Kyrgyz Republic
EXAMPLES OF OUR IMPACT
- Kyrgyzstan was one of the world’s top three business reformers in 2008, due in part to USAID’s support for economic reforms.
- USAID’s work with the Ministry of Health has ensured that more than 80 percent of the population is covered by the Health Insurance Fund.
- Each year, 40 percent of Kyrgyz high school graduates participate in the USAID-funded Kyrgyz National Scholarship Test.
USAID/CENTRAL ASIA SITE
http://centralasia.usaid.gov
CONTACTS
Regional Mission Director
Andrew Sisson
USAID/Central Asia
41 Kazibek bi St
Almaty, Kazakhstan 050010
Tel: 7-727-250-76-12
Pat Shapiro
Country Program Officer
USAID
171 Mira Avenue
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan 720016
Tel: 996-312-551-241
Bob Wallin
Central Asia Team Leader
Tel: 202-712-0141
Email: bowallin@usaid.gov
 Sanabar-apa from Kara-Dobo Village is confident that her onion harvest will be good this year. USAID helped her community renovate the local irrigation system and reorganize water distribution, and now farmers receive sufficient amounts of irrigation water. (Photo: Winrock International)
Overview
With USAID assistance, Kyrgyzstan has made substantial progress in the areas of economic growth, health care reform, improvement of basic education, and agricultural development. However, significant impediments to development remain, including widespread corruption, low foreign investment, a high unemployment rate, and endemic poverty. Approximately one-third of Kyrgyzstan’s workforce is employed abroad, draining the country of its qualified workforce and reducing the availability of services. In addition, broader democratic reform remains a challenge. Adding to the development issues facing Kyrgyzstan is the fact that limited energy resources and low agricultural productivity leave the country susceptible to humanitarian crises.
Programs
Economic Growth: The Foundation for a Strong Economy
With USAID’s assistance, the government has introduced multiple improvements in the business environment that have enabled the private sector to save over $30 million in 2008 alone. As a result of these efforts, in 2008 the country was named by the World Bank as one of the top three business reformers worldwide.
Kyrgyzstan’s limited energy resources threaten to hold back the country’s economic growth. To facilitate the development of regional electricity markets in Central Asia, USAID helps reform the country’s electricity system and devise policies to mitigate energy shortages. To reduce the impact of rising food prices and low agricultural productivity, USAID has created a revolving seed fund to upgrade the country’s seed stock and is helping to introduce modern technologies to increase the ability of the agricultural sector to provide food and incomes.
In support of land market development, which promotes economic growth, USAID helps streamline land legislation; assists farmers in leasing, buying, and selling land; and facilitates reform of state-owned land management. Finally, USAID has been the most important donor in the development of the microfinance sector in Kyrgyzstan and helps improve the legal environment for lending. The USAID-supported Association of Microfinance Institutions represents about 80 percent of the microfinance market with more than 1 million active clients and a portfolio of $148 million.
Investing in People: Health Care and Education
USAID has helped Kyrgyzstan design its health reform plans and has been supporting their implementation. With USAID’s support, the country has adopted a family medicine system that currently includes over 700 centers staffed with specialists that USAID helped retrain. Tuberculosis (TB) control is currently USAID’s number one health priority in Kyrgyzstan, and the 2008 data showed a significant decrease in TB incidence and mortality related to TB. Assistance has also improved the stewardship of national HIV control programs. With USAID support, the country has developed a number of key policy documents, and over 100 local nongovernmental organizations now successfully plan and conduct HIV prevention.
To expand access to quality education, USAID helps improve teacher training and student assessments, promotes teacher involvement in curriculum reform, and assists in reforming the education finance system. Over 20 percent of the country’s primary school students have benefited from this assistance. Additionally, USAID recently launched a pilot program that provides up to $1.5 million in student loan guarantees; these loans will enable students to access to Kyrgyzstan’s better quality universities and vocational schools. For eight years, USAID has supported the National Scholarship Test. The test is used to determine government scholarship recipients on the basis of merit.
Governing Justly and Democratically
USAID helps strengthen the parliament, civil society, media, and local governance. Over the past 17 years, USAID has trained hundreds of television, radio, and print journalists; supported the development of a vibrant network of nongovernmental organizations; and introduced civic education to over 250,000 Kyrgyz students. Through the Millennium Challenge Account program, USAID is helping to improve the transparency, functioning, and independence of the Kyrgyz judiciary, police force, and criminal justice system. Over 750,000 residents in 160 municipalities across the country are receiving better services from their local governments and are more involved in local decision making. To promote community development, USAID helps seven clusters of communities design and carry out local initiatives and support youth employment.
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