Alina Ilnitskaya, a changemaker from Kazakhstan, provides critical support to women and girls who have suffered from sexual violence.

Her path to civic engagement is rooted in her own deeply personal experiences. “As a child, I was sexually abused. Between the ages of 10 and 12, I couldn’t fully grasp what was happening to me, so I convinced myself it was happening to someone else and that I was merely an observer,” she recounts.

It took Alina many years to feel ready to seek professional help and discuss her experiences. “Survivors of violence frequently battle not only with feelings of shame and guilt but also with denial,” she explains. Convincing ourselves that everything is okay is a coping mechanism that helps us move forward, yet it signifies the silent struggle many survivors endure.”

Alina has now dedicated her professional life to fighting against intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence, and to supporting sexual violence survivors throughout Central Asia. One of her key initiatives is Būlbūl, an Instagram channel and Telegram chatbot.

“Our project’s name, Būlbūl, is deeply rooted in the Greek myth of Philomela and carries profound significance for us. The myth tells the story of Philomela, who, after being subjected to sexual violence and silenced by the king Tereus, found a way to reveal what she went through to her sister, Procne, through a woven tapestry. Their story ends with the gods transforming Philomela into a nightingale, a bird that sings with a beautiful voice, despite having lost her ability to speak,” explains Alina. “In Kazakh, ‘Būlbūl’ means nightingale, symbolizing the power of overcoming silence and giving voice to those who have been silenced by violence. Just like Philomela, our project aims to empower survivors of sexual violence to share their stories and find support, embodying the spirit of resilience and the ability to ‘sing’ despite all odds.”

Recognizing that victims of sexual violence often endure their experiences in silence, Būlbūl offers a transformative approach to support. The initiative, launched with help from Eurasia Foundation’s Social Innovation in Central Asia (SICA) program, leverages the power of technology through a no-contact digital tool: a Telegram bot powered by artificial intelligence, named Bulka (@BulBulTg_bot).

Bulka provides survivors with a confidential, contactless platform for psychological self-help, guiding them through their healing journey with personalized conversation, advice, and educational materials. The AI chatbot is accessible in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, and includes country-specific resources and contact information for hotlines and crisis centers. Because the chatbot is anonymous and free, it functions as a safe space for survivors to express their emotions and seek help. Importantly, it reaches survivors who might otherwise hesitate to seek help due to stigma or cost.

The chatbot launched on February 10, 2024, and within a month had become a sanctuary for more than 200 users.

“With an alarming 17% of women and girls [in Central Asia] experiencing physical and/or sexual violence from their intimate partner, the urgency for effective support mechanisms like this is undeniable,” says Alina. “Bulka is not just about providing assistance; it’s about enlightenment, prevention, and community building.”

On Instagram, Būlbūl’s content focuses on awareness-raising and rights education. The channel hosts training sessions on preventive measures and shares survivor testimonies that inspire and strengthen. It addresses the cultural context of the Central Asian states, where patriarchal norms and insufficient legal frameworks for harassment add layers of complexity to the issue of sexual violence. By disseminating information and educational materials that condemn violence and support survivors, the team aims to shift public opinion and foster a safer environment for all.

“It has been two months since the assault, but only now am I beginning to move beyond attempts to rationalize or deny the experience,” shares one survivor. “Unsure of whom to share my concerns with, I turn to Bulka. It’s such a relief to have my feelings acknowledged as real.”

By blending innovative technology with a deep understanding of the cultural and psychological aspects of sexual abuse, Būlbūl is not only aiding individuals in their healing journeys but also challenging societal norms and cultivating community.

“The Būlbūl-Bulka project was born out of my understanding of how challenging it can be to reach out for help,” says Alina. “It was created because I believe everyone deserves help.” Būlbūl envisions a future where survivors can regain their voices, free from fear and stigma.

The post Changemaker Combats Cultures of Silence to Support Survivors of Sexual Violence in Central Asia appeared first on Eurasia Foundation.

