Piloting women-led permaculture initiatives in north eastern Kyrgyzstan (El-Too, Kyrgyzstan, 2021)

The project was jointly implemented by Centralasiengrupperna and El-Too. It aimed to empower women in decision-making processes and provide them with additional income through kitchen gardens, while promoting gender equality, sustainable livelihoods, and food sovereignty among communities. 
Together with El-Too, we introduced permaculture initiatives in semi-desert villages in southern Issyk-Kul region, Kyrgyzstan, by training 60 women from 5 villages. Within the framework of the project, women learned how to develop kitchen gardens using the permaculture initiatives and learned about their land rights by meeting with the local duty bearers and through judicial consultations. Read more about the project here. 

Strengthening feminist activists to work with women's rights in Uzbekistan (NeMolchi.UZ, Uzbekistan, 2021)

The project “Strengthening feminist activists to work with women’s rights in Uzbekistan” was implemented by Central Asia Solidarity Groups together with local partner NeMolchi.UZ. The main goal was to strengthen the capacity of NeMolchi.UZ to work with issues related to gender-based violence. The project also aimed to bring together members of the emerging feminist community and to improve outreach practices of NeMolchi.UZ with their target audience.

Securing the right to rights of youth in southern Kyrgyzstan (Novi Ritm, Kyrgyzstan, 2019-2020)

The project aimed to combat discrimination and increase awareness of human rights in Southern Kyrgyzstan, with a specific emphasis on young people, and especially young women, to ensure their rights are acknowledged and respected. This was done by working with local youth in the city of Osh and improving their capacities and awareness when it comes to human rights, tolerance and discrimination in the Kyrgyz society. Within the framework of the project, we also worked with duty-bearers in local government, law enforcement officials, CSOs, youth centers, and teachers in educational institutions by highlighting the legislations on human rights, discrimination and gender equality.

Civil engagement among Kyrgyzstani youth (Novi Ritm, Kyrgyzstan, 2018-2019)

The goal of the project was to foster greater civic engagement among youth in Kyrgyzstan and equip them with the skills to promote, protect and claim their rights and interests both in social and legislative levels. To achieve this, the project included both partnerships with local duty bearers and the creation of an Academy of Human Rights, where young people could learn about their rights. The academy included sessions on human rights and human rights violations, as well as opportunities for participants to conduct research on human rights issues in the communities they come from. They also received trainings on how to develop and implement human rights-focused projects.

Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices - capacity building in the field of youth (2018)

The aim of this project was to work on elimination of discrimination based on age, gender and ethnicity in Sweden, Poland and to a great extent Kyrgyzstan by empowering youth in local communities to act as agents of change. The activities took place in Kyrgyzstan, Sweden and Poland, targeting young people, youth organizations, duty bearers and teachers. To facilitate the exchange of best practices and experiences among young people, we organized short mobility activities and involved long-term EVS volunteers. The project also included capacity building activities and organization of meetings between young people and duty bearers.

Young women’s movement building and empowerment in post-conflict southern Kyrgyzstan (Novi Ritm, Kyrgyzstan, 2016-2017)

The project was based on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and it aimed to empower young women and girls from different ethnic backgrounds in southern Kyrgyzstan to get involved in local and national peace building. The project was carried out together with our local partners in Kyrgyzstan’s three southern regions of Osh, Jalalabad and Batken Oblast.

Our goal was to make young women aware of their human rights and strengthen their opportunities to make their experiences and opinions heard. This was done, among other things, through trainings, interactive workshops, network building between different organizations and capacity building in already existing civil society initiatives.

Strengthening young people's organization in Southern Kyrgyzstan (Novi Ritm, Kyrgyzstan, 2016-2017)

The aim of the project was to empower young people in southern Kyrgyzstan to work for a democratic society and assert their rights. It was conducted in collaboration with our local partner, Novi Ritm, with the goal of expanding the organization to act as a platform for various democratic initiatives among young people in the city of Osh and its surroundings. Another goal was to increase the awareness, knowledge and skills of young people in how to claim their rights. 
To achieve these objectives, we facilitated various thematic working groups, including a girls’ group focused on rights education, a film club for those who wanted to improve their English skills, and a conflict management group that organized non-violence trainings. These initiatives also aimed to bring young people from different ethnic backgrounds together, promoting intergroup understanding and reducing tensions.

Strengthening security within the regional LGBTQ movement in Central Asia (2015-2016)

The project was a long-term investment to strengthen security of LGBTQ activists and individuals. It involved a dozen organizations across four Central Asian countries and included capacity building activities, security trainings for activists, creating safe spaces, as well as dissemination and advocacy work. The goal was to empower the movement to continue fighting for a just society free of discrimination based on sexuality and gender identity.

Feminist Cartoons of Kyrgyzstan and Sweden (2015)

CAG organized an intercultural exchange project between the feminist cartoonist collective Dotterbolaget and Kyrgyzstani organizations, Bishkek Feminist Collective SQ (SQ), Girl Activists of Kyrgyzstan (GAoK), Novi Ritm. It aimed to contribute to local and global feminist causes through contemporary and traditional forms of visual storytelling and graphic documentaries. The project’s objective was to raise awareness of issues faced by young women and LGBTIQ individuals in Kyrgyzstan, and to represent the voices of their communities through visual art. Another goal was to equip teenage and youth cartoonists and activists with the skills to use visual art to document and tell their stories. We did this through creating a platform that promoted exploration of cross-cultural literary engagement, sharing knowledge and enhancing skills.

Central Asia tour for the band Ved (2014)

In May 2014, CAG organized a unique tour for the Malmö band Ved in Central Asia. Ved performs instrumental psychedelic rock music that incorporates elements of nomadic and Sufi folk music from Central Asia. During the journey, which passed through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, the band performed concerts, held improvisational workshops and jam sessions, and visited music schools. In addition to this, the band collaborated with folk musicians from different traditions and countries, including students at the Osh music school and pop star Gulzada. The trip was documented on video and was released as a film available here.