In early May, a longtime Tajik friend of BDSC, Maarouf Muhamedov, wrote to BDSC board members that COVID-19 has put the people of Tajikistan at serious risk. Tajikistan is experiencing a shortage of emergency items, specifically food and medical supplies, due to limited capacity and limited access to the outside world.
Maarouf established a GoFundMe site for Covid-19 relief for Tajikistan. At the same time, we have also been receiving tax-deductible donations to support this relief effort on the BDSC website. All funds collected, plus several hundred dollars from the existing BDSC bank account, have been forwarded to Maarouf’s account, so that he can distribute them in Tajikistan.
As of June 11, 2020, we have collected $2655 through the GoFundMe site, and $2235 through the website. BDSC has sent a total of $5500 to Tajikistan.
Maaruf expressed his gratitude, “I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE! MY FEELING OF GRATITUDE CAN’T BE OVERESTIMATED! In a situation where the dirty vices of the main system have clearly come out, your support is simply invaluable. Thanks again!”