You Are Not Alone Foundation, a film by Sylvie Boulloud

You Are Not Alone is a moving piece of film-making by French film-maker and artist, Sylvie Boulloud. Shot in French, an English version can be accessed for free through Youtube at, (https://www.lolakarimova.com/video/you-are-not-alone-foundation-a-film-by-sylvie-boulloud). The 30-minute film is a moving tribute to the ongoing, life-changing work of the foundation, You Are Not Alone.

Formed in 2002 by Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva and her husband Timur Tillyaev, the charity’s goal is to provide comprehensive support and assistance to orphaned and abandoned children. Lola and Timur wanted to, “ensure that vulnerable children grow up in a caring and loving environment,” (https://www.lolakarimova.com/about-the-foundation). Their first step was to provide funds to orphanages and ‘care homes’ so that these institutions could substantially upgrade the quality of care they could provide. From there, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev broadened their reach.

Lola Karimova with a child


Recognizing the difference a solid education can make to a young person’s life opportunities, they generously provided for the education of thousands of impoverished Uzbek kids through both primary and secondary schooling. For gifted students, they also offer scholarships which allow them to pursue university studies. As Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev say, “Education is at the heart of everything the You Are Not Alone foundation does,” (http://timurtillyaevtimurtilliaev.over-blog.com/you-are-not-alone-foundation-timur-tillyaev-lola-karimova).

Yet it’s in the field of health care where their programs are most diverse. For example, recognizing a need at the State Perinatal Centre in Tashkent, You Are Not Alone generously provided new pieces of equipment such as; x-ray systems, cardiac monitors and ultrasound machines. Seeing the benefits that this program brought to mothers and their new-borns must have been deeply moving. Rarely are the positive consequences of philanthropy so immediately evident, (https://www.lolakarimova.com/healthcare-assistance).

Sylvie Boulloud’s film focuses on another of Lola Karimova and Timur Tillyaev’s programs. You Are Not Alone has formed a partnership with the French organization, Associaiton La Chaîne de l’Espoir (Chain of Hope). The documentary follows the work of French cardiac surgeons who visit Uzbekistan and team up with local specialists. Together they treat seriously ill children from some of the country’s most disadvantaged families.

Timur Tillyaev and Lola Karimova


For these children, suffering from complex congenital heart conditions, the impact of this program is literally life-changing for both themselves and their entire families. Since its launch in 2015, over 130 complex surgical procedures have been conducted. Some of these operations were so delicate, that Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev’s foundation sent children all the way to France to ensure they received the best care available.  

One thing which does not appear in the film is Lola Tillyaeva receiving the Fashion 4 Development Award at the 9th Annual First Ladies luncheon in New York in September 2019. She received it in recognition of her nearly twenty years of dedication to improving the life chances of Uzbekistan’s youth – or as they explained it, for “supporting the UN Millennium Development Goals and ‘Every woman, Every child through education, empowerment, enhancement and enrichment,” (http://www.fashion4development.com/aboutf4d).

 

This concern for Uzbekistan’s neediest kids and the determination to do something to alleviate their situation is readily apparent all the way through Sylvie Boulloud’s film. From the interviews of grateful parents to the satisfaction evident in the faces of the medical staff involved, it’s clear that the work of Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, Timur Tillyaev and their foundation, You Are Not Alone, is having a profound and transformative impact upon the lives of Uzbekistan’s most vulnerable families.