Human security workshops for Central Asian activists — linking personal and communal well-being
Context: One of the key focuses of CAG’s work is enhancing the security, safety, and resilience of civil society organizations and communities in Central Asia amid the complex challenges facing the region. These challenges range from armed border conflicts, inter-ethnic tensions, low human development indexes, limited natural resources, climate change and environmental degradation. Civil society organizations in the region not only operate in the face of these challenges but also take active measures to address them, aiming to protect the rights of local vulnerable communities and the individuals. However, this commitment often comes at a cost to the personal...
Interview with Surayo Karimova – one project participant
In cooperation with Little Earth, a partner organization from Tajikistan, CAG works with the mountain communities of the Yaghnob Valley. Our aim is to preserve local ecosystems and promote sustainable energy solutions while increasing women’s participation in decision-making processes. The primary target group of this cooperation are local women from the most vulnerable families in the Yaghnob Valley’s mountain communities. CAG and Little Earth work directly with these women, increasing their capacity through awareness-raising and training. By equipping local women with the necessary knowledge, skills and building networks, we contribute to their involvement in decision-making processes at the local...
Empowering young people and advancing youth rights in Southern Kyrgyzstan: recent highlights from our collaboration with Novi Ritm
Centralasiengrupperna partners with Novi Ritm, a youth-led organization from the south of Kyrgyzstan. Our joint efforts are dedicated to enhancing young people’s awareness of their rights and encouraging their participation in decision-making processes, both at the national and community levels. This blog post offers a summary of our recent activities together. For a more in-depth look at our collaborative work throughout 2023, we invite you to explore our previous blog posts, available here and here. Throughout October and November, Novi Ritm hosted several meetings and training sessions for its Girls Group. These gatherings served as a platform for promoting...
Protecting biodiversity and encouraging sustainable livelihoods in Son-Kul Lake in the Kyrgyz mountains – part 2
Centralasiengrupperna works with the Institute for Sustainable Development Strategy (ISDS), our partner organization in Kyrgyzstan, to protect and restore the biodiversity and encourage sustainable livelihoods in Son-Kul lake in the Kyrgyz mountains. Within this collaboration, we aim to empower local communities, with a focus on women and youth, to exercise their rights for a healthy environment and participate in decision-making processes. This blog post is the second part of our series dedicated to the key activities within our collaboration during 2023. Read the first part for a more comprehensive insight into our partnership. ‘Son-Kul birds: Protect the Mountain Goose’...
Civil society and democratic backsliding in Kyrgyzstan: Reflections from Miriam’s two months in Osh
Featured image: in Kyrgyz, “Бары алдыда” translates to ‘Everything is ahead‘ A few weeks have passed since I came home from a two month residency in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, but I am just starting to digest all the experiences that I had the chance to collect. This was my first visit to Central Asia and my already high expectations for the food, the nature and – not the least – the people I would meet, were far surpassed. I made new friends, overate on borsok, climbed mountains, and gained invaluable new perspectives from Novi Ritm, the civil society organization that...
Reflections from Agnes’ 2 months in Osh: Activism in a shrinking space for civil society (and a little bit of friends and food)
1 week after arriving in Sweden again after two months in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, I am back in my collective in Stockholm, at my desk. Looking out the window, into the gray and rainy Swedish autumn, I try to recall and reflect about the time spent in Osh during my residency with Novi Ritm. I can safely say that the most rewarding aspect of the experience was the people. Colleagues, friends, youth and vendors you meet on the street or in the Bazar. Everybody with an enormous curiosity and a willingness to show and teach you their culture – especially...
Youth-led change in Southern Kyrgyzstan: promoting gender equality, human rights, and media literacy with our local partner Novi Ritm
CAG and Novi Ritm, our partner organization based in Southern Kyrgyzstan, have been working together for several years to empower the local youth, particularly girls and women, by increasing their awareness of their rights and promoting their participation in decision-making processes at the national and community level. You can read more about our current format and objectives of cooperation with Novi Ritm via this link. In this blog post, we would like to highlight some recent activities undertaken by Novi Ritm within the framework of our partnership. These include activities promoting ideas of intersectional feminism, human rights, media...
Exchanging best permaculture practices in Kyrgyzstan villages
Together with a local partner El-Too, Central Asia Solidarity Groups works to promote permaculture principles and other innovative solutions for climate change adaptation in Kyrgyzstan, with the aim of preventing ecological problems, establishing sustainable livelihoods, and ensuring food sovereignty. You can read more about our collaboration here. Within the framework of our cooperation, from August 10th to 11th, El-Too organized an exchange tour for project participants from nine villages in Issyk-Kul and Naryn, with a total of 55 participants. During the tour, they had the opportunity to engage in the exchange of ideas and experiences, learn best practices for...
Interview with Agnes and Miriam, CAG’s residency participants in Kyrgyzstan
Featured image: Miriam and Agnes at Novi Ritm’s office Agnes and Miriam are participating in a two-month residency project in Kyrgyzstan, where they will be working together on developing a fundraising strategy for CAG’s partner, Novi Ritm, a youth organization based in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. About a week ago, Agnes and Miriam arrived in Osh, and we had some questions for them about the residency and how they are settling in. Tell us a bit about yourself. Agnes: I have a great commitment and interest for civil society, and previous working and volunteering experience within the sector in fields related...
Permaculture in Kyrgyzstan villages: care for nature and people
In 2023, Centralasiengrupperna initiated a new format of cooperation with local partners in Central Asia, allowing for long-term support. Funded by SIDA via ForumCiv’s Large Partnership Funding program, the new collaboration format enables us to provide sustainable and lasting support to our partners, which marks an important step in CAG’s ongoing progress from project-oriented work towards long-term partnerships. This blog post is dedicated to our partnership with the local organization El-Too. Since 2021, we have been working with El-Too in 14 villages vulnerable to climate change in North Kyrgyzstan to promote permaculture principles. Over the last two years, the...