Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva Donates Life-saving Equipment to UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital
Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva has spent nearly two decades engaging in philanthropic activities. Originally from Uzbekistan, Lola has been living in LA throughout the outbreak of COVID-19. The devastation caused by the pandemic has touched everyone, including American families. Inspired by the generosity of volunteers and thee tireless work of doctors and nurses, Lola and her husband Timur Tillyaev wanted to help where they could. They started by supporting local health workers at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. As the President of UCLA Health, Johnese Spisso, explained:
“We were facing a shortage of face shields for our front-line healthcare workers, and thanks to the kindness and generosity of the Tillyaev Family, UCLA was able to secure enough shields to equip our entire patient-facing workforce.”
Such assistance has helped both health workers and patients to get the urgent care they needed, and to prevent rising cases. Lola Karimova Tillyaeva’s relationship with the local health community was recently cemented when her husband, businessman Timur Tillyaev joined the board at the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. In Johnese Spisso’s words:
“Tim’s dedication to improving the health of children globally is truly admirable, and we are grateful to have his leadership, active participation, and philanthropic support.”
Both Lola Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev are building on their previous philanthropic work. In 2002, the couple launched the You Are Not Alone foundation, which supports children born into economic hardship in Uzbekistan. The You Are Not Alone foundation began by funding the refurbishment of orphanages across the country. However, as their experience grew, so too did their ambition. Today, Lola Tillyaeva and You Are Not Alone have helped to design and construct purpose-built orphanages – or “mercy homes” as they are known in Uzbekistan – with state-of-the-art facilities including sports centres, science labs and theatres.
The You Are Not Alone Foundation also works to support the education of underprivileged Uzbeks. For instance, it supports struggling families to enable them to keep their children in school. Thousands of young Uzbeks have benefited from this program and been able to complete both primary and secondary schooling. For students showing an aptitude, Lola Tillyaeva and You Are Not Alone ensure they can pursue their studies at the best universities, be they inside the country or beyond. As Lola explains, “Education is at the heart of everything the You Are Not Alone foundation does.”
Healthcare is also at the centre of the You Are Not Alone foundation’s priorities. As with UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, Lola Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev have provided assistance to important health facilities within Uzbekistan. For example, when the State Perinatal Centre in Tashkent was struggling to maintain high levels of patient care, the foundation provided a range of new equipment such as x-ray machines and cardiac monitors. Since 2015, the You Are Not Alone Foundation has also helped than 130 children receive open-heart operations. As Timur Tillyaev explained, “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 to support initiatives that help people.”
In these trying times, Lola and Timur feel grateful to have the chance to put their experience to good work, and support their local community here in LA.