As part of this project, Mirzo volunteered as a public defender in 16 court cases under the framework of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Public Control. This law allows public organizations and independent changemakers like Mirzo to participate in legal proceedings as champions for citizens’ rights, ensuring that the courts operate fairly and transparently. By exercising his rights under this law, Mirzo supported citizens whose rights were in question without the need for them to hire private legal representation.

Mirzo’s free legal representation has yielded favorable outcomes for his pro bono clients in cases ranging from defamation and fraud to smuggling and abuse of office. These successes demonstrate the power of independent public defenders in the legal system. “A major reason for human rights violations is the lack of awareness about rights and where to seek help,” Mirzo explains. “Many people believe that only those with power or connections can demand their rights and seek justice. We have proven time and again that this is not the case.”

One of Mirzo’s most notable successes involved the case of Shokhrukh Rofiyev, a student expelled from Samarkand State University under the false pretense of organizing public unrest in Tashkent. Mirzo and his colleagues at Ezgulik, the human rights CSO he leads, successfully petitioned the appellate court. The court reinstated Shokhrukh and, in the process, exposed the expulsion as an act of personal hostility from university leadership.

Another notable case involved two tourists whose gold jewelry worth over 140 million UZS (approximately 12,000 USD) was confiscated by Uzbekistan’s immigration services, allegedly for exceeding the permitted limit. The tourists contacted Ezgulik for help recovering the jewelry. Mirzo and his team brought the matter to the Samarkand Regional Court, which declared the decision to confiscate the jewelry illegal.

“Around the world, citizens’ rights are violated for many reasons—whether due to bureaucratic errors, abuse of power by authorities, or incompetence. Demanding your rights and the involvement of independent human rights defenders are crucial for building a just society,” says Mirzo.

Ezgulik has also been active in training other public organizations to defend people’s rights. Recently, representatives from the regions of Andijan, Navoi, Jizzakh, Kashkadarya, and Tashkent attended Ezgulik workshops on international human rights standards and mechanisms of laws of Uzbekistan. These sessions, led by international experts, resulted in the creation of two comprehensive manuals on the protection of human rights based on the UN system and Uzbekistan’s laws.

In addition to these efforts, Ezgulik launched an outreach campaign in collaboration with partner media outlets, generating over 1 million views on YouTube alone. The campaign shared ongoing cases and raised awareness about citizens’ right to freedom of association.

One of the campaign’s most high-profile moments was its coverage of a lawsuit challenging the legality of a resolution from the Cabinet of Ministers. The law introduced a controversial electricity consumption standard of 200 kWh per month per family. Ezgulik argued that this standard violated the rights of some consumer groups, including their right to health and basic social security. “Citizens have the right to demand transparency and accountability from government agencies, and that was made clear through the widespread media attention this case received,” says Mirzo. “Although the court ruled in favor of the government, we believe that our outreach campaign achieved part of its goal by demonstrating the power of citizen participation.”

Despite this ruling, Mirzo and his team remain committed to challenging the resolution and continuing to champion the rights of Uzbekistan’s citizens, energized by the support of Eurasia Foundation and the community’s growing awareness of their rights.

The post Championing Vulnerable People in Uzbekistan appeared first on Eurasia Foundation.

While studying public procurement at PRS, Nurgali saw that the acute lack of researchers in the public procurement field leaves a “vast scope of data” out of the public eye. This is how the idea of creating a free public procurement course for university students entered his mind. Nurgali spent a year researching public procurement and thinking about drafting a course for university students. He was worried about whether local universities would accept his idea, as he believed staff might fear associating with course that teaches students to monitor and think critically about the state. Nurgali approached the Almaty University of Energy and Communications faculty with a proposal to launch an undergraduate course. “I was at once relieved and enthralled when the university’s staff said they were keen to give the project the green light,” he smiles.

Nurgali hopes that a new generation of specialists will help the country “make a leap forward” in enhancing its transparency standards.

“Kazakhstan wants to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), where one of the main requirements is compliance with the OECD standards in the field of accountable management and transparency of the public procurement system,” Nurgali shares. “Due to the shortage of specialists in the sustainable development field and the immaturity of the institutional framework for sustainable development, state authorities and national companies have not yet managed to introduce these standards into the public procurement process. That is where I see my role.”

