13.12.2016     12:52

A forum for self-help groups (SHGs) entitled ‘Self-Help Groups are the Bridge of Peace and Development’ will be held on 14 December 2016 in Osh oblast and on 16 December 2016 in Jalalabad oblast. These forums have been organized by WPU Erayim within the framework of their project ‘The introduction of a combination of traditional and modern approaches to prevent conflict in the south of Kyrgyzstan’, which is supported by the German international organization Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World).

The forums’ objectives are: peace building harmony; friendship and unity of people at the local level; and the strengthening of SHGs to resolve local communities’ problems. At the forums, SHG members will work in small groups on subjects such as Ethnic Culture and Tolerance, Small Scale Business and Unemployment, Education and Society, and Infrastructure and Environment. Lessons learnt from experience, including successes, will also be discussed. It is anticipated that the discussions throughout the forums will reveal future problems and aid their resolution.

The forums will be attended by regional representatives of the State Agency for Local Government and Inter-Ethnic Relations under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, heads of villages, media representatives, school principals, and members of SHGs.