Uppdatering från Anita, CAG:s praktikant i Kirgizistan

Arbetsveckan rullar mot sitt slut och solen lyser blodröd över Osj. Nu när sommaren sedan länge är över går den långsamt ner precis mellan två byggnader och lyser upp fönsterrutorna. Låga hustak sträcker sig kilometervis utanför köksfönstret. Här och där kan halvfärdiga höghus skymtas. Så här sent på kvällen har arbetarna redan gått hem, det enda som är kvar är en avstängd kran som täcker Sulaiman-Too:s silhuett. Från femte våningen kan man se stora delar av staden, vilket gör att jag ofta drar mig här framför fönstret, med en tekanna pysandes i bakgrunden och grannar som trampar högt på...

[English] Take a glance at Central Asia Days 2022!

On November 5-6, Centralasiengrupperna hosted its ninth annual Central Asia Days conference at ABF Stockholm, which was accompanied by a screening of the movie “Baqyt” at Zita Folkets Bio. With the focus on gender & women’s rights and climate & environment, our speakers provided profound and first-hand knowledge on the topics and engaged participants into thought-provoking discussions.   The first day of the conference was devoted to the theme of gender and women’s rights. Our speaker from Kazakhstan Zhanar Sekerbayeva – a feminist, activist, and co-founder of the feminist initiative ‘Feminita’, shared how the initiative advocates for women’s political participation...

Uppdateringar från Sara, CAG:s praktikant i Kirgizistan

Sara heter jag och är en av två praktikanter på plats i Osj, Kirgizistan, som under fyra månader ska arbeta med Centralasiengruppernas (CAG) huvudpartner Novi Ritm. Novi Ritm är en ungdomsorganisation av unga för unga, vars syfte är att stärka och uppmuntra ungdomar för att skapa ett aktivt civilsamhälle och på sikt sträva mot ett fredligt, demokratiskt och jämlikt Kirgizistan. Något som jag upplever är utmärkande för Novi Ritm är den väldigt familjära stämningen. Hit kommer alla så som de är och deltar efter egen förmåga. Jag upplever att kraven på prestation är åsidosatt till förmån för djupare mening,...

[English] Being an intern in Kyrgyzstan

While writing my master thesis during the spring semester, I saw an interesting advertisement for a summer internship. As I already have conducted two internships and my second master degree was coming to an end, I mainly searched for permanent positions. However, I could not resist looking closer into the internship advert. The ad mentioned working with projects related to biodiversity and climate adaptation which I have studied, worked with, and have a passion for. I became more and more intrigued. As I scrolled down the text I saw that the internship would be based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. “Kyrgyzstan!?”....

[English] Central Asia Days 2022

On the weekend of 5-6th of November Centralasiengrupperna is hosting the yearly Central Asia Days conference in Stockholm! During Central Asia Days 2022, we focus on two thematic areas: gender/women’s rights and climate/environment. Lectures and talks will be held in English by scholars and activists active in the region. On Saturday evening, there will be an additional movie screening at Zita Folkets Bio, Stockholm. The event is free of charge. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/…/central-asia-days-2022… Venue: Per Albinsalen, ABF-huset, Sveavägen 41, Stockholm. Full program: DAY 1: Saturday 5TH OF NOVEMBER THEME: Gender and Women’s rights 10.30-10.45: Welcome 10.45-11.45: Women’s participation in politics...

[English] Bubusara joins Central Asia Solidarity Groups!

Hello! My name is Bubusara and I’m very happy and excited to be a part of the Central Asia Solidarity Groups! I spent a lot of my first week in Malmö getting to know and walking around this lovely city.  I’ve been a member of Novi Ritm, an Osh-based partner organization of CAG, for seven years. Novi Ritm was a starting point of my interest in feminism and human rights. Later, at university, I’ve educated myself a lot about gender and feminism from sociological perspective. This resulted in a senior thesis project titled “Art as an instrument for promoting...

[English] Interview with Anita and Sara, new CAG interns

The picture above is of Anita and Sara, who visited CAG’s office in Malmö as a part of their preparation for an internship in Kyrgyzstan to work with our partner Novi Ritm, a youth organization based in Osh. We asked Sara and Anita a few questions about themselves and about their expectations from the internship.  Tell us a bit about yourself.  Anita: I’m doing my masters right now in Security and Crisis Studies at the Swedish Defense University. I’ve already been involved in civil society for quite a long time, primarily through the Swedish United Nations Association, so I...

[English] Applying a family approach and the traditional knowledge of permaculture in semi-desert and high alpine villages in Kyrgyzstan

In 2021, CAG in cooperation with local partner organization El-Too implemented a pilot project on permaculture initiatives among women in North-East Kyrgyzstan. Within the framework of the project, local women learnt how to develop kitchen gardens using the permaculture initiatives and gained knowledge about their land rights by meeting with the local duty bearers and through judicial consultations (you can read more about the project activities in 2021 via this link). Based on the needs of the project participants and our monitoring activities, we decided to adopt a family approach this year. This approach is considered effective, as all...

[English] Promoting gender equality and equal access to education in Kyrgyzstan with our local partner Novi Ritm

For several years, Centralasiengrupperna has closely cooperated with our partner organization Novi Ritm in Southern Kyrgyzstan to promote active and meaningful participation of young people in the civil society sector. CAG has supported Novi Ritm in the implementation of activities that aim to increase the capacities of young people to influence their own lives and the lives of the communities they come from. One of the goals of the running project with Novi Ritm is to create equal education opportunities for young people and to inform local youth about their civil rights.  This blogpost is dedicated to the most...

[English] Securing wetland ecosystems of Son-Kul Lake in the Kyrgyz Mountains

Since March 2022, CAG together with the Institute for Sustainable Development Strategy (ISDS), our partner organization in Kyrgyzstan, is implementing a project “Securing wetland ecosystems of Son-Kul Lake in the Kyrgyz mountains”.  The main goal of the project is to support the rights and strengthen the capacities of local communities to protect and manage wetlands and natural resources of the Son-Kul basin of the Naryn region. Context: Son-Kul Lake is an alpine freshwater lake located at an altitude of 3016 m above sea level in the Inner Tien Shan. Since 2011, the lake has been included in the International...