Continuing his project within SICA’s PRS, Nurgali also studied public procurement in the school construction field. He identified a pattern of high-risk, potentially corrupt tenders with notably inflated prices. In response, he created a rating system to determine the effectiveness of school construction procurement processes. The Kazakhstan Association of Building Materials Industry saw high potential in Nurgali’s rating system and asked him to join the working group of Atameken, Kazakhstan’s National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, as an expert in public procurement. With the working group, Nurgali developed recommendations for a new Law on Public Procurement, which will help ensure the quality control of goods, labor, and services purchased at the lowest price.

Nurgali believes that public understanding of procurement mechanisms is a must-have for countries that want to eliminate corruption. He hopes to launch similar courses in other Kazakhstani universities. “I believe in my mission to implement OECD standards in Kazakhstan’s public procurement system. Only this way can we make a step to enter the top 30 most developed countries in the world,” he concludes.

The post Policy Research School Graduate Launches Free Course on Public Procurement appeared first on Eurasia Foundation.

“People living in the Aral Sea region are prone to numerous diseases because of bad ecology. Although the government provides clinics with equipment, the quality of medical treatment is not improving. The region severely lacks qualified doctors, and ordinary people are often unaware of their basic rights to receive qualified healthcare,” Madina notes. “I wanted to connect people with the government and ensure people in Qyzylorda region and around the country get the care they need.”

Madina knew her team could not tackle complex systems like healthcare institutions without government involvement. Thus, the first crucial step for Initiative Support was to build a constructive dialogue with government bodies. In 2020, with an Innovative Solutions Grant from EF’s Social Innovation in Central Asia (SICA) program, Initiative Support conducted a social audit of Qyzylorda’s regional healthcare sector. Based on the results of the audit, the team developed 30 recommendations for improving the healthcare system. At first, Kazakhstan’s parliament accepted the recommendations for consideration. However, Madina later learned that parliament postponed the discussion to a date beyond the end of their SICA-backed project.

“We were discouraged at first, as we could not finish the project with the results we wanted. We knew the recommendations we provided are important for tackling some of the issues that the country’s healthcare system deals with, and we decided to keep pursuing our goal to implement them,” Madina says.

With a second SICA Innovative Solutions Grant, the team developed their recommendations into a roadmap with a clear budget, timeline, and list of bodies responsible for improving Kazakhstan’s healthcare system. The roadmap focused on improvements in five key areas: developing a program to attract specialists to the Qyzylorda region, raising quality control standards of medical laboratories around the country, improving Kazakhstan’s healthcare mobile app, offering clinical rehabilitation for women with postpartum complications, and strengthening controls to eradicate corruption. This time, parliament approved most of the recommendations. Currently, government bodies are implementing about 80 percent of these recommendations.

Thanks to the Innovative Solutions Grant, Initiative Support also conducted a large-scale information campaign via social networks on people’s rights to healthcare, covering more than 200,000 people in the Qyzylorda region. They also helped organize a series of workshops for 25 physiotherapists and rehabilitation specialists from Qyzylorda clinics with the German kinesitherapist Evelyn Ebinger, who spent 20 days teaching local specialists about updated rehabilitation methods of movement treatment.

“Although I had to travel 180 kilometers every day [to the workshops with Evelyn], I never missed a session,” says Sakip, a doctor from Karmakshy district. “As professionals, we should never stop learning, and I am very glad I had a unique opportunity to learn for free about global trends in medical treatment and rehabilitation of patients.”

Together with her team, Madina is keen to improve the healthcare situation in the bad ecology zones like Qyzylorda region, as well as throughout Kazakhstan. “I really hope Initiative Support will advance people’s awareness of their rights [to medical treatment] as well as improve health facilities around Kazakhstan,” Madina says.

The post Supporting Healthcare Initiatives in an Ecological Disaster Zone appeared first on Eurasia Foundation.

