Zardaly, an isolated village up in the mountains in Southern Kyrgyzstan, is home to about 150 people who live without electricity and communication. A mountain trail is the only direct route to Zardaly and donkeys are the most reliable form of transport. According to Project Connect, of the 2,080 schools in Kyrgyzstan, 2,061 schools have already been connected, leaving only about 1% of schools still to be connected. Many of these schools are in harder-to-reach areas, like Zardaly, and other remote and mountainous villages, like Kyzyl-Oi and Enilchek. In the winter, connecting schools is almost impossible because the trail to Zardaly is blocked with snow.   The lack of connectivity in Zardaly also discourages visitors. Guesthouses are often vacant and grandparents residing in Zardaly rarely see their grandchildren, who would prefer to be connected to the Internet during their visits. More urgently, in the event of a medical emergency, having an internet connection could assist with contacting officials to assess the weather conditions and determine if the road is open and safe to travel to the villages located in the lower valley. Alternatively, a doctor could be contacted for telehealth purposes.   However, the lack of connectivity has not stripped the Zardaly residents of their creativity. In an effort to overcome the problem, several ingenious ideas have been put forward, including the Internet in a Box initiative – a device that stores a digital library that includes Khan Academy in Kyrgyz, thousands of video and audio lessons, e-books and Wikipedia in Kyrgyz, Russian and English. Not only is the Internet in a Box initiative tackling the issue of connectivity, but it is also helping to ensure that Kyrgyzstani cultural heritage is passed down as there are cartoons in Kyrgyz on the device as well, something not found too often elsewhere. Additionally, local residents have learnt to protect their devices from the harsh weather conditions in the region by using a plastic bottle to shield the live wires.   While connecting schools in Zardaly is not an easy task, the surface has been scratched. Before the beginning of the pandemic, a team from the Kyrgyz Internet Society made a trip up to Zardaly, accompanied by a donkey. In order to charge the Internet in a Box and other electronic devices, they also took a large solar panel which they carefully carried up the trail.    Connecting the last 1% of schools in Kyrgyzstan requires innovative technologies and financing solutions to ensure that they are connected to the Internet affordably and sustainably. Towards this ambitious agenda, in collaboration with the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, Giga launched a local competitive bidding process or Request for Proposals (RFP) for internet service providers to connect 13 of the hardest-to-reach schools in the country and extend the benefits of connectivity to the surrounding community. Connecting these schools, located in remote and mountainous regions, requires innovative technologies and ad-hoc network designs, as well as financing solutions to ensure that they are connected to the Internet affordably and sustainably.  The two RFPs launched by Giga in August and October 2021 in search for providers who could offer a sustainable solution to connect these remote schools were unsuccessful. Giga did not receive any proposals from the telecom industry in the country. Some providers argued that each of these schools would require a tailored design and strategy to connect them to the Internet, thus driving this effort non-profitable. Others argued that the timeframe set by Giga to connect them in three to four months was challenging due to the winter months.  In the coming months, Giga, in collaboration with the Kyrgyz Internet Society, will develop a playbook of connectivity solutions and business models to test and provide internet to schools in these remote and mountainous regions.  Written by Lamia Farah

Malikha, a 24-year-old Afghan refugee, studies medicine at Osh State University. She has been living in Kyrgyzstan with her parents and siblings since 2009. While still in school Malikha grew interested in biology and anatomy, and later realized that she wants to become a doctor. But as Malikha’s father is seriously ill and her parents also need to provide for four other children, Malikha’s dream appeared completely out of reach. That was until Malikha contacted the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for advice and learnt about the DAFI (Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative) scholarship programme, which offers refugee students the possibility to earn an undergraduate degree. “When I learnt about the programme, I immediately started collecting documents and making other preparations to apply. I was very anxious because my whole future depended on this scholarship. It was my only hope to receive a good education,” says Malikha. After a competitive selection process Malikha was awarded a DAFI scholarship. Malikha cherishes the opportunity to study medicine and is determined to become a good professional: “I am very happy to get a chance to study, to realize myself in society. I know my parents and my whole family will be proud of me.” In her free time Malikha reads books about medicine and the biographies of famous doctors, dreaming that one day she herself may become a great doctor too. In future she would like to open a hospital in Kyrgyzstan, to help poor people who cannot afford high quality medical assistance. "DAFI gives us refugees opportunities and hopes for future. I hope one day we will be able to help other young people who need support and want to change this world for the better.” Education helps people forced to flee build better futures. It also enables refugees to develop professional skills and knowledge that they can use for the benefit of their host community. But globally just 3% of refugees are currently enrolled in higher education. UNHCR works together with partners, including the DAFI programme, to provide displaced children access to quality education so they can pursue better lives. Through the dedicated support of the governments of Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic, UNHCR and private donors, the DAFI programme has supported over 18,000 young refugees globally to undertake tertiary studies since 1992. Malikha is one of 83 refugee youths in Kyrgyzstan who have yet benefitted from DAFI scholarships since 1997.

