By Tim Munday | Project Leader
Last month we celebrated a big birthday as an organisation. Way back in 1996, just a few years after the end of the Soviet Union, as Kazakhstan made the massive and sudden adjustment to becoming an independent country for the first time, Salem was officially registered here as a legal entity.
None of those who work here now were part of the Salem team back in the late 90s, although some of those who were beneficiaries of pioneering physiotherapy for children with disabilities back in the early days are still connected to us. Some of the mothers of those kids, who are now adults with significant ongoing challenges, gave a touching tribute to the work of many over the decades.
The social club for people with disabilities, which largely formed from that early group of parents, continues to meet in the Salem cafe every few weeks, and they were delighted to be a part of our big celebration, making up a large part of the party.
This being Central Asia, the centrepiece of the event was lunch, for which a giant pan of plov, the local speciality with meat, oil, rice, carrot, and then some more oil(!) was the perfect choice and once again thoroughly enjoyed.
Many of those who have invested in Salem over the years came from the US, the UK, Australia and Germany. Most of those we invited who no longer live in Shymkent were unable to join us, but those who did were given a special thanks for their continuing support. In addition, we received many greetings from old friends in various places, all of whom were warmly remembered.
As well as the many speeches, congratulatory wishes and presentations, everyone enjoyed a concert laid on by various friends of Salem, including the music school which rents space on our site.
And for those of you who have played a part in our journey over the years, this is a great chance for us to say a very big thank you to you too! Salem doesn't belong to any of us, but we each have stories that intertwine with it. If you would like to add your wishes to the anniversary board that guests were signing, please get in touch with us at news@salemunion.kz.
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