Miren teaches in a conservative area where women and girls often face gender barriers to equal education, employment, and civic participation. She develops creative opportunities for her students, especially young girls, to flex their leadership muscles through social projects. In doing so, she builds their confidence, self-efficacy, and problem-solving skills. Miren equips her students to actively shape their futures and their communities despite obstacles in their way.

One of Miren’s projects encouraged students to begin upcycling: transforming oft-discarded items into new and useful material. Students discovered that they could turn fruit peels and vegetable scraps into animal feed for local farms. This upcycling process both reduces waste and prevents decaying food from emitting greenhouse gases. It is also cost-effective for local farmers.

Miren’s emphasis on hands-on learning stems from her years of participation in EF’s teacher trainings. EF’s tailored online trainings help educators foster healthy learning environments and invest in their own career development. Miren most recently joined 29 other teachers in a course on encouraging youth-led initiatives. Educators teamed up with local organizations to encourage youth civic leadership through caring for the natural world, with projects like Miren’s upcycling initiative.

The upcycling project was wide-reaching. Students compiled videos, pictures, and slides from Miren’s course into a summary to share easily across social media. One teenage girl, Amaya, even launched a WhatsApp group to pass on her knowledge to 15 peers—and others quickly followed her lead. By the course’s end, more than 20 parents were upcycling as well.

“I’ve grown so used to the upcycling process now that I feel like something is missing if I do not upcycle my family’s food waste,” said one parent.

Over 250 people attended the course’s end-of-term celebration. Students exhibited their projects at a booth to answer the community’s questions and increase awareness about the importance of upcycling food waste. Numerous community leaders joined the celebration, including the deputy general, the head of the school district, and representatives from the education department.

When a nearby teachers’ network asked Miren to replicate her course for dozens of educators, she saw an opportunity to build her students’ confidence and skills yet again. Miren turned leadership of the new course over to Amaya, the teen girl who had launched her own environmental group on WhatsApp.

With ongoing coaching from EF and her teacher, Amaya led a series of virtual trainings for 70 educators. She created course content and wove lessons from her own experience as a budding environmentalist into each session. Through her insight, teachers learned how best to involve their pupils in environmental stewardship and proactive civic life. As these teachers kickstarted environmental projects in their own classrooms, Amaya’s lessons touched the lives of approximately 1,400 students.

“Just 20 years ago in this region, this level of students’ engagement in their education and local issues was nearly unheard of, particularly for girls,” said EF’s technical manager. “This new generation is taking their future prosperity into their own hands.”

The post Young Girl Leads 1,400 in Environmental Stewardship appeared first on Eurasia Foundation.

Petropavl is home to four magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, serving a population of over 200,000 people. Just one of these devices is housed in the local public hospital; the remaining three belong to private clinics, which also receive state funds. More than 57 million KZT (133,000 USD) is spent annually on their maintenance. Patient access to the machines, however, remains limited.

“My neurologist ordered me an MRI at the regional hospital. But the queue for a scan stretched several months. I couldn’t get an appointment until late May, at which point my referral was no longer valid. How can that be?” lamented one patient. “I could go to a clinic, but do I have to then pay myself for the scan? This should be included under national health coverage, but it’s not.”

With support from Eurasia Foundation’s Social Innovation in Central Asia program, local civic organizations Tugan Zher and the First Anti-Corruption Media Center decided to investigate. The project team sent undercover patients to local medical facilities in search of care.

One patient attempted to make an appointment for an abdominal scan at the local hospital. The scan would be covered under national health guidelines. The patient requested an appointment in April 2021, to no avail. According to hospital staff, the wait list for the month of May was closed, and the hospital was not yet scheduling patients for June. The patient’s only alternative was to seek a scan at a local clinic, where he would be required to pay out-of-pocket. This experience was common throughout the city.

“Our study revealed hospital MRI queues numbering almost 800 patients each month. If a person was given a referral for an MRI scan, it would take more than three months to see a hospital specialist using national health coverage,” says Ruslan Asaubayev, First Anti-Corruption Media Center head. “But most revealing was that if a patient agreed to a scan on a paid basis at a private clinic, that timeline would shrink to a matter of days.”

