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Lola Tillyaeva and her husband, businessman Timur Tillyaev, are a couple celebrated for their decades-long commitment to philanthropy. While traditionally their focus has been on helping disadvantaged kids in their Uzbek homeland, more recently they have been helping out in their adopted home of LA by providing UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital with life-saving specialist equipment during the pandemic. With the hospital experiencing a period of desperate need, such support was critical.
Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev’s early charity work
Lola Karimova and Timur Tillyaev launched their first charitable organization almost 20 years ago and the You Are Not Alone foundation is still going strong today. Its earliest programs revolved around renovating care homes for orphans across their home nation. As their expertise grew, Lola and Timur began to construct purpose-built facilities and fit them out with the most up-to-date equipment. They hired specialized staff and expanded the range of services provided. The aim was to ensure that even the most vulnerable children grew up in a caring and loving environment.
The next phase was to explore opportunities to help in education and health care more broadly. You Are Not Alone has helped provide thousands of youngsters who otherwise would have missed out with access to both primary and secondary schooling. Academically gifted students are even supported all the way through higher education. In terms of health, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev have supported numerous hospitals and clinics. One recent project saw the State Perinatal Centre in Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital, receive new, much-needed equipment. From x-ray systems and cardiac monitors to ultrasound machines, the impact upon patient care was dramatic.
Apart from this work, Lola Tillyaeva operates the celebrated perfume house, The Harmonist. For 13 years, she served as President of the Uzbek Gymnastic Federation and is a former UNESCO diplomat. She also has a doctorate in Psychology from Tashkent State University. Timur’s background is no less impressive. Originally from Tashkent, like Lola Tillyaeva, Timur Tillyaev left to study in the US in the late 90s after being awarded a place on an exchange program. He stayed in the US after high school to study at Midland College, graduating in 2001. Throughout this period, Timur supported himself by working two jobs. On returning to Uzbekistan he launched his own business and found great success in the sphere of logistics and international transport.
Like the birth of the You Are Not Alone, Lola and Timur’s most recent project was a response to an urgent need. As the President of UCLA Health and CEO of the UCLA Hospital System 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.”
Donations such as these during the pandemic have played a crucial role in LA’s struggle to meet the immense challenges posed by COVID-19. And the couple’s relationship with the LA health system goes beyond isolated donations. They continue sharing their expertise in children’s healthcare with the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital where Timur Tillyaev sits on the board. As Timur explains, “I believe that by giving children the best opportunities, we are investing in a better world”.
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Photo provided by the author.