Challenge
Ayu residents, ethnic Turks living in an isolated village of a predominantly ethnically Uzbek district of Kyrgyzstan, were very distrustful of local government authorities. Perceived mishandling of land distribution and land access issues strained this relationship, and the paltry government contribution to the rehabilitation of Ayu’s school (less than $20 compared to the economically deprived community’s contribution of $4,000 ) further exacerbated the situation.
Initiative
The USAID-funded Community Action Investment Program (CAIP) works with communities vulnerable to conflict by helping them identify and resolve localized sources of tension. Ayu residents had been in a long-running conflict with their local government officials, and CAIP created opportunities for dialog to bridge the rift between them.
Ayu’s residents gained a great deal of confidence through the school project to which their local government had contributed so meagerly. After its completion, CAIP helped the Ayu community members in organizing a new series of meetings with local government officials to discuss their responsibilities to Ayu constituency, and the severity of transport problems in their area.
Ayu’s representatives outlined their detailed plans for road rehabilitation, which they knew would require a much greater share of government support than they had been able to secure in the past. Developing a constructive relationship which they had built through their dialog paid off.
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