Kyrgyzstan
Financial services and vocational opportunities for youth are helping to ease this former Soviet republic's transition to independence.
The 1991 breakdown of the Soviet Union left Central Asia reeling. By 2000, political transitions in Kyrgyzstan led to economic collapse even as a weak post-Soviet civil society slowed the prospects of recovery. Mercy Corps is bringing communities together in a new spirit of cooperation. We are helping build healthy, financially stable households by providing access to much-needed resources like grants and credit for small businesses. Our initiatives support the creation of productive, sustainable jobs for youth through apprenticeships. The program also helps entrepreneurs — like this beekeeper — reap the sweet rewards of their hard work.
Leaving a Blooming Legacy ›
Topics: Agriculture, Economic Development, Rural
Bukabaev Sabyrbek owned a piece of land along Kyrgyzstan's Lake Issyk-Kul that lay fallow for many years. Mercy Corps gave him the know-how and loaned him the money to make it productive.
Apple Festival Unites Villages of Southern Issyk-Kul ›
Topics: Agriculture
On October 10, 2008, the Association of Orchardists and the Gardens and Plastics (GAP) project held the Third Annual Apple Festival in the village of Kyzyl-Tuu on the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyz Republic
Building Furniture and a Foundation ›
Topics: Economic Development
The sound of saws - and the hope for prosperity - has returned to the heart of Kyrgyzstan's Ferghana Valley.
Video: Teaching Street Kids a Lesson ›
In Kyrgyzstan, it is estimated that between 2,000 to 15,000 children work in order to help support their families economically. Most of these children do not go to school regularly.
Helping Quake Survivors ›
Topics: Emergencies
Mercy Corps is helping house families left homeless after an Oct. 5 earthquake struck Kyrgyzstan's mountainous Alai Region.
The Apple Project Video ›
Topics: Microfinance, Agriculture
A nine-minute video on Mercy Corps' program to help farmers grow better varieties of apples and to increase their financial independence in one of Central Asia's poorest countries.
Aziz: Welding His Way to Work ›
Topics: Economic Development
Few jobs are easy to find in the Ferghana Valley. But apprenticeships can improve the odds.
A Recipe for Healthy Kids ›
Topics: Hunger
Mercy Corps is ensuring 50,000 kindergarteners and boarding-school students throughout southern Kyrgyzstan receive healthy meals.
Seedlings of Change ›
Topics: Microfinance, Agriculture
Mercy Corps and its microfinance institution, Kompanion, are helping household apple farmers in two Kyrgyz villages.
Storing Up Value ›
Topics: Microfinance, Economic Development
Apples may be a fall fruit, but growers here think of them as a winter moneymaker.
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