Organisational portrait

Let's Save the Generation (LSG) is a local non-governmental organisation which was founded          on 1st June 2001 and became officially registered    on 21st August of that year. The organisation is     the implementing partner of UNICEF and has implemented and continues to implement the following programmes and projects:

1. Mine programme:

Data gathering for the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database on mine/UXO victims in the Chechen Republic; 

Mine Risk Education performances for children;

Dissemination of Mine Risk Education materials;

Distribution of wheelchairs, walking sticks and elbow-rests;

Providing social assistance to the disabled;

Providing assistance to invalids in obtaining prosthetics and getting treatment;

Presentations on the Mine programme.

3. Joint projects with Germany: Interplast

LSG works in collaboration with "Interplast", a non-governmental organisation of volunteer plastic surgeons, anaesthetists, specialised nurses etc. who work free of charge during their free time. Interplast teams provide reconstructive operations that transform the lives of children with physical disabilities and thereby improve the future of the whole family of those children too. The aim of this project is to provide plastic surgery to children who have suffered from mines or are born with defects in order to improve their function, not for cosmetic surgery purposes.

In September 2005, a support mission was conducted by Alex Jacob (General Consul of Romania in Germany) in preparation for which LSG had carried out extensive monitoring amongst vulnerable families with seriously low living situations in Chechnya. 180 operation requests were collected although it will only be possible to fulfil 120 of them. The duration of the project which will take place in April 2006 is 10 days and a team of 9 persons (4 surgeons, 2 anaesthetists, 2 nurses and 1 organisor) are invited and will be able to run two operating tables simultaneously.  

The operation pre-selection carried out by LSG was in collaboration with local doctors. Prior to the arrival of the Interplast team, a list of the first 20 patients to be treated has been prepared. Operations to be performed include: burns contractures, congenital deformities like cleft lip and palate, functional deficits or disfiguration from injury, infection, tumours in children, but usually some adults can be considered for surgery as well. The Interplast team will provide special instruments, medical equipment and suture material and all operations will be carried out in Grozny.

The Chechen president and Chechen Government are doing their best to realize this project successfully and Chechen President Alu Alkhanov has sent the invitation letter to Alex Jacob and to “Interplast” team personally. The Department of External relations of President and Government of Chechnya have done all the procedure to get visas for the team in time. The Chechen Government also proclaims that they will provide the security, living accommodation and transport during their stay in our Republic on a high level. This project will be our first in collaboration with the Chechen Government and alot is depending on this. The Ministry of Health will provide special medicines, anaesthesia apparatus, recovery room, operating tables, infusions, oxygen, nitrous oxide, halothane, dressing material, plaster of paris. 

         The main goal of the organisation is to provide psychological support and physical rehabilitation for mine victims, mine risk awareness of children, to reduce the mine victims and protection of the society interest providing different assistance to the most vulnerable population of the Chechen Republic including children, women, adolescents, mine/UXO victims, orphans, single women and disabled people.

2. Psychosocial and physical rehabilitation programme:

LSG runs a psychosocial and physical rehabilitation centre in Grozny with psychologists, a sports trainer, musician, traumatologist and masseur working with children and adolescents. For the moment, it is the only rehabilitation centre in Grozny. Children and adolescent mine/UXO survivors attend the centre and receive psychosocial and physical rehabilitation.

The rehabilitation course runs for three months and involves qualified psychologists, a music therapist, sports trainer, neuropathologist, speech therapist, paediatrician, traumatologist and masseur. The treatment course also includes physiotherapy exercises. All children attending the centre receive prosthesis.

The main goal of the programme is to provide qualified medical, physical, pedagogical and psychosocial rehabilitation to mine survivors from Grozny and the rural areas of Chechnya, contributing to their full and timely integration into family life and society.

4. Joint projects with Germany: Eyesight

"Eyesight" is a charity association for blind Rumanian orphans and homeless children, as well as for mine victims in Chechnya. It continues to be realised thanks to the support of the President, Alex Jacob.

To date, 16 Chechen children have received professional medical assistance at the Federov Eye Microsurgery clinic in Moscow. All of the children are victim-survivors of mines. LSG accompanies the children to Moscow and all expenses involved are paid for by Eyesight and Alex Jacob.

At present, four children are staying in Moscow where they will be fitted with eye prosthesis. There are many many children who need these operations but there are few possibilities for them at the moment. We hope, therefore, that it may be possible to continue this project with the help of Alex Jacob.

If you would like more information about the work of Let's Save the Generation and how to support them, please contact us.

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The Minister of Health deputy Sultan Alimkhadjiev, the chief of External Affairs department, Project Coordinator Zarema Sadulaeva and one more representative of our organization have since been invited to Germany by  Alex Jacob  for discussion of this project and to meet the Interplast team. Succesful implementation of the project should take place in April!