Under Kazakhstani law, private clinics that receive state funding must accept national health coverage. For a single MRI scan, clinics earn just under 10,000 KZT (23 USD) within the national health plan. However, by denying patients coverage and instead accepting only private payment, clinics can reap an average of 18,000 KZT (42 USD) per scan.

The study revealed that private clinics were regularly denying service under national health mandates and instead only accepting cash payments. With the regional hospital overburdened and private clinics capitalizing on bloated wait times, regional health outcomes suffered.

“This is a direct violation of patient rights,” says Asaubayev. “The patient contributes to the national health fund and has every right to receive services on time and free of charge, whether at the regional hospital or at private clinics. These MRI machines cost taxpayers millions each year and must be accessible to all.”

In response, Tugan Zher and the First Anti-Corruption Media Center convened local healthcare stakeholders, including representatives from national and municipal health ministries, the national medical insurance fund, and the medical community. Together, the committee drew up a new protocol, which encourages physicians to refer patients to private clinics to reduce wait times and requires private clinics to accept national health coverage.

The project team also engaged local journalists to draw attention to this issue, and to encourage patients to exercise their right to health coverage at private clinics.

As a result of their efforts, wait times for MRIs in Petropavl have fallen from 90 days to only 12 days. Patients can now access critical care efficiently and economically, thereby improving health outcomes and public trust in the medical system across the region.

“The queue is already dissolving,” says local resident Lyuba Panko, who received an MRI in June, just days after requesting an appointment. A month prior, she had been told to wait till September. “This is a relief for patients and for the regional hospital.”

The post Improving Access to MRIs in Northern Kazakhstan appeared first on Eurasia Foundation.

To start, Karlygash and her colleagues mobilized a needs assessment by the Kazakh Society of the Blind. Based on these results, they decided to target areas that lacked walkways for visually impaired residents. Accessible walkways, they believed, would result in safer movement and wayfinding across streets for people with disabilities throughout the city.

In partnership with Samga-N, a local disability rights organization, Karlygash applied for an Innovative Solutions Grant from USAID’s Social Innovation in Central Asia program, implemented by Eurasia Foundation. In February 2021, Karlygash participated in a focus group uniting local stakeholders, including the vice-akim for the Talgar region, a representative from the Talgar municipal government, representatives of the road commission and department of civic works, the director of Samga-N, and fellow concerned citizens. Together, they decided on a location for a new accessible walkway, to be constructed along a main throughway in Talgar.

Following project approval in early June, Karlygash and local volunteers got to work. “We drew up an estimate, searched for suppliers, and waded through all the deadlines and paperwork. The price of materials increased following our initial assessment, but that didn’t stop us.”

After completing construction, Karlygash and her team proudly painted the walkway. By late July, the project was complete. “We did it!” exclaims Karlygash. “The walkway runs along the road Baluan-Sholak, which aligns closely with the local industrial zone, and is located near the Kazakh Society of the Blind. It directly reaches several homes of people with disabilities.

“The walkway is a great success,” says Karlygash, beaming. “We continue to monitor the area for additional work, yet this project has brought great joy to the inhabitants of Talgar. Thanks to the support of USAID, the citizens of Talgar recognize that we too can be activists and champions of people with disabilities in our community.”

The post In the Village of Talgar, Visually Impaired Residents Receive a Walkway appeared first on Eurasia Foundation.

One such initiative, delivered by a group of eighth grade students, focused on supporting children in street situations. With businesses shut and movement restricted in usually bustling urban areas, students asked, what happens to children living or working on the streets? With support from Eurasia Foundation, their teacher, Rania, helped students find answers.

Recognizing the myriad challenges faced by children in street situations, many of which were compounded by the pandemic, students partnered with a local nonprofit to launch an awareness campaign. The campaign drew positive attention to this vulnerable group in an especially challenging time.

With continued guidance from Eurasia Foundation, Rania worked with students to champion these children’s rights to education, to be protected from economic exploitation, and to an adequate standard of living. Expanding on these insights, students then began selling the children’s handmade goods online to provide them with a reliable source of income during the pandemic.

For more stories from Eurasia Foundation’s 2020 Annual Report: A Year Like No Other, click here.

