Kyrgyzstan is a small country of just over 5.5 million people. Geographically, Kyrgyzstan is located west of China and is slightly smaller in land mass than South Dakota. As with most small countries, the Kyrgyzstani people face problems that more developed nations do not face. Nations in situations like that of Kyrgyzstan often are unable to completely help their impoverished citizens, and need others to lend a hand. If wondering how to help people in Kyrgyzstan, read on to learn more.

Children

One group of people that is highly vulnerable to impoverishment, and certainly less able to help themselves, is the children. In Kyrgyzstan, this is no exception. Ethnic fighting in the nation, particularly in Osh and neighboring areas, has resulted in the displacement of an estimated 400,000 people from their homes. Children are often the most severely affected by this upheaval.

Save the Children is a group dedicated to protecting the lives of children, as their name indicates. Save the Children is also one of the few international humanitarian agencies operating in the small nation of Kyrgyzstan. As such, this organization provides life-saving assistance to the people affected in the fighting in Osh, particularly to the children.

Some of the ways in which Save the Children has helped the Kyrgyzstani people is through providing food, removing rubble, providing protection and giving non-food items and help in general to the livelihoods of the affected. Save the Children’s emergency response program has reached more than 250,000 people, most of whom are refugees fleeing to Uzbekistan.

Donations are a great way to support organizations like this, and give a readily available option to those looking to help people in Kyrgyzstan here and now. For Save the Children, a positive way to assist is through the Children’s Emergency Fund. The Children’s Emergency Fund enables Save the Children to respond immediately and effectively to situations like the fighting that occurred in Osh.

Nutrition

Other problems faced by impoverished nations like Kyrgyzstan are nutrition and food insecurity. This is especially the case when one takes into account the rural and agrarian aspects of Kyrgyzstani society.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is an organization that looks to tackle the problem of hunger and inadequate nutrition around the world. The WFP is dedicated to delivering food assistance during emergencies, providing food to the hungry and working with communities to build nutritional resilience.

In Kyrgyzstan, the WFP has helped locals in a number of different ways. A farmer named Osmon Kabulov, a Kyrgyzstani native, tells the WFP community that he is “excited by the prospect of a better harvest” due to the installation of multiple water reservoirs. Other examples of how the WFP has helped the Kyrgyzstani community include providing school meals, teaching families about proper nutrition and giving food and other assistance in farming. This is yet another organization to look into regarding how to help people in Kyrgyzstan.

Like Save the Children, WFP is always in need of donations as well. For those looking to be a little more immersed in providing assistance to the people in nations like Kyrgyzstan, volunteering with WFP is a good option. This gives people seeking to help those less fortunate a much more involved experience, as well as the ability experience new places. Find out more information, including the volunteer application form, on the official website of WFP.

– Stephen Praytor

Photo: Flickr