Kindness and Solidarity in a Time of Crisis

We are safe thanks to doctors, nurses, EMTs, volunteers, and activists, but their work is invisible to society. These people risk their health and lives in order to save others.

Their invisible labor has become especially important during the days of the coronavirus pandemic. The hard work and self-sacrifice of epidemiologists, nurses and EMTs slows the spread of the virus. Volunteers play a significant role in providing care, medicine, and food to people with disabilities, pensioners, the poor and other vulnerable people.

Today we tell the story of Rasima Temerbaeva, volunteer and founder of the charitable organization Kind Lunches. For five years, Temerbaeva and her team have been feeding pensioners, the poor, and people with disabilities in Almaty free of charge. With the announcement of the State of Emergency in Kazakhstan and the state-imposed quarantine in Almaty, Temerbaeva’s team has begun to feed doctors and ambulance crews. Thanks to the volunteer work of this team, medical workers at some ambulance stations in Almaty receive food and, most importantly, feel human support and care in the midst of this pandemic.

THE BEGINNING

I worked in and learned from various fields. My first degree is in psychology, while my second is in economics. I have extensive experience in business and trade, and this helps me in my social work. But most importantly — I have always had a drive to learn.

I have worked for twenty years to get to where I am today. I studied many things. I tried as hard as I could learn about as many subjects as possible. Five years ago, in April 2015, I took part in project management training. It was then that the idea of free meals for the elderly came to me. After some time, I initiated my idea and began to feed pensioners for free. I dedicated this project to my maternal grandmother.

We started with fifteen dinners. Now we have one kitchen and two points of distribution. The first and oldest distribution point is at the intersection of Aimanov and Zhandosov streets. We’ve served food there for five years. Our second point on Shashkin Street below Al-Farabi Prospect will soon be two years old.

At present, we prepare dinners for 150 senior citizens daily, excluding weekends and holidays. Our clients are those who live near our two distribution points. The average age of these people is 80.

The primary goal of our free dinners is not the food itself: it’s socialization. Our services provide our clients with a reason to leave their homes every day, communicate, and share news with each other. This food is spiritual, moral. Some of our pensioners become volunteers themselves: they help deliver meals to others who cannot come to us themselves. They are motivated by warm kind words, care, and attention. Pensioners often say: “This meal is not important for us. What is important is that you are here waiting for us.”

The primary goal of our free dinners is not the food itself: it’s socialization

TOSYA

What makes me sad? It makes me sad when the elderly die.

Two years ago, one babushka really touched my heart. Her name was Antonina, but we all made up a new nickname for her: Tosya.

At first, Tosya was not sociable. In the beginning, she didn’t even want to take our meals; she simply passed us by. One day she came to us and asked, “Can I have five portions?” It turned out that she had retired neighbors who were physically unable to come and pick up our meals. Of course, we began to give her five servings. We asked why she had not come before, to which Tosya replied: “I felt uncomfortable...”

For more than a year, every day, Babushka Tosya took and delivered these meals to bedridden elders in various apartments. She not only brought our lunches to the elderly, but also helped them with their household chores, washing the floors, buying groceries. She came to us for the sake of these people.

Once Tosya came, but it was obvious she was weak. As usual, she took five meals. Then she came over, looked at me and said, “You stay healthy, dear.” The next day, Tosya did not come. We were later told that she had died that night. I cried. Our entire team cried for two days.

Tosya was 72. And she was also a volunteer.

QUARANTINE

When they announced the start of quarantine in Almaty, I began to worry: What will we do? How can we continue helping our elderly in this crisis? On March 19, the day the quarantine began, I saw a doctor standing next to an ambulance on Shashkin Street. He held a meat pasty in one hand and a small bottle of cola in the other. I nearly cried. I thought about the doctors, and how hard they work these days. I gathered myself, dialed 103 and said: “I am Rasima Temerbaeva. I want to make food for doctors and ambulance workers.” This is how we began to cook for our doctors.

On that day, we handed ten servings of plov to ambulance staff. Then, I asked city residents through Facebook and Instagram: “Will you help feed the doctors?” Many kind people responded; in two days we collected about 700,000 tenge. If on the first day we gave ten servings to doctors, yesterday we already delivered 142 servings.

I saw a doctor standing next to an ambulance on Shashkin Street. He held a meat pasty in one hand and a small bottle of cola in the other. I nearly cried.

