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Meet Mountain Partnership Youth Goodwill Ambassador Dilshodbegim Khisravova

04.10.2023

Mountain Partnership Goodwill Ambassadors are committed to build upon their popularity and platforms to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable mountain development. Those that have already accepted this important and prestigious responsibility of carrying the mountain flag include such well-known figures as mountaineer Reinhold Messner, composer Ludovico Einaudi, spiritual leader His Holiness Drikung Kyabgön Chetsang, fashion designer Stella Jean, trail runner Mira Rai, and Indigenous rights activist Nikki Santos.

In 2021, in recognition of her strong commitment to mountain people, the Mountain Partnership appointed its first-ever Youth Goodwill Ambassador, Ms Dilshodbegim Khisravova. She volunteers with the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan, where she coordinates a large group of community emergency response and avalanche preparedness volunteers. Find out what Dilshodbegim has to say about why she loves life in the mountains and the power of volunteering.

My name is Dilshodbegim Khisravova. I am 23 years old, and I am proud to collaborate with the Mountain Partnership as a Youth Goodwill Ambassador.

Living among the mountains is important to me. I was born and raised in the Pamirs, where I still live to this day. I love my country and my mountainous region. Life in a big city can be good for some people, but for me, life in the mountains is better. I love to sleep in in the mornings and breath in the fresh mountain air when I wake up, to eat the freshest fruits that grow here – apricots, apples, peaches, pears and cherries – and to enjoy the peace and quiet.

However, a downside to living in the mountains is that they are areas prone to disasters – a trend that is increasing due to the impacts of climate change. This year in Tajikistan, there were 96 avalanches, and the reason is rising temperatures and more rain. In February this year, there was a big avalanche in the centre of Khorog, a city in the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan. Fifteen people were killed by the avalanche and 51 houses were damaged – 39 of which were partially damaged and 12 were completely buried.

There have also been more mudslides recently. While luckily there were no casualties or damage to homes during the ones that occurred in and around Khorog between February and summer this year, those in the Roshtkalim and Ishkashim districts damaged residential buildings.

From a young age, I had been interested in volunteering. When the opportunity arose to volunteer for an Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) when I was 13, I took it. CERTs are volunteer groups that capitalize on local volunteers' knowledge of the terrain, language and culture. We are trained by AKAH to be first responders in the event of a disaster. They taught me how to provide first aid, and I have also gained experience in camp management and coordination.

In 2016, I became the team leader of my CERT and Avalanche Preparedness Team (AVPT) groups in Khorog. Later, after finishing school, I become a group leader in the region. After I turned 18, I was appointed by my fellow volunteers to coordinate a large group of CERT and AVPT volunteers across the Pamirs, including 171 CERTs (5 130 volunteers, of which 2 777 are men and 2 353 are women) and 193 AVPTs (1 930 volunteers, of which 1 477 are men and 453 are women). A focus area for me has been to involve people of different ages. In my current role, I am responsible for speaking on behalf of all AKAH volunteers and for reporting to the national government as well as AKAH after every emergency or disaster.

While we cannot prevent the disasters from happening, we do special trainings with AKAH to learn how to anticipate when they are going to happen. For example, in February, due to excessive snowfall, volunteers were posted in places where avalanches were possible. Every 30 minutes, they measured how much snow had fallen, and when the snowfall had reached a certain height, volunteers started evacuating people to avalanche-safe locations. Some went to their relatives' homes, and others were provided with accommodation. Later on when the avalanche did occur, the only people that were affected were two unfortunate passers-by that were driving through the avalanche zone and sadly got swept away.

Volunteering has taught me a lot of things. It can open your mind to new ways of understanding and serving your Jamat, or community. We have provided first aid in different emergencies and worked with international development networks. I enjoy being a volunteer, seeing different perspectives and helping my society.

As a Mountain Partnership Youth Goodwill Ambassador, I hope that my story will inspire other mountain youth to get involved in their communities and to support the greater mountain cause. It is important that we communicate to the world the changes that we are witnessing in our mountains and demand that our people and environments not be ignored and left behind.