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...

Central Asia’s water crisis: a human security perspective [explainer clip]

Water is arguably the world’s most precious resource. However, it has also become a source of growing concern, affecting some regions more severely than others. In Central Asia, water scarcity has reached alarming levels, affecting the well-being and livelihoods of millions, and  jeopardizing stability in the region.  After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, five independent countries emerged in Central Asia as sovereign nations. Yet, the challenges they face extend beyond individual borders. The implications of the water crisis affect the entire region and raise concerns about the potential for conflicts between the neighboring countries.  The primary water sources...

Protecting biodiversity and encouraging sustainable livelihoods in Son-Kul Lake in the Kyrgyz mountains

Featured image: Anara Momunova, ISDS, and Baktygulov Tursunbek, deputy akim (head) of the Kochkor district authority. 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.  In April, we initiated a new project with our local partner in Kyrgyzstan, the Institute for Sustainable Development Strategy (ISDS), within the renewed format of...

Empowering youth for lasting change in Southern Kyrgyzstan

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....

Residency opportunity in Kyrgyzstan

Central Asia Solidarity Groups (CAG) is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization located in Malmö, Sweden. Our focus is on thematic areas of climate and environment, democratic youth organizing, gender equality and women’s rights, security and resilience, mainly in post-Soviet Central Asia. We are currently seeking two candidates for an 8-week placement from September to October 2023 with Novi Ritm, a youth-led organization in Osh, Kyrgyzstan (for more information about the organization click here)  The objective is to provide ongoing capacity-building activities on fundraising, specifically developing grant writing methods.  Both successful candidates will work collaboratively in a team and will be...