We serve all our food using disposable dishes in plastic bags. We observe safety standards: everything is sterilized, we work in gloves and masks, and we do not allow unnecessary personnel in our kitchen. For now, we are providing our pensioners with rationed provisions, giving them necessary groceries in advance so that they are able to stay at home for the duration of the quarantine, thus minimizing risk to their health.

Unfortunately, we can’t feed everyone. Every day, about 1,000 ambulance support workers are on the job: nurses, drivers, paramedics, doctors, call center operators and other employees. But on our team, few people and limited resources mean we can only make a certain number of meals. But we hope that our city will step up and lend their support. I hope that the general public, including Almaty restaurateurs, can help our cause. Perhaps an unused kazan is sitting in someone’s home, and they realize they have a desire to cook some soup for the doctors. We can provide them with groceries, and they can cook.

Right now, it’s important to distribute help so that not all of our eggs are in one basket. We try to increase the number of meals we provide for doctors while also expanding coverage in general. So far, we are serving three ambulance stations. Some cafes and restaurants have also joined our cause. When restaurants call me to offer help, I distribute them among the stations. We have one cafe feeding two ambulance stations, and one restaurant prepares 50 lunches for other doctors every day. Another person feeds doctors and military personnel at road checkpoints; someone else is tasked with feeding regional doctors who work in city hospitals. Yesterday, kind souls informed me that they are letting 30 doctors from the region stay in their hostel for free during the quarantine. Other people are organizing coffee, every day brewing 10-12 liters and taking them to doctors. They also bake bread for healthcare workers — 50 loaves daily. Now, we must support our healthcare workers and military personnel, because they have more work than ever, and they are at risk. Some vendors assist us when they find out we are serving healthcare providers; they give discounts or offer free delivery.

Now, we must support our healthcare workers and military personnel, because they have more work than ever, and they are at risk

Everyone needs support and attention, and today no one needs this more than doctors. We don’t just give them food — we show them our support. I shower warm words upon all of our ambulance workers: “Thank you! People bow low to pay their respects to you! People are grateful to you. Have no fear! ” And the doctors tell us: “And you, too, be fearless. We are with you.”

SOLIDARITY

Our free meals are not supported by large organizations or businesses. Ordinary citizens have supported us 100% via crowdfunding for all five years of our existence.

Unity inspires and supports us even during times of emergency. In the last few days, numerous people have called to offer a car for delivery, a hostel for lodging, or to volunteer to work. I love seeing this increase in volunteers. Members of the movement “I am an Almatian” and other volunteers now work every day, obtaining groceries, packing meals, and delivering them to pensioners, those who are ill, and those with many children. These volunteers are the same as the rest of my team: daring and willing to take risks, in order to make ourselves useful now in this life and in this society.

There are many kind people in our society who do not know they are kind. Someone might say, “I’m no volunteer,” but brings a bag of buckwheat to those in need. Someone else might say the same thing but brings masks to others for free. And I say: this is kindness. And there are many people like this.

We work without holidays, often without days off. Since the state of emergency was announced, we have been working even more. To reduce risk and avoid crowding, I just sent some employees to a remote location, leaving three remaining in Almaty. I’m on the phone around the clock, because people don’t look at the time when they call us.

There are many kind people in our society who do not know they are kind

This unity and solidarity now brings us all together — volunteers, doctors, and all manner of kind people.

I believe that I did the right thing when I began to feed the elderly, and now doctors. Right now, though, I want nothing more than to sleep. I haven’t slept for such a long time!

Over the past five years, Rasima Temerbaeva and her team have won several local and national prizes and awards. But her most important accomplishment becomes obvious when you simply stand with her on the street. Elders approach her and thank her. An ambulance driver, passing us along Shashkin Street, turns on his siren for a few seconds, and people in medical gowns and masks wave joyfully out the window to Temerbaeva.

Workload, stress, and risk has increased significantly for all volunteers due to the state of emergency that has been announced because of the coronavirus pandemic. You can support Temerbaeva’s initiative with a donation of any size. All donations go towards maintenance and expantion of the free “Kind Lunches” program for doctors and ambulance staff of Almaty, who are at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus.
Donations for the Kind Lunches project can be made through the Birgemiz charity platform or bank transfer:

Kaspi Gold: 5169 4931 5913 1310 (IIN 721205401795)
Halyk Bank: 5354 5100 1763 8270 (IIN 721205401795)
Forte Bank: 4042 4289 0660 4918 (IIN 721205401795)
Kazkom: 5483 1919 2631 1012 (IIN 721205401795)
Qiwi wallet: +7 747 856 5633

Almaty, March 2020