UN Volunteers Kyrgyzstan

Facts & Figures

Projects

Impact

MDGs&Volunteerism

...moving things forward!

UN Volunteers are perceived by both government and community members as ‘neutral’, objective, highly skilled and capable of building essential relationships. They live and work in communities to enhance trust.

UN Volunteers are essential to the process of social mobilization, poverty reduction and decentralized local government – with community members, government officials and on a peer to peer basis, they liaise, facilitate, train, motivate, inspire and encourage their peers.

UN Volunteers in Kyrgyzstan are a catalyst for the emergence of other volunteers and acts of volunteerism within the community. By example and sharing of experiences, UN Volunteers encourage individuals to think and act for mutual benefit.

UN Volunteers act as facilitators in the development processes in Kyrgyzstan under the Local Governance and Poverty Reduction Projects as well as programmes of other UN agencies.

Voices from local communities where UNV and UNDP work together

"We were in a state of shock after the collapse of the Soviet Union. No-one could understand what happened or what to do. We were in despair and waiting for people to come and fix things. We had no hope.
-Now we have hope for the future. We are involved in regular meetings and contributing to plans for making things better. We can work together to make changes."

"There was no community – it was every person isolated in their own needs. What was left of irrigation pipes or abandoned materials, people would tear down or steal for selling or for their own use. It was like we were asleep.
-We now respect each other. We take time to know each others’ needs. We realize that we can change things if we stick together. People have begun to re-build roads and bridges and irrigation canals together. Now we are awake – and clear about what we need to do."

"We did not trust the government or any individuals within it. We did not believe their intentions and promises. Leaders were not to be trusted.
-We have recently started to elect our leaders. They are now accountable to us. If we don’t like them we will get rid of them”