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"Where?" was the
question I was repeatedly asked, as I announced to family and
friends that I was setting off to Azerbaijan. "Why?"
followed shortly afterwards.
A few months ago, I
officially started employment at a charity where I had been a
volunteer for over five years. My role was that of a field worker
and development officer; someone who goes out to the various
locations to review current operations and suggest improvements and
new projects that effectively aids the local needy people. I was
(and still am, I am reminded) the new boy and so it was decided that
a senior officer, Brother Iqbal Rawat, was to accompany me to train
me and supervise my development.
Azerbaijan was my
chosen location. Though there are almost 300,000 local Azeri
refugees in oil-rich Azerbaijan, the report I was to file was on the
situation of the Chechen refugees there.
The Chechens left their
homeland due to their being persecuted by the Russians. They fled to
neighbouring Georgia, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Armenia and, of course,
Azerbaijan. Approximately 3,500 Chechens have fled to
Azerbaijan and have
received recognised refugee status.
Getting to Azerbaijan
Our flight was direct
from Gatwick to Baku (Azerbaijan's capital city). We noticed,
alarmingly, the level of corruption immediately upon arrival. The
cost of a single-entry, travel (and even business) visa for a
British Citizen is £27 (approximately $54). This was not the price
we were made to pay. Getting off the plane, Iqbal and I went through
a maze of procedures to get a visa. This included having our
passports checked, approved and stamped by passport control to get
the go ahead to get a visa from the visa desk where passports are
also checked, strangely, in exactly the same way. At the visa desk
was a wonderfully plain laminated A4 page on display, with overly
large writing stating that the price of a visa for British Citizens
was $100 (approximately £50 – due to the Euro they no longer
accepted Sterling). We had no choice but to pay as they absolutely
refused to point to anything other than the displayed sign. When we
asked for a receipt for the visas we were shooed away by the
security guards without a word. Everyone working there (at 20:30 on
Wednesday 8th August) was in on the scam. (I would think
that parts of our Politico-judicial system would be proud of such
open and notorious execution.)
It got worse from
there. From the airport we were picked up by two Azeri brothers who
took us to our hotel. Upon arrival at our hotel we saw police
officers apprehend two one-legged men. We didn't know what the
reason was but saw them being carted off in a police van. Their
treatment though not brutal, however, was strangely disconcerting.
It was suggested by our guides that they may have been
"professional" beggars. These people weren't Chechens but locals.
Three days later we saw these two "beggars" in the same place again.
We asked our new guide about this and he replied that they probably
were beggars and the reason that the police apprehended them was, in
all likelihood, to take a share of their proceeds.
So, besides the blatant
corruption, how is Azerbaijan as a place to live?
The Azeri people,
generally, were pleasant. OK, as soon as we stepped through the
doors past customs, the masses stopped, and for a full silent
moment, stared at us (well, I was dressed in black; with a black,
bulging outdoor vest; and a long black beard – so I guess they could
be excused). However, as soon as I smiled and greeted any of them,
they would, with few exceptions, reply and smile back.
The weather fluctuates
between two extremes. During the summer months the heat and humidity
can become overbearing, but thankfully, both are kept in check by a
regular cool breeze coming in from the Caspian Sea. The wind does no
favours, however, during the winter, as its chill factor can make
even the winter of
Moscow feel pleasant. If anyone wishes to live there then they really do need
to be resilient against the weather.
The cost of living, for
people from the UK, is fairly cheap. A decent meal at a restaurant
will cost you only two to four pounds. Groceries, foodstuffs, etc
are really cheap when we look at it from our point of view. But what
about the locals; how do they find things?
Speaking to a local
Chechen (who works as a translator and was appointed as our guide
during the last day of our visit), we were told that Azerbaijan has
a population of approximately 8 Million. From that, approximately 5
Million were in the city of Baku itself. The reason for this is that
jobs are very hard to find anywhere else. This has created an
economic imbalance in Azerbaijan; the capital at this moment cannot
cope with such a number, and because of this house/property rent and
prices have soared. Azerbaijan, and in particular Baku, for the
majority of the locals is very expensive.
We didn't even have to
ask to see the divide between rich and poor. Everywhere we turned we
saw the difference. Baku is going through a building boon. Whichever
direction is faced the sight of scaffolding and building work greets
the eyes. On the business side, high-rise buildings are dotting the
landscape as Baku races to try to compete with Dubai. On the
personal side, those with money spend lavishly in transforming their
family homes into three-storied villas with luxurious external
architecture (as we weren't invited into any of these buildings, we
can't comment on the décor and trimmings there).
