I. News from "AESOP"

The presentation of the first issue of the educational journal "Aesop's Fables" published by the organization AESOP [which in Russian, in addition to referring to Aesop of Aesop's Fables fame, is an acronym for the words "effective protection, instruction, and prevention", Trans.], took place on Valentine's Day at the Planet Hollywood restaurant.

The journal publishes materials on issues of sexual health, prevention of HIV/AIDS, family planning, and the struggle against discrimination against persons with AIDS and persons of alternative sexual orientations. The plan is to publish the journal three times a year in both Russian and English. For now there is only the English version. The Russian version will come out in March of this year. The journal may be obtained at the center or by e-mail.

Over the past months there has been a reorganization at AESOP. According to Aleksei Popov, the vice president [of AESOP] and director of its Moscow center, AESOP will soon become a completely voluntary organization. Today at the center there is an internship program aimed primarily at foreign students studying in Russia. Once they studied issues of sex education in their own countries and now would like to continue their research in this area in Russia. AESOP helps them do this by providing access to technical and informational resources. In return the students voluntarily participate in the center's programs.

One of the programs devoted to sex education in the schools is being done together with the International Family Research Institute. Another program - M&M (Man to Man) promotes safe sex among gays.

The center's phone number is 925-0444.
E mail: [email protected]
URL: www.glasnet.ru/~aesop.

II. St. Petersburg Christian Democrats Demand an End to Forced Military Conscription

On February 17 in St. Petersburg young Christian Democrats picketed at Kazan Cathedral on Nevskii Prospekt demanding: "Stop Forced Conscription!" This was the first measure taken as part of a campaign that will take place in St. Petersburg over the course of several months for the swift introduction of alternative civil service. In addition, there will be round table discussions on questions of military service and a professional army. Signatures will be gathered on petitions for the prompt introduction of alternative civil service, and a poll of public opinion on the issue of military service will be taken.

The young Christian democrats of St. Petersburg ask for your support of their campaign.

Telephone number: (812) 251-1971
Fax: (812) 110-1526

III. The National Democratic Institute Consults with Non-Commercial Organizations in Dzerzhinsk

At the invitation of the local authorities and the Dzerzhinsk Voters Club, a group of experts from the National Democratic International Relations Institute (Natsional'nyi demokraticheskii institut mezhdunarodnykh otnoshenii) visited the city of Dzerzhinsk in Nizhnii Novgorod oblast.

The meetings of the specialists from the Institute with representatives of the city administration and deputies, and with directors of different enterprises dealt with issues of planning the socio-economic development of the city. A second parallel working session took place at the chamber of commerce and industry on the status of cooperation of noncommercial organizations with local authorities. Around 30 directors of social organizations in Dzerzhinsk took part in the meetings, where the status of the development of the city's third sector and questions of cooperation with the authorities were discussed. Leaders of the Soldiers' Mothers Committee, trade unions, disabilities organizations, and creative unions also talked about way of implementing existing laws and about new legislative initiatives.

Emma Feldstein, the chairman of the Voters Club and a member of the oblast human rights commission, commented in her remarks that at this time the cooperation of non-commercial organizations and local authorities in Dzerzhinsk must be characterized as unsatisfactory. She also said that although the signing of an agreement on cooperation between the city administration and social organizations that provides for constant exchange of information, common hearings, and unified actions is scheduled in a few days, we are still far from a complete mutual understanding. Representatives of organizations in Dzerzhinsk told of how for a long time now proposals from representatives of society for improvements to the city charter have received no action from the city administration. Perhaps the meeting that took place as part of the consultation with the experts from the NDI will help solve these pressing problems.

IV. The Rostropovich Fund Completes Construction of a Children's Hospital

A five month long fund raising marathon by the Nizhnii Novgorod Vishnevskii-Rostropovich Fund was concluded on February 16 with the festive opening of a new medical facility at the central regional hospital in the village of Vachia. Nearly the entire 10,000 population of the village greeted not only Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaia, who had flown in from St. Petersburg, but also the Governor of the oblast Boris Nemtsov, the directors of banks and large enterprises in Nizhnii Novgorod, and the builders of the hospital, who expended no small effort for the timely and very functional (by Russian standards) (sic) completion of the construction.

After the three story structure had been opened and dedicated there was a small press conference attended by journalists from 15 or so national and local media outlets. The founders and representatives of the Board of Trustees of the Fund and Governor Nemtsov appeared at the press conference. Rostropovich and his assistants were given commerative gifts and invited to visit the territory of Nizhnii-Novgorod. Mistislav Leopol'dovich [Rostropovich] himself talked about the principles that led him to create the Fund, about Christian precepts, and about his love for his homeland.

The journalists viewed the hospital, which meets the most modern requirements. Oxygen supplies in the rooms, computerized anesthesiology equipment, modern hospital beds, all of this is new not only for the residents of Vachia but for many Nizhnii Novgorodians as well. The largest part of the new medical facility is the obstetrics and gynecology department. As was noted at the press conference, Nizhnii Novgorod oblast is one of the few in Russia where the death rate does not exceed the birth rate. Hospitals like this will help preserve these positive statistics.

The Vishnevskaia-Rostropovich Fund of Nizhnii Novgorod was established on August 16, 1996, during a visit by Mstislav Rostropovich to Nizhnii Novgorod. The purpose of the Fund is to provide charitable assistance to Russia�s women�s and children�s medical facilities. This is the second such fund this famous musician has set up. Rostropovich set up the first one, which is international, several years ago in Washington [D. C.].

An account for the Vishnevskaia-Rostropovich Fund was opened at the NBD Bank. From August to December, 1996, 740 million rubles were collected. In the first month of this year another 75 million rubles came into the Fund. In addition, the international Rostropovich Fund [from Washington, DC] gave the hospital equipment worth around three billion rubles. In all more than 20 firms from Nizhnii-Novgorod participated in the creation of the Fund. The largest sums were donated by"NORSI", "Nizhnovenergo", "�NBD Bank", "Coca-Cola", "Volga", "STAFF", and the Gor'kii Rail Road. As the Governor noted, without this Fund the Vachia hospital would have taken much longer to build.

The Vishnevskaia-Rostropovich Fund is also unique in that it works without a regular staff. A board of trustees decides the strategic questions concerning the work of the Fund. The staff of NBD Bank responsible for carrying out this bank's program of charities worked closely with the Fund. Ekaterina Petelina, an expert from the bank's marketing department, said that the further work of the Fund in the Nizhnii Novgorod area has not yet been determined, but it is hoped that it will in one way or another continue to provide humanitarian aid to Nizhnii-Novgorod's medical facilities.

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