Dr Maksat Usupbaeva zooms up the steep, winding roads of Kyrgyzstan’s Barskoon district on her motorcycle. She is one of a rising generation of veterinarians confidently riding “iron horses”, as they like to call them, to isolated rural communities. In Kyrgyzstan, a country where over half of all land area is pastureland, herding cows and other livestock is central to the national economy, society and culture. But the nation has long lacked enough trained veterinarians to care for all these animals, and crossing Kyrgyzstan’s mountainous, sparsely populated landscapes to reach the herding communities who need their services remains a challenge.   As a result, one of the biggest challenges herders face relates to the health of their animals. Serious illnesses are common in their herds, such as brucellosis, a bacterial infection that humans can also contract. This, combined with the other challenges common to the sector – degraded pasturelands, disputes over land rights – has kept the productivity of Kyrgyzstan’s livestock sector low and its value chains underdeveloped. Many herders (and their animals) thus find themselves facing constant poverty and repeated threats to their health. Since 2012, however, IFAD has invested over US$70 million through the LMDP project, implemented by Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Agriculture, and its successor LMDP-II. Together, these projects are helping 2.6 million of the nation’s rural-dwellers build a stronger pastoral economy. Dr Usupbaeva departs to visit a farmer after receiving a call. Investing in health and wealth An important part of this support has been investing in the capacity of private veterinarians and engaging them in the provision of veterinary services, in partnership with the public sector. In 2018, the Government of Kyrgyzstan embedded privatized veterinary services into a revised legal framework. This model is now being implemented systematically across the country, with the support of IFAD. The motorcycle initiative is a key part of this model. Dr Usupbaeva is the recipient of one of nearly 630 motorcycles provided to veterinarians by IFAD. Light, fast and easily manoeuvrable on narrow, winding roads, motorcycles are proving to be a cost-effective way to traverse Kyrgyzstan’s mountain passages.   The model also promotes the training of new veterinarians. To date, over 100 students have been awarded scholarships to study veterinary science at the Kyrgyzstan National Agrarian University under the LMPD and LMPD-II. As a result of the cooperation between IFAD and the Kyrgyz Government, the number of veterinarians has almost doubled, from 1,500 in 2013 to 2,600 in 2018. For these young graduates, being a veterinarian is more than just a job. It’s a chance to start a professional career in their home villages, and to contribute to the development of their communities and the well-being of their inhabitants. Such is the case for Dr Anarbek uulu Musabek, a 23-year-old resident of Birlesken village. His father died early in Dr uulu Musabek’s childhood, leaving his mother to care for him and his five siblings. But thanks to the scholarship he received through LMPD-II, he now has a way to build a livelihood in his home region and support his family.  Dr Usupbaeva consults with a farmer. Trained veterinarians usher in change Traveling veterinarians are already making a difference. Most recently, they’ve been helping the government conduct a vaccination programme to control echinococcosis, a parasitic disease that mainly affects sheep and dogs but can also infect humans. These efforts build on a previous IFAD-funded project in which veterinarians were deployed to control brucellosis through training and vaccination drives. According to the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health, these IFAD-supported campaigns are already bearing fruit. The number of cases of brucellosis in humans has dropped – from 4,412 cases per year in 2011 to less than 500 in 2020 – and the incidence of echinococcosis in humans is decreasing, too. And with improved access to veterinary care, animals are healthier – and more productive. Sales of products like milk and meat are up, and herders are benefiting from increased incomes. One study, for example, found that small herding households are now eating more meals a day, have better sanitation and drinking water, own more assets such as vehicles and household appliances, and make greater use of agricultural equipment. Visible improvements have also taken place in roads and other infrastructure, permitting access to more distant pastures. These and other IFAD-funded initiatives in Kyrgyzstan have revolutionized the way these families – and everyone who supports them, including their veterinarians – carry out their work. As Dr Usupbaeva says, “Our work has become easier thanks to the support received from IFAD.”   Learn more about IFAD’s work in Kyrgyzstan.

