The young people of the Global Xchange program were a gift from heaven in as much as they arrived to Bukhara and the Bukhara Tourism Association at a time when we were up to our ears taking small steps to make the old town a yet better place for tourism and visitors. Shukhrat, Anvar, Nafisa, Alex, Dominique, Nathan each picked a project and then had free hand and financing available to put measures into place under the strict requirement to draw up a strategy and work with the indispensable elements of project management. I would say it was a healthy experience and a time of personal development for all participants to being in charge from A to Z. In the end, the team had a lot to show for and we will always remember each of them and the contribution they made to Bukhara. The Editor

Global Xchange, is a Volunteers Programme, for 18 to 25 year old citizens of Great Britain. It's aim is to bring young people from the UK together with locals from all kinds of backgrounds and social levels to share skills and change lives.
It is a British Council, Voluntary Services Overseas, and Community Service Volunteers Joint Project and here in Uzbekistan it is working with the local Red Crescent.

In the spring of this year, 9 young people from the UK traveled to Uzbekistan, where they were paired up with 9 youngsters from various cities around Uzbekistan. The group spent 6 months living and working together, first 3 months in Bukhara and then 3 months in Bradford.

In Bukhara the team achieved loads, they all lived in pairs with local families and worked in Orphanages, schools, nurseries and with older people.

As well as their regular work placements they organised 13 Community Activties days to reach more lives, these days inclunded, renovating a playground in an orphanage for children with disabilities, The Volunteers Day & Fair, a Cultural Day and much more.
The team loved their time in Bukhara, they made lots of great friends.

[.. and they are greatly missed in Bukhara, as I walk through the old town, I am often being asked "when is Nathan coming back? How is Shukhrat? We miss Alex. The Editor ]

The work with the young girls selling crafts near to Minaret Kalon has consisted of creating them an identity “Junior Girls Craft Cooperative”. Our work has involved holding seminars with them to improve cooperation with tourists, creating identity badges and signs to promote their products. They are currently disturbing the students of the Miri-Arab Medresse along whose walls they are selling so to find a solution convenient for everyone we have worked on a proposed alternative for this problem involving the creation of stalls just opposite their present working place.

Alex and Shukhrat