Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva and her husband Timur Tillyaev are committed to helping children from deprived backgrounds, and have been doing so for almost two decades. Way back in 2002, the couple recognized an urgent need in their homeland of Uzbekistan. They decided to act and this is how the You Are Not Alone Foundation was born. Reacting to the challenge posed by COVID-19 in their hometown of LA, Lola Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev are also helping out by providing economic support to the UCLA Mattel Children’s hospital. This help arrived at a critical point as specialist equipment is in desperate need due to the pandemic.
Lola Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev’s support for charities
What first ignited the couple’s determination to act was the plight of orphans in Uzbekistan. Initially, they contributed funds to improve the care at orphanages and care homes across the country. After seeing how profoundly such interventions improved the lives of Uzbek children, they set themselves more ambitious goals. These days, You Are Not Alone is responsible for designing, constructing and outfitting purpose-built facilities right across the sprawling nation of their birth. Tashkent Mercy Home No. 23 offers one recent example. The 2.5-hectare site includes, a medical unit, three residential buildings, a conference room, a library, a sports centre, three swimming pools, a conference hall designed to host up to 250 people, a dining hall for 230 people, and an amphitheatre with a large stage.
To complement these services, Lola Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev’s foundation also operates in the fields of education and health. Lola and Timur provide university scholarships for talented students. As the couple explain: “Education is at the heart of everything the You Are Not Alone foundation does”.
You Are Not Alone is also involved in numerous programs to provide medical care to those in serious need. One of the most notable initiatives is the direct purchase of equipment for medical institutions. For instance, recognizing a need at the Perinatal Centre in Tashkent, they provided a range of equipment including, x-ray systems, cardiac monitors and ultrasound machines. The positive impact on patient care was deeply felt. Another strategy has been to form partnerships with other NGOs which bring more specialized expertise. For example, they’ve teamed up with the French organization, Association La Chaîne de l’Espoir (Chain of Hope). In this way they can assist children with chronic cardiac conditions. As Timur Tillyaev has said, “for the past two decades my wife and I have been involved in various charity projects in Uzbekistan and internationally to support the vulnerable and enable initiatives that help people”.
Life-saving equipment to UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital
More recently, they have responded to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. by helping to address shortages at the UCLA Hospital System.
The couple’s commitment to helping those in need, especially children, continues today. Timur Tillyaev is currently on the board at the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. As he explains, “I believe that by giving children the best opportunities, we are investing in a better world”.