That was the state of
the rich, now what about the poor? In the shadow of these
three-storied villas, almost obscured from view, the true state of
Azerbaijan is seen. The less well off live in squalor. Grime covered
buildings with broken and dilapidated wares come into sharp focus
when one looks towards the needy. For $80,000 one can buy a three
roomed (only two bedrooms) flat, which otherwise costs $250 a month
to rent. The fact that the refugees get no more than $100 a month
shows that they particularly suffer. Locals earn wages that allow
them to make ends meet comfortably but not enough to pull themselves
out of the slums.
UWT's Involvement
The primary aim of this
visit was to ensure the correct procedural distribution of funds for
the Chechen orphans who have been sponsored. Here, UWT works in hand
with a reliable charity called IHH from Turkey. IHH oversees the
support of up to 270 (minimum 250) orphans in Baku, of which 150 are
through UWT.
The sponsorship rate
for a Chechen orphan in Azerbaijan is £25 ($50) per month. This, as
we have seen, is good enough to provide food but affords no help to
the children's mothers/guardians in paying the rent. Not all the 150
orphans are specifically sponsored by donors, most are through
generic donations. While this temporarily serves the need, it is
very much needed that people step up and help through sponsorship.
There is no orphanage
in Azerbaijan. UWT's partner charity I.H.H. has, however, opened a
school in Baku. This functions as much more than a school, as
because there are so few men among the refugees, the
teachers/workers at the school also form the council for the refugee
community, with many of their issues being brought here to have
resolved.
It was what happened
here, at this school from which many of my more vivid memories of
Azerbaijan come.
Most of the orphans
sponsored have either no parents at all or only the mother to look
after them, those with no parents are looked after by other
relatives.
One such example, that
will never leave me, was when we met an elderly lady who had lost
her five sons and her son-in-law in the war. She lived with her
daughter and together they looked after nine children. She told us
her story (through our local Azeri translator) with a fierce pride
which stated that whatever had happened to her sons she would always
be proud of them. She told us of her family life back in Chechnya,
and of how her peaceful life in a mountainous village was shattered
when the Russian army came one day and without provocation started
raining missiles and spraying bullets over their village. Tears
welled up in her eyes where she recalled how her sons had grabbed
their rifles to save their family. She stopped, and then thanked us
for coming and showing support. She bade us to take her greetings
and news of her prayers back to those who continue to support her
needy people. She paused, resignedly, and said, "With God's help
we'll get by."
After she left, we were
told by others that one of her sons' head had been left by the
Russians to be found just outside their village: nothing else; just
his head.
There were many other
similar stories, where even the children vividly remember what had
happened against their fathers and in some cases even their mothers.
A five year old
toddler, by the name of Muhammad, was brought before us by his
grandmother. Our translator softly told us his story. Muhammad was
only five months old when his father was killed. His mother had
escaped and was forced to move from place to place until when he was
2 and a half, she decided to try to cross the border into
Azerbaijan. At the Russian side he and his mother were separated and
he was found two days later by a tourist inside a dog kennel. He was
agonisingly close to starvation and covered in animal waste. As he
was nursed back to health he refused to talk to any body. It was
only afterwards when a news channel was reporting on torture and
brutality and at their showing a scene of a man getting viciously
beaten did he say in a quite voice, "That was what happened to my
mother."
Officials at the school
say that it seems the child has not come to understand that his
mother has died. Anytime he is given something, be it a sweet, he
will always try to save some of it. When asked why, he will
defiantly say, "I am keeping it for my mother, for when she comes
and finds me."
More Problems
As mentioned before,
price of accommodation is a significant burden for those suffering
poverty. Add to that, very poor, yet very expensive medical
assistance, and a high dose of insecurity, and the result amounts to
a very big problem.
Chechens refugees move
between countries. The reason that many have not settled in a
specific place to rebuild their lives is because they do not feel
safe. The lack of security is due to some Chechen families recently
going missing and being found dead in politically sensitive areas.
To understand this, one needs to understand the political area and
its history.