The COVID-19 pandemic has still been influencing all spheres of our life. People's ordinary life has changed, and all our lifestyle has changed too. We are used to that fact that all medical institutions are focused on fighting against COVID-19, and all infections and diseases have moved to outcompete. It could have happened with HIV infection in Kyrgyzstan, but thanks to the successful coordination work of the Republican AIDS Center with civic society organizations and international partners they were able to keep the focus on the HIV problem and moved forward. Aibek Bekbolotov, Deputy Director of the Republican AIDS Center: “Our main tasks during the first year of COVID-19 pandemic were to prevent break of HIV treatment and maintain patients’ adherence to ARV therapy. Thanks to all our partners’ support, we were able to develop the special roadmap and provide ARV therapy to all our patients and all people who wanted to get HIV tests had that opportunity to do it during all pandemic period. Today, ARV therapy adherence is 87% as pre-pandemic time. We keep carrying outdoor testing campaigns, providing all our activities on social media, and have launched online consultations on the new website." Regional Cooperation Program on infectious diseases implemented by UNAIDS country office and funded by the Government of the Russian Federation managed to build quick response challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and made contribute to support the National AIDS Center. Access to HIV testing and counseling for key population groups was significantly expanded in the 2020-2021 years. According to the Department of External Migration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, more than 750 thousand Kyrgyz citizens have been abroad. The Russian Federation is still the main host country. During the lockdown period and the massive process of coming back home labor migrants to the country, the National AIDS Center conducted special formative research among migrants. “Our colleagues from the National AIDS Center interviewed about 240 migrants who came back to Kyrgyzstan during the lockdown period in 2020. For us, as specialists who work in the HIV sphere, the research has given general understanding of how people behave in labor migration. Do they have sexual intercourse with the key population groups? Do they know where to get HIV test? We obtained the data that formed the basis for sentinel HIV surveillance, which is carried out once every several years and allows us to assess the epidemiological situation among key population” explains Meerim Sarybaeva, UNAIDS Country Director in Kyrgyzstan.    According UNAIDS data in 2020, around 1.5 million people were newly infected with HIV. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria reported that, according to data collected at 502 health facilities in 32 African and Asian countries, HIV testing declined by 41% and referrals for diagnosis and treatment declined by 37% during the first COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, compared with the same period in 2019.  The implementation of new HIV approaches of epidemiological surveillance,  the development of new methods of HIV prevention among key population groups, and the constant increase of the capacity of the medical staff of the National AIDS Centre, family medicine centers with the support of the Regional Cooperation Program on infectious diseases funded by the Government of the Russian Federation allows the country to prevent back-off in the progress of HIV sphere over the past 30 years, and to achieve the new Global targets of 95-95-95 in the next few years.