Āzija

Help for orphans on Bali, Indonesia
(Bali, Indonesia / 30.07.2012.)

The Jodie O’Shea Orphanage on the island of Bali, Indonesia was opened in 2005. It was named after Jodie O’Shea in memory of a person who devoted his life to helping others and who died in the terror act that struck Bali in 2002. The orphanage protects 50 children, aged one to 18 years of age, from Bali, Sumba and other Indonesian islands from the plight of unimaginable poverty and hunger. Living at the orphanage, children and adolescents experience miraculous changes. The orphanage is funded by donations from wealthy individuals. This financial support makes it possible to cover the expenses required to pay for food for healthy and nutritious meals, the administration of the orphanage building, the orphans’ education costs and salaries for staff.

Schools for children living in brick kilns in Nepal
(Nepal / 14.05.2015.)

In 2014, the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation began a two-year collaboration project with the organisation Global Fairness Initiative, which, in partnership with the organisation Brick Clean Network, is introducing a programme among communities of Nepalese brick kiln workers living in the Kathmandu Valley.

The goal of the project is to provide basic education to at least 400 children who live and work in five brick kilns through the implementation of alternative education programmes, forming a bridge between the brick production season and the official school teaching year. Children will be provided with school transport, teaching materials and other items they need for school.

Obtaining a basic education gives the children of brick kiln workers future growth opportunities from an educational, economic and social aspect, ultimately offering them the chance to choose better living conditions.

With the increase in the population of Nepal and state urbanisation, construction has not only become Nepal’s third biggest economic sector, but is continuing to grow. High demand for construction materials has resulted in the formation of brick kilns and the need for cheap labour.

Although working conditions in the kilns are arduous, they do provide work for thousands of poorly qualified workers. During the brick production season from May to September, families of workers and their children move to live in the brick kilns. Out of 175,000 kiln workers, approximately 35% are school-aged children and adolescents, who work in quite poor and somewhat dangerous conditions, and often miss school, because of their need to work to subsist.

In April 2015, Nepal, including the Kathmandu Valley, was hit by a devastating earthquake. Our collaboration partner Global Fairness Initiative is ascertaining the consequences of this earthquake in the project implementation sites. Currently, some of the project’s activities have been suspended. In their place, efforts are being made to quickly establish homes and schools that are safe for living and education, so that Nepalese citizens from temporary sanctuaries can return home before the start of the annual rainy season. Then implementation of the educational project will restart on a full-scale basis.

Caring for elephants in Thailand
(Thailand / 19.02.2015.)

The Teterev family’s concern for animal welfare is not merely confined to Latvia; its philanthropic work in this field also takes place overseas. In this country, we sometimes encounter situations in which people do not care for their pets in the manner they need and deserve, but in Thailand, with the modernisation of agriculture, it is elephants that are becoming surplus to requirements. In order to prevent the use of elephants for begging, the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation has undertaken the task of caring for elephants that have been pensioned off. With the Teterev family’s support, a female elephant named Mūsa has been saved from poverty, life on the street and illness. She now spends her days working at a hotel where she has become very popular with the hotel’s guests and, in particular, their kids. In early 2015, the Teterev family assumed responsibility for the care of another female elephant named Tong Ma Rīga and is also providing funding for veterinary care for elephants at several elephant camps, as well as at a care centre.