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Historical Timeline

Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities was initiated in 1982 when two Boulder women, Mary Hey and Sophia Stoller, decided they’d had enough of the rhetoric and unease of the continuing Cold War. By-passing bureaucrats unwilling to consider a proposal for friendship, they stubbornly made one overture after another until, in 1987, the city of Dushanbe became Boulder’s Sister City.

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1983

Soviet Sister City Project is Founded

1984

Monthly Programs on Soviet Culture Take Place

1985

Project Representatives visit Dushanbe and Soviet Embassy to lobby for a Sister City.

1986

First Annual Boulder Festival of Soviet Film

1987

Mayor Ikramov visits Boulder with Dushanbe delegation and signs sister city agreement with Mayor Jourgensen

First Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities -sponsored tour goes to USSR

 

Project is renamed Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities

1988

Official delegation from Boulder visits Dushanbe.

Boulder Views, an exhibit of 40+ works donated by local artists and photographers, is sent to Dushanbe for permanent display.

1989

21 Boulder area high school students participate in their first exchange visit to the USSR.

Four Dushanbe physicians visit Boulder in first phase of Physician Exchange.

1990

Ten Dushanbe high school students visit Boulder

The Tajik Teahouse, the magnificent gift from the people of Dushanbe, arrives in Boulder.

Four Boulder physicians visit Dushanbe

Dedication of Peace Garden along Boulder Creek to honor all of Boulder’s sister cities.

1991

16 Boulder area students visit Dushanbe for two weeks and stay with Tajik families.

Boulder’s Kuhiston Foundation organizes US-USSR ecological expedition to Shirkent area; findings are presented to Tajik Parliament in order to establish a National Park.

Tajikistan becomes an independent nation following the break-up of the Soviet Union.

1992

Local ham radio operators ship equipment to Dushanbe colleagues

Civil war breaks out in Tajikistan

First humanitarian aid shipment to Dushanbe

1993

Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities sponsors  twoDushanbe ophthalmologists at post-graduate seminar conducted by Orbis International

Dedication of Teahouse site on 13th Street

Second humanitarian aid shipment

1994

Third humanitarian aid shipment

Equipment sent to Tajikistan’s Mountain Rescue organization

1996

Micro-lending/village banking program is launched by Kuhiston Foundation

“Hearth to Hearth” Tajik dance and arts events presented by Helander Dance Theater

Six young adults from Dushanbe who had hosted our student delegation visit Boulder

Seven high school and post-graduate students from Dushanbe enroll in Boulder schools and the University of Colorado.

1997

Construction of Teahouse begins.

Boulder Rotary Club assists in forming the first Central Asian Rotary Club in Dushanbe

Five high school and post-graduate students from Dushanbe are enrolled in Boulder schools and the University of Colorado.

Sponsorship of several sessions of Donish, summer environmental camps for Dushanbe secondary school students

1998

Grand opening of the Teahouse.

Five workshops presented by Teahouse artisans are held.

Participation in Boulder Sister City Festival at Jr. Academy.

1999

Boulder Flatirons Elementary School initiates “Sister School” project with Dushanbe School

BDSC delegation of 12 visit Dushanbe to participate in celebration of the 1,100th anniversary of the Samanid heritage

2000

Start of reciprocal gift effort

Planning and concept development for reciprocal gift

2001

Delegation from BDSC visits Dushanbe, meets with mayor, initial site chosen for Cyber Café

Schematic design for Cyber Café completed

2003

Annual Tajik New Year Celebration at Teahouse

Commencement of fundraising effort for Cyber Café reciprocal gift

2004

2005

Delegation visits Dushanbe and is given new site for Cyber Café

 

Annual Tajik New Year Celebration at Teahouse

Fashion Tea fundraising event

2006

Annual Tajik New Year Celebration at Teahouse

Signing of decree by Mayor of Dushanbe for construction of Cyber Café

Official Groundbreaking for construction of Cyber Café

Commencement of final push of fundraising for Cyber Café

3rd Annual Fashion Tea fundraising even

2007

BDSC celebrates 20 years of sisterhood with Dushanbe

May 28 Cyber Cafe construction begins in Dushanbe

Fashion Tea Fundraiser for Cyber Cafe

Annual Navruz celebration at the  Teahouse

Artisan Kodir Rashkimov works on Teahouse ganch restoration and carvings.

