field presence in Tajikistan.
The ceremony was also attended by high-ranking officials from the Tajik and Finnish MFAs, representatives from the Dushanbe public, as well as chiefs of some diplomatic missions accredited in Tajikistan.
The OSCE first established a presence in Tajikistan in early 1994 when it opened the Mission to Tajikistan. In October 2002, it was renamed the Center in Dushanbe and its tasks were broadened. The Center has steadily grown to include 15 international and 87 local staff members as of June 2007.
