Tools for Sustainable Change

Gulnara, a school principal in Kadamjay, Kyrgyzstan, helped lead community efforts to repair a pedestrian bridge and arrange regular garbage pickup.

Over the last decade, Gulnara, a 33-year-old school official, had seen few changes in her small Kyrgyz community of Kadamjay. The kindergarten building was in disrepair; the pedestrian bridge over the ravine was unsafe; garbage continued to pile up around town. The local government seemed deaf to the community's pleas for assistance. Residents were despondent.

In the Ferghana Valley region of Kyrgyzstan, a nation of 5 million people beset by economic hardship and disorganization since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the standard of living is among the worst in Central Asia. But today, with help from Mercy Corps, Gulnara is changing lives and bringing new hope to her neighbors. She is mobilizing.

Gulnara leads the Community Action Group (CAG) in Kadamjay, a group of local citizens who prioritize community revitalization projects funded by USAID's CAIP program. (See sidebar at left.) Mercy Corps helps communities design and implement their own improvement projects, part of its pursuit of a sustainable solution to the despair, hopelessness and conflict that pervades communities across Central Asia.

In the last year, the leadership group spearheaded some noticeable changes: They secured regular garbage service that cut down on the piles of trash accumulating on the sides of muddy roads. And they repaired the village’s highly trafficked pedestrian bridge.

With these high-profile improvements, Gulnara says, "Now, people here understand they can make something happen if they act. They can construct a bridge. Change is possible, even if the local authority does not help."

Gulnara is now part of the local authority, thanks to her involvement with Mercy Corps. She recently agreed to become Second Deputy Representative in the local government, and today is one of four women who sit on the council and work to improve communities in the region.

When asked how Mercy Corps prepared her for the work with the government, she replied, "Oh, it was tremendous. Now people trust me. They have confidence in my ability to improve Kadamjay because of my knowledge of infrastructure projects. And women feel represented."

Gulnara says participating in these projects showed her how to mobilize and inspire her neighbors, and how to manage a community project from start to finish. And the rest of the community has seen a process that gets results – emboldening them to tackle projects even after Mercy Corps leaves.

For Gulnara, the path to a better future is like the town’s footbridge: long and sometimes unsteady, but passable. "I was born in Kadamjay. I believe in it. But I must not stop trying to help people or to improve lives. This is my work at the council, on the CAG or at the school."