The Chechens left their
homeland due to their being persecuted by the Russians. The
Azerbaijan government and people have always welcomed the Chechens
who they have felt sympathetic towards. Azerbaijan itself is not
entirely safe, as approximately 10% of its land mass is under the
occupation of Armenia. The Armenians are backed by not only the US
and Russia but also by much of the Christian world and also by some
factions within Iran, who are ill-disposed towards the Sunni
Chechens taking refuge in the 50-50 passive country of Azerbaijan.
Frankly put, almost everyone apart from the Azerbaijani people, do
not want the Chechens there. The simple solution is thus to create
distrust between the Azerbaijanis and the Chechens in whichever way
they can to try to break the relationships. Many incidents have
happened but have been unsuccessful. However, kidnappings and
killings do exist and this is what the Chechen refugees fear, as
they are unable to defend themselves. It is also because of this
that Most have asked that we do not use their real names. Who is
doing this, is unclear.
The able-bodied, male,
Chechen refugee population is very small. In fact, they are only a
handful. There are approximately 30 who are either seriously injured
or ill. We went to an "office" that was called "Salaam". This
"office" was in a miserable residential building, where a one-legged
Chechen gentleman worked keeping records of the families in Baku. He
had heard of our coming from our guide beforehand and as we entered
we witnessed him move remarkable swiftly around his coffee-table
desk to greet us. We started to move towards him to prevent him from
taking the trouble and to save our selves from further discomfiture.
He, however, gestured that we remain where we were and take our
seats.
The gentleman told us
in detail of the problems that many of the injured and infirm
Chechens faced. Amputees were forced to carry on with their lives
with either no artificial limbs or old, worn out ones which, at any
moment, could give way under them. The limbs of some of these
victims had not even been amputated properly. Some were known to
have infections and were in critical need of help to prevent the
fatal spread of gangrene and septicaemia.
Effects of war were not
the only problems as some refugees were also suffering from cancer,
TB and other serious ailments.
These problems were not
only among the adults, but many children were also afflicted by the
same problems as the adults.
The lack of decent
medical facilities in Azerbaijan meant that they could not get the
required treatment locally. On top of that the combined cost of
travel and treatment anywhere else, made all hope of a remedy
futile.
Iqbal and I were
thoroughly depressed on hearing about the helplessness of the
abandoned and forgotten Chechens; how despite our working there and
having representatives through which support maybe could be reached,
we were still were so ignorant of their plight.
On the way back to our
room we were discussing the situation of the people, when Iqbal
asked our Chechen guide if there were more disabled or invalid
Chechens in Azerbaijan. He sharply looked away from us and went
silent (as this was in the middle of a conversation it really struck
us). As I was in the front seat of the car I could see his watery
eyes as he paused. He answered in a lowered voice, that barely two
months ago a man from Canada had come and had requested him to show
him the state of his people. As he took this person around, he too
grew increasingly aware of the sheer extent of their suffering. The
Chechen refugees had some element within them that would prevent
them from even discuss their ailments among themselves. He was
certain that despite "Salaam's" efforts in trying to represent their
full community, he knew only too well that many, if not most of the
cases were concealed even from them. Only a few of perhaps the most
excruciating of cases were recorded by them.
Stepping up to Help
We noticed many things
on our short visit to
Azerbaijan. Some
that filled the heart with hope. That happened whenever we saw an
orphan smile. It was truly an immense moment every time we saw a
child's smile radiate through his/her pained face.
Not all of what we saw
was so wondrous. The Chechen refugees were in need and there was no
escaping that. Their fundamental needs were in three main areas:
financial support, education, and empowerment.
Support in the
financial area includes: continuous orphan sponsorships; family
sponsorships - in helping Chechen families meet their rent and have
food; and medical support – which includes transport and in some
cases, the purchasing of prosthetic limbs.
Education means to help
support the school which currently needs help, as the age
differences between the students widens, and as such more classes
and courses are needed. The group overlooking the school had
suggested that if it were possible a few students should also be
sent abroad to learn necessary skills to help their community.
Empowerment means that
skills training and vocational courses are provided to some of the
adults (or as many of them as possible) immediately. With this, the
Chechens can eventually take themselves out of poverty and help
support themselves and others in the community.
The outcome of meeting
these remarkable people – remarkable as they had gone through so
much, and already they were ready to forget their trauma and move
forward – was seeing their thirst in becoming independent. They left
their homes with nothing. They are now refugees with nothing. The
only thing they wish for is an opportunity to get on the ladder of
self-sufficiency. They ask us to provide this one opportunity.
Ebrahim Moosa
UWT Field Worker & Development Officer |
