Names of Sakhovat aid center founders revealed

As Interfax reports, the founders of the fund are the head of the Uzbek military-historical society Bakhrom Ismailov, businessman Sabir Chodiev (son of a Kazakh businessman of Uzbek origin, billionaire Fattah Shodiyev), and Sherzod Yusupov (a shareholder and a member of the boards of directors of the bank “Vostok” and “Modulbank”).

The idea of creating the fund belongs to four Uzbeks now living in Russia, Yusupov explained.

“As early as February, we realized that the epidemic situation was developing negatively, and some of the most affected sectors would be construction, catering, taxi services, trade, recreation and entertainment, where most Uzbek migrants work. Forecast of development of the situation showed that soon most labor migrants and members of their families would be left without a source of revenue,” he said.

In the spring, the Sakhovat center began to provide assistance in the form of food delivery to Uzbek citizens in Russia and members of their families who became unemployed and had no means of subsistence, as well as to those who were not able to return to their homeland before lockdown. According to the information on the center’s website, Sakhovat started to accept requests for assistance in April.

Yusupov noted that the reason for registration of the center as a charitable fund was the expansion of the center’s activities, which had initially been formed with the personal funds of the project proponents.

“The number of benefactors began to grow, several corporate partners appeared, and representatives of the Presidential Administration provided invaluable support. We decided to register the fund, so that it reports on the expenditure of the received support,” Sherzod Yusupov noted.

Partners are considering expanding the assistance program for Uzbek migrant workers.

“We are also studying the possibility of expanding the fund’s activities. Uzbekistan has the largest number of migrant workers in the Russian Federation. Assistance in the period of the pandemic became a good beginning of the fund’s activity and helped to form a team of concerned professionals,” he said.