The post Moving Civic Engagement Online appeared first on Eurasia Foundation.

To address these shortcomings, the Zertteu Research Institute, with support from Eurasia Foundation’s Social Innovation in Central Asia program, held a weeklong online training in February 2021. Data journalists and transparency champions reviewed major procurements and learned how to analyze data from the state procurement portal.

After completing this training, participant Miyat Kashibai investigated how much the city of Shymkent spent on March 2021 Nauryz celebrations. After analyzing the data on Zakupki.kz, Kashibai found a 40 million tenge (over $93,000) contract for organizing an aitys, or oral poetry competition, which the city awarded to a newly established construction company. He then compared Shymkent’s aitys contract to that of the nearby city of Taraz. Although the cities hosted events of the same scale, Taraz spent significantly less on its festivities.

Miyat shared this discovery on his personal Facebook page. The post caught the attention of his followers, including Yesengul Kapkyzy, who also participated in Zertteu’s training. Yesengul calculated that the city of Shymkent had spent 565 million tenge ($1.3 million) from the state budget for all its 2021 Nauryz events. Her findings raised numerous questions about where much of this money had gone. When her peers began analyzing individual contracts paid from these funds, they found that much of the documentation needed to justify the costs was curiously missing.

Yesengul published her analysis through the local news agency Minber.kz. Within a few days, other users began to post on Zertteu’s social media pages with similar concerns about Nauryz spending. Fellow transparency champions shared and discussed these posts with the wider public as the findings gained increasing attention online. Zertteu’s public procurement trainer, Galymzhan Orazymbet, prepared an analysis that examined the Nauryz contracts and the corruption risks associated with the tenders’ technical specifications. He revealed several issues with the selected vendors, such as having no past experience in delivering the proposed services.

Zertteu submitted this analysis to state agencies and media outlets. The findings generated widespread public response, as detailed in the Qazaq Times, a national newspaper. As a result, Shymkent city officials held an official briefing in which they attempted to explain these purchases. However, the official explanations were fraught with inaccuracies, leaving the public widely dissatisfied. The Anti-Corruption Department of Shymkent began a formal investigation into the procurement discrepancies and is expected to report the results in the next few months.

Transparency champions continue to publish articles about Shymkent’s questionable Nauryz procurements (1, 2, 3). Other participants in Zertteu’s trainings have launched investigations into procurement issues such as doctors’ use of luxury transportation in Almaty, unreasonable advertising budgets for Nur-Sultan’s government, food budgets for zoo animals in Karaganda, and municipal purchases of military equipment and extravagant office supplies in East Kazakhstan. These findings have increased awareness among readers about procurement law, the procedures for organizing and conducting public procurement, and the importance of monitoring and civic oversight in public spending. Resulting feedback has revealed growing dissatisfaction with the government of Kazakhstan’s management of public funds.

The post The Missing Million: Investigating Use of Public Funds for Holiday Celebrations in Shymkent, Kazakhstan appeared first on Eurasia Foundation.

“What do Almaty residents want?” asked Alesya Nugayeva, 34-year-old head of the public foundation Eco Kultura, urbanist, and curator of social and cultural projects in Almaty. Alesya’s question was not an idle one—she and her team conducted intensive research, interviewing 900 Almaty residents, city administration officials, and NGO representatives to find answers.

What Alesya and her team learned was surprising. Though Almaty residents expressed a number of concerns familiar to urban living—public safety (16%), transportation (14%), housing and communal services (11%), education (9%), medicine (8%), public services (8%), and infrastructure (7%)—the most common concern, cited by nearly one in three residents, was the environment.

Data also revealed a poor understanding of how to address these issues. For example, what should a person do if they witness illegal tree trimming, or garbage carelessly strewn about city streets? While Almaty does have some reporting mechanisms in place, 37% of respondents did not know where to apply for a solution to an urgent urban problem. Of the 25% of respondents who said they had brought a concern to the attention of city authorities, none felt their issues had been adequately resolved.

While daunting, Alesya knew these shortcomings were not insurmountable.

