Hygiene packages gratefully received

In 2020 we helped more than 60,000 people working in our supply chains to cope with the Covid-19 crisis. Here, you can find out how our assistance was received by a community of wild collectors in Kyrgyzstan.

Less to worry about
Ethibar Egemberdieva from the village of Arstanbap-Ata in southern Kyrgyzstan looks over her package of cleaning and hygiene items with satisfaction: solid and liquid hand soap, disinfectant, masks, gloves, laundry detergent, scouring powder, dish soap, floor cleaner and more. “We have eleven people in my house,” says Ethibar. “So it all goes to good use, especially now, during the pandemic.”

Dilnaz Nazarova from the village of Nichke-Sai was pleasantly surprised by the high quality and variety of the cleaning and hygiene items: “It’s important for me to know I don’t have to worry about this, at least for a bit,” she says. Kholida Chokonbaeva from the same village was particularly pleased with the laundry detergent and liquid hand soap. “We’ve actually never used liquid hand soap before, and the detergent we usually buy never smells so good,” she smiles.

The three women are part of the wild collection community in Kyrgyzstan that provides Martin Bauer with wild apples. These workers are the first link in our value chain, and therefore of decisive importance.

Fertile forests secure livelihoods
The Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, part of the Soviet Union until 1991, is a mountainous country. Ninety percent of it is more than 1,500 meters above sea level. Mighty and rugged peaks up to 7,000 meters tall loom over deep valleys. Just four percent of the country is covered in forest, but those forests boast remarkable biodiversity. For centuries, local people have lived from the walnuts, wild apples, juniper and mushrooms that grow here. Today, at a time when many people in the country are unemployed, these wild plants enable rural populations to secure their livelihood.

The national forestry department leases plots of between three and seven hectares to families, who are permitted to harvest the forest fruits, but not to use the wood. When the fruits ripen, the families take their tents and supplies into the forest and cut a trail through the undergrowth with horses or donkeys, as there are no established roads or paths.

The pandemic hits Kyrgyzstan
This small country was not spared from the rapid spread of the coronavirus. In summer 2020 a massive wave of infection hit. In a country of 6.5 million there are only an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 hospital beds. There is a serious shortage of physicians, and to cap it off, for a while Kyrgyzstan had one of the highest rate of infection among medical personnel in the world, and the highest Covid-19 mortality rate. As many Kyrgyz people have no real possibility of receiving assistance in hospitals, they have been trying to help themselves. They have been very resourceful and have been able to count on an excellent support system of volunteers, who shared useful information on social networks, set up an online medical advice service, and provided the poorest sections of the population with essentials.

Help! Lockdown during collecting season
Many people here live like Ethibar and her family – a large household in a small space, where money is tight. In an attempt to control the pandemic, the government imposed movement restrictions, as happened in many countries around the world. This came at the worst possible time for the collectors in Kyrgyzstan – precisely when they would normally be collecting wild apples and walnuts in order to sell them and earn crucial income. When we asked our supply partners in Kyrgyzstan what the people on the ground needed most of all, the reply was: “Please send cleaning and hygiene items.” These items had become much more expensive during the pandemic, and yet the local shops and markets still often ran out.

In partnership with Pukka and Mercy Corps
Our customer Pukka lent financial support to our Covid-19 response measures, and the packages were organized and delivered by Mercy Corps, an international NGO working in Kyrgyzstan. Delivering packages to 223 families also gave Mercy Corps the opportunity to provide the communities with information about the coronavirus, its global progression, and how they could effectively protect themselves and their families.

Thank you!
Dilnaz Nazarova has five children, and was delighted with her family’s package: “Every month I buy about C1,000 [USD 15] worth of cleaning supplies of medium quality. The amount we received is sufficient for several months. For example, this laundry detergent will last about six months – even for laundry for five kids! We really appreciate this assistance, and wish Mercy Corps, Pukka and the Martin Bauer Group prosperity and wellbeing.” Kholida Chokonbaeva, from the same village, added: “Thank you very much for taking such good care of us!”

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