Strengthening Communities

In 1994, Mercy Corps became one of the first international non-governmental organizations to work in the new independent Kyrgyz Republic. Today, our programs reach over 365,000 people in all major urban and rural communities of Kyrgyzstan's seven oblasts. Mercy Corps invests in the country's development by providing financial services and business advice, improving education and vocational opportunities for youth, and establishing a framework for equitable and broad-based economic progress. Mercy Corps also provides technical assistance for improved natural resource management in home garden production.

Kompanion Financial Group
In 2004, Mercy Corps formed Kompanion Financial Group through the consolidation of five Mercy Corps-affiliated microcredit organizations. Registered with the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kompanion operates in all oblasts and regions of Kyrgyzstan, provides services to approximately 120,000 clients and recently became the largest financial institution in Kyrgyzstan as measured by the number of customers. Komapnion has almost 1,000 staff and 92 offices across the country. Through Kompanion, Mercy Corps has provided over 600 trainings and individual consultations to more than 10,400 clients by agronomists, veterinarians, and land management experts. Mercy Corps has provided many resources for rural communities in Kyrgyzstan, from specialized trainings to printed guidebooks. Two such guidebooks were, Apples in Home Gardens and Making Your Home Your Business, a practical step-by-step guide to budgeting and planning for improving income from home gardens, both of which were developed by Mercy Corps and Kompanion. Kompanion’s development work is based on ethno-ecological and science-based approaches. Our programs promote community development through livelihood improvement at the household level.

Food Security
Beginning in 2001, Mercy Corps served as the implementing partner of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Global Food for Education program (FFE), providing matching funds to schools for infrastructure repairs and classroom equipment, supplemental food to kindergartens and orphanages, nutrition education and income generation activities at vocational schools. The program has served more than 220,000 youth in nearly 800 institutions around the country.

In coordination with partner organizations, Mercy Corps has also delivered emergency food to residential facilities such as orphanages, retirement homes, tuberculosis centers and psychiatric hospitals, reaching approximately 7,000 vulnerable beneficiaries

Horticultural Development Initiatives
Mercy Corps and Kompanion work directly with over 3,000 households in 35 villages in the Issyk-Kul and Naryn oblasts to develop the income-earning potential through improved management of their home gardens. Households are provided with technical assistance in growing higher-quality fruits, collaborative marketing and collective bargaining with fruit buyers. Rural communities also receive support to establish recycling centers, find buyers for recyclable waste and decrease soil and water contamination.

Peaceful Change
We are implementing peace building programs that build on Mercy Corps’ USAID funded Peaceful Communities Initiative, Community Action Investment Program and Collaborative Development Initiative programs. These programs use different methods to bring about change, including economic development and community engagement at all levels to bridge the gap between conflicting parties to reduce tension.

Emergency Response
The June 2010 clashes in Osh and Jalalabad led to loss of life, widespread riots, looting, and the burning of homes and businesses. These destabilizing events adversely affected the affordability and accessibility of food. Stabilization of the food security situation in all regions of the country was, and remains to be, critical for citizens who are facing reduced yields and incomes.

Mercy Corps responded to the food insecurity crisis exacerbated by the conflict by implementing the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Local & Regional Procurement Program. Over 47,000 vulnerable people in Osh and Jalalabad oblasts who were directly impacted by conflict received unconditional cash transfers for the purchase of food, thereby improving the food security situation for these households. Mercy Corps and Kompanion utilized our extensive network to identify high need communities and distributed emergency food and non-food items such as baby food, bedding and detergent to vulnerable populations in hospitals, displacement camps and host communities. Distributions reached over 24,000 people in locations such as Yunjiy mahalla, Osh oblast hospital, a maternity hospital, homes for senior or disabled citizens, rehabilitation centers, Suratash village and two displacement camps. We also responded to an urgent request for veterinary supplies (uniforms and disinfectant bleach) in Jalalabad, in response to a spike in anthrax cases.

Grants to micro-entrepreneurs were used as a relief and survival intervention in the immediate wake of conflict. Micro-entrepreneurship plays a critical role in Kyrgyz markets, for family income and by providing access to basic goods and services for residents. Multiple donors contributed funds to issue $500 equity grants to micro-entrepreneurs whose businesses were burned and/or looted. This allowed them to repair bazaar stalls or kiosks, replace inventory and resume business activities. Those who also lost their home received an additional $250. The equity grants are being issued in Osh, Jalalabad, Bazar-Korgon and Ala-Buka. The program is being funded by USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Restoration of Assets for Families program and other private donors. Current funding will allow us to issue over 1,100 equity grants. Mercy Corps has created the Fund for Rebuilding Communities through Micro-Enterprise (FRCM) with the intention of bringing the equity grants program to scale.