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Ramzi: The Boy who Builds Houses with Milk Cartons

Ramzi with his father, mother and sister

Ramzi Gadomamadov is from the Village of Baroj in the Roshtkala District of Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. In 2002-2003, Ramzi was in fourth grade in the Village of Vijod, which is not too far from his home.

Ramzi's school is one of the 316 schools in eastern Tajikistan and 60 schools in northern Afghanistan that receive milk as part of the Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A.’s Education Dairy and Nutrition Program. Each day at school, the students receive a serving of milk, which is fortified with vitamins and comes in different flavors, like chocolate, strawberry and peach. The milk cartons have colorful designs.

Ramzi's mother, Oina, is a primary school teacher at the same school where Ramzi studies. Ramzi's father, Atomamad, worked as a master builder in different areas during the Soviet period (before Tajikistan’s independence in 1992). After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he became unemployed officially, but continues to earn his income building houses. Sometimes he takes Ramzi along to job sites so his son can observe how houses are made.

The liquid milk fortified is packaged into colorful 250-milliliter TetraPak single-serving containers, each with an attached straw, designed to keep it fresh for six months.

When the milk distribution program began in October 2002, Ramzi's teacher, Julazor Mirzojonova, told the class to save the empty milk cartons. At first the children were surprised at her request. Then she brought a book to class and showed them how to use the milk cartons to create art projects. After looking at the illustrations in the book, Ramzi said, “teacher, I think I can do this. I can make a house out of the milk cartons.”  Ramzi started collecting the empty milk cartons and asked his friend to save them for him as well.

Once he had gathered many milk cartons, Ramzi began to try and build a house. He tried three times before he succeeded at making the house he wanted to create. He brought his model house to class and showed his teacher and fellow students, who all thought that it was wonderful. It was put on display in their classroom.
Ramzi continued building many more houses and other structures from empty milk cartons, such as a hospital and a grain mill. His creations became more and more elaborate. He would cut the milk carton material and make furniture inside the houses. In the hospital, he put beds, including a section of little beds for the children's ward. He also made a small box that contained cut-up straws for his little sister, Shahnouza, as a learning tool for counting and math exercises.

The Journey of Ramzi's Milk Carton House

When the milk distribution program began in October 2002, Ramzi's teacher, Julazor Mirzojonova, told the class to save the empty milk cartons. At first the children were surprised at her request. Then she brought a book to class and showed them how to use the milk cartons to create art projects.

One day, staff members from AKF (Tajikistan) visited Ramzi's school to see how the Milk Program was proceeding. When they saw Ramzi's “milk house” creation, they were very impressed and told others about it when they got back to their office in Khorog. Soon after that, representatives from the Almaty-based partner organization were visiting the AKF office in Khorog and asked to see the house. So Ramzi decided that he would take the house and give it to them as a gift of gratitude for the milk all the children had been receiving. On the day he set off to deliver the house, he and his friend Shakerbev missed the bus. Instead of waiting another day, Ramzi and Shakerbev walked 20 kilometers (12 miles) from their village to Khorog to deliver it.
His house was first taken to Almaty, Kazakhstan where the people who process and package the milk got to see it. Then the house traveled all the way to America where it was given to the Deputy Administrator of the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service, Mary Chambliss. The gift was presented by Iqbal Noor Ali, Chief Executive Officer of Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A., in February 2003. Ms. Chambliss was thrilled by Ramzi's house, which was put on display at the US Department of Agriculture. Soon after, a story about it was posted on the USDA website. After seeing the website, a local Khorog TV station, did a story on Ramzi, highlighting how his milk carton house traveled around the world, ending up in Washington, DC, as a gift of gratitude to the donor.

	Ramzi, a 4th grader, (pictured above) is one of 80,000 children benefiting from USDA’s generous donation of milk to school children in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Using empty milk cartons he began building houses when the Education Dairy & Nutrition Program began. In the top photo he displays a newspaper clipping that shows how one of his houses was delivered to the Deputy Administrator of USDA. Three years later, Ramzi continues to creatively turn milk cartons into masterpieces (pictured left). From a town with no skyscrapers or traffic lights, Ramzi’s hope for the future of the town of Khorog (the capital of Gorno-Badakhshan, near where he lives) is filled with bright lights, bustling traffic and prosperity.  His skyscrapers are taller than the mountains and there is a traffic light at every corner.

Ramzi’s house traveled half way around the world from Tajikistan to America where it was presented by Iqbal Noor Ali, Chief Executive Officer of Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. (left) to Mary Chambliss, the Deputy Administrator of the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (right).

A Reflection from Mary Chambliss who worked for the US Department of Agriculture for over 30 years between 1974 and 2006.  She spent the last eleven years of her career as Deputy Administrator for Export Credits at USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service.  From 2003 to 2006, she worked closely with AKF USA on its successful Education Dairy & Nutrition Program.

“In my 40-year career with the US government, one moment I will never forget is receiving a house made out of milk cartons from a 4th grader in Tajikistan – a gift to USDA in gratitude for sending milk to his school.  I was so touched that AKF USA cared enough to bring it all the way from Tajikistan to my office. When you manage programs in Washington, you are far removed from the real world and the people affected.  When I saw the detail of the furniture inside and the incredible design of the house, I thought, this kid has the potential to become an architect! I am confident that he will go far, and I hope that AKF will continue to help him get there.  You need to find people like him in the world, and we need to continue to help and support them.  Perhaps one day he will go to college at the University of Central Asia.  The little milk carton house is still displayed in the South Building conference room at USDA in Washington DC where it will remain as a treasured gift from one of our young beneficiaries.”