Boulder city dedication of Boulder’s Sister Cities Plaza

2008

Boulder physician visits Tajikistan with "Physicians with Heart"

Boulder architects visit Cyber Cafe construction. Shipping containers from Boulder arrive in Dushanbe with solar electric and hot water components for Cyber Cafe and with children’s clothes and play equipment.

BDSC hosts first Open World delegation from Tajikistan.

Tajik Independence Day celebration with Tajik Ambassador to the United States.

Official presentation of Cyber Cafe to Dushanbe at opening celebration, September 23.

BDSC sponsors “Silk Road Tour” to Tajikistan and Cyber Cafe opening.

Boulder financial gift presented to Dushanbe Parenting Center.

2009

BDSC hosts Open World Potable Water delegation.

Annual Navruz celebration at the Teahouse

Fashion Tea Fundraiser

BDSC receives “Innovation, Sustainable Development" award from Sister Cities International.

2010

Annual Navruz Celebration at the Teahouse

Fashion Tea Fundraiser

FLEX student attends Boulder High School

BDSC on State Department Grant in Dushanbe

2011

BDSC hosts Tajik coaches

Boulder resident a Fulbright Scholar in Dushanbe

BDSC board members visit Dushanbe

Teahouse tours

Video completes about Cyber Cafe, now called Friendship Center

Fort Wayne Gazebo Project

Open World delegation of secondary school administrators.

Annual Navruz celebration

BDSC hosted Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant Zeboniso Murodova for a welcome dinner at the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse in November 2011

2012

Tajik TV crew visits Boulder for Power of Youth Service doc

Cyber Cafe/Friendship Center reopened with new director Olim Makhkamov of MBO Language Schools

BDSC board members visit Tajikistan

Annual Navruz Celebration

Boulder History Traveling Sister Cities Trunks

2013

BDSC hosted Open World Volunteer Service and Administration group

BDSC board members cost CyberCafe/ Friendship Center and sponsor bbq for past Tajik exchange participants.

Annual Navruz Celebration

Hosted  Artisan Haydar Mirahmatov to work on exterior Teahouse restoration and interior ganch

BDSC hosted Tajik professional working with families with disabilities.

4 Boulder professionals working with people with disabilities visit Tajikistan

2014

BDSC hosted Women Entrepreneurs

BDSC sponsors CU student to teach at Friendship Center

Annual Navruz Celebration

Boulder delegation visits Dushanbe for its 30th Anniversary.

2015

BDSC hosted Open World delegation of gynecologists and obstetricians.

BDSC hosts Tajik TV crew

Annual Navruz celebration

Hosted Friendship Center representative Kamila Tovbaeva

BDSC board members Noah and Adam Amir produces two folk films with local Tajik communities.

2016

BDSC delegation to Friendship Center and Dushanbe City

BDSC host US Ambassador to Tajikistan at Teahouse reception

BDSC donates Tajik cultural items to CO governor’s mansion.

2017

Annual Navruz Celebration at the Community Plaza

BDSC hosted Open World delegation of Tajik professionals working in the tourism industry

BDSC collected English language books and shipped them to Tajikistan

BDSC partially sponsors CU student awarded Fullbright to study Tajik language in Dushanbe

2018

BDSC hosted Tajik artisan Maruf Mirahmatov sponsored by CU CEDaR program and ENVD to work on Teahouse restoration and co-teach Central Asian Design and restoration at ENVD

20th Anniversary celebration of Teahouse opening

Tajik Independence Celebration in Boulder

BDSC hosted Open World delegation studying NGO development

BDSC sponsored tour of Tajikistan and Central Asia with visit to Roof of the World Festival

2019

October. BDSC hosted Open World delegation of Tajik educators with a focus on innovation in education

 September.  Tajik Independence Day/ Harvest Celebration in Boulder

BDSC sponsored board member visit to Tajikistan regarding Friendship Center and future Sister City  programs.

2020

A new employee joined BDSC as a Communications Assistant - Itgelmaa Chavgaa

 

Open World 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

 

Peter Kleinman and Anton Relin joined BDSC as new board members

New social media and website efforts - created Instagram, Linkedin accounts and established a BDSC website

Donation relief campaign for those affected by COVID-19 in Tajikistan

2021

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2022

A new intern joins BDSC - Lauren Nida

Sports for At-Risk Youth Delegation in Boulder

2023

Annual Navruz Celebration 

25th Anniversary of the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse and Museum Exhibition

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