“On top of the low level of communication between residents and the city administration, there is a lack of centralized information,” Alesya explains. “All the necessary information is on the internet, but it is scattered. Some information is on the Open Almaty website, some on the city administration website, and some on the website of the police department. But when faced with an urgent question, people don’t have time to hunt for answers.”

To tackle this problem, Alesya and her team at Eco Kultura, supported by Eurasia Foundation’s Social Innovation in Central Asia (SICA) program, launched an information campaign. But instead of using traditional tools like news blasts or asking users to navigate automated phone or website directories for answers, Eco Kultura developed an online game, #Gorozhanym.

#Gorozhanym, a melding of Russian and Kazakh that translates to “Dear Townspeople,” allows Almaty residents to find information and solutions to typical urban environmental issues, as well as to navigate municipal services. While walking down a virtual street, players notice illegal dumping, air pollution, and other common problems. They next choose from a list of solutions, such as starting a social media campaign or talking to government officials. Players then receive feedback on their choices, including recommendations for activities and links to local resources.

What separates #Gorozhanym from other municipal service directory projects is that all information is presented in the form of a “choose-your-own adventure” game. The game makes the process of obtaining information easy, engaging, and understandable. Within a week of launch, over 1,000 people had played the game. Dozens shared their results over social media, highlighting the game’s relevance and ease of use. Everyone who completes the game also receives a brochure with links to petitions, eco-friendly lifehacks, and environmental call centers, which also received thanks and praise from users.

With #Gorozhanym, Alesya hopes that helping Almaty residents protect their urban green space is just the start. “My goal is for players to feel empowered to make a positive difference in their community, wherever a need arises,” says Alesya.

Alesya too has her eyes on the future. Now that #Gorozhanym is up and running, Alesya and Eco Kultura, with additional SICA funding and technical support, plan to develop another game to address the second-highest issue of importance to the residents of Almaty—public safety.

The post Gamifying Environmental Stewardship in Kazakhstan appeared first on Eurasia Foundation.

Eurasia Foundation online trainings help educators guide students in leadership and civic engagement projects. With support from Eurasia Foundation, educators work with students to think critically about the issues facing their communities and develop action plans to implement youth-led initiatives. Projects take on a wide array of problems, including educational quality, youth mental health, the lack of resources for people with disabilities, and environmental degradation.

One such project, delivered by a group of eighteen high school students, focused on preventing sexual abuse of young children. As part of Eurasia Foundation’s community engagement course, their teacher, Sara, guided classroom discussions to identify priority issues for her students. The young girls identified sexual abuse as a critical concern in their deeply conservative community.

With continued support from Eurasia Foundation, Sara helped her students design an awareness-raising campaign to highlight ways to combat sexual violence, particularly targeting minors. The students then persuaded local leaders to allow them to host a training at a nearby elementary school to help other children identify risks and prevent sexual abuse. For young women to broach, much less push against, a taboo topic such as sexual violence in their ultraconservative community was unprecedented. Moreover, without any systemic efforts by local or regional bodies to combat or even acknowledge sexual violence, especially against minors, the student-led project filled a crucial gap.

For more stories from Eurasia Foundation’s 2018-2019 Impact Report, click here.

The post Mobilizing Citizen Participation Through Technology appeared first on Eurasia Foundation.

Then Zuleikhah found Eurasia Foundation’s online leadership courses. The support she received from the coaches and the sense of community she developed with the other participants encouraged her to champion causes that are near and dear to her, she said. Through connections she made in the course, Zuleikhah learned about a nationwide petition to pass laws that protect the rights of persons with disabilities and became involved with the cause. Eventually, she served as the campaign’s co-chair in her town, which lead to numerous local TV appearances where she discusses how people with disabilities are portrayed in local media. Zuleikhah also used her software engineering skills to use to help her coursemates with their leadership projects in other towns and regions.

Zuleikhah’s outlook on her future changed drastically since she found online training and support, she said. The program helped her find her voice and now she uses it to champion not only her rights, but those for all persons with disabilities.

The post Zuleikhah Champions Persons with Disabilities appeared first on Eurasia Foundation.