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800 rolls, ten pairs of scissors and staplers. A month of the «Yellow
Ribbons» campaign means cutting nearly 26 thousand meters of satin ribbon. At
this table, patience, unity and friendship are not just words. These girls believe in
their power: if you say them often enough, they will become reality.
[Zhibek Koichukunova, Project Coordinator, Interbilim Center] A person
who wears one of these ribbons near his heart will be declaring that no one should
be afraid of him, that he is not a nationalist, not a chauvinist, that you
could ask him for help.
Every day we make between 1,000 and 1,500 ribbons. Our volunteers, activists
and partners collect the packages of ribbons from the office and take them out
to be distributed in the regions.
The organizers chose the color carefully. On the Internet, they found that many
people associate yellow with positive emotions. For the volunteers, it is also a
symbol of forgiveness. That is what they wanted to take to the people.
Ayperi, Elnura, Altinai and Nuska are volunteers. The oldest of them is 20.
Every day before lunch, these students hand out ribbons on the streets of
Bishkek. They patiently explain the intent of their campaign—to help people stop
being afraid and start living again.
We will make use of these qualities to help Kyrgyzstan get on the right path.
We want peace, friendship. We want the country to flourish.
We should live and make our lives meaningful. We should always live
according to our conscience.
These participants were amongst the first to pin on the yellow ribbons. Even though
they are only 4, these kindergarteners knew right away why the ribbons are
yellow and not any other color.
What does yellow mean, kids? What does it look like? Sunshine!
Hello, do you have a minute? This is just a campaign…
The girls all but ran after the builders. They walked away anyhow, thinking that
the young people with ribbons were campaigning for somebody. The foreman
thought a moment, and then took a dozen of the yellow ribbons for his men.
Give them to me—I'll hand them out myself.
Heading out to distribute more ribbons, Ayperi reassures her girlfriends. For
them, this is an important cause, that’s why they go out on the streets every day.
The girls believe that the yellow ribbons with help people remember the good.
We’ll save Kyrgyzstan!