IRDP Villages Recognized Nationally: 1st and 3rd Place in Best Aiyl Okmotu Awards
Proud Achievement for IRDP Villages: Zhoosh and Chon-Alai Win National Recognition! 🏆
We are proud to share some truly exciting news: the Zhoosh and Chon-Alai Aiyl Okmotus, participants in our Integrated Rural Development Project (IRDP), have achieved outstanding success in the 2024 National Best Aiyl Okmotu Contest of Kyrgyzstan!
Out of 235 rural municipalities across the country, Zhoosh Aiyl Okmotu secured 1st place, and Chon-Alai Aiyl Okmotu earned an impressive 3rd place! 🇰🇬✨
This prestigious annual contest honors the most effective, inclusive, and sustainable local governments in Kyrgyzstan. Winning such a recognition is a testament to excellent local governance, strong community involvement, and meaningful progress in rural development.
Since 2021, Good Neighbors, in partnership with KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency), has been implementing the IRDP in 30 villages across southern Kyrgyzstan, focusing on:
✅ Improving public infrastructure (such as schools, water supply systems, and roads)
✅ Supporting income-generating opportunities and small-scale entrepreneurship
✅ Empowering women to take active roles in decision-making and leadership
✅ Enhancing local policy-making and administrative systems
The success of Zhoosh and Chon-Alai showcases what can be achieved through the collaboration of local leaders, engaged citizens, and committed development partners. It is a shared victory that belongs to the entire community! 💪🏽🏡
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the people and leadership of Zhoosh and Chon-Alai for this remarkable achievement, and we look forward to continuing our journey toward inclusive and sustainable development together.
#GoodNeighborsKyrgyzRepublic #KOICA #IRDP #CommunityDevelopment #SustainableDevelopment #VillagePride #AiylOkmotu2024 #TogetherForChange #Kyrgyzstan
On August 28, in Bishkek, the UN World Food Programme (WFP), together with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic, and Good Neighbors Kyrgyz Republic held a practical workshop on WASH standards for schools.
The key highlight of the event was the presentation of a practical handbook on implementing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene standards in educational institutions to school principals.
What does the WASH framework in schools include?
🔹 Access to safe drinking water and quality sanitation facilities.
🔹 Convenient handwashing stations and adherence to food hygiene rules.
🔹 Creating an inclusive, accessible, and comfortable environment for all children, including children with disabilities.
During the workshop, representatives of schools participating in the school feeding project discussed the work of school health committees and methods for developing healthy habits among students.
📍 What's next? Later this week, a similar workshop will be held in Osh for representatives of schools from the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan!
Together, we are creating a safe and healthy environment for the future generation!
On August 25, 2026, Good Neighbors Kyrgyz Republic organized a practical experience-sharing workshop on "Organization of Healthy Nutrition in Schools" at K. Chokoev School in Kotormo village under the "Green Schools for Healthy Nutrition" project. School principals from the Uch-Terek and Bel-Aldy areas participated in the event.
The primary goal of the workshop was to demonstrate how the effective use of school grounds allows for growing fresh fruits and vegetables for the school cafeteria, thereby enriching students' daily diets with nutritious hot meals. 🍲🍛
During the field visit, the team of K. Chokoev School shared their unique experience:
- Crop diversity: apples, cucumbers, potatoes, strawberries, as well as lemons and bananas are successfully grown on the school grounds.
- High yield: the school harvests crops twice per season.
- Reliable storage: participants were shown a self-constructed basement storage facility that keeps the produce fresh throughout the entire school year.
Participants showed great interest in the practical details, discussing irrigation, crop cultivation, food storage, and adapting these approaches in their own schools. In addition, the school leaders addressed key challenges of mountainous regions, particularly the short agricultural season and limited access to irrigation water.
The workshop served as clear proof that school-based farming is an accessible and effective tool for enhancing hot meal programs and improving children's health. 💚
On August 20–21, 2026, Good Neighbors Kyrgyz Republic held a two-day strategic workshop titled "Community Movement: Moving Together, Creating Change."
The event was aimed at reviewing the progress of the first half of 2026, aligning strategic priorities, strengthening interdepartmental collaboration, and developing a clear action plan for the second half of the year.
During the two-day program, staff completed a series of intensive sessions focused on analytical work, professional development, and team building. Participants reviewed the five-year PPF 2026–2030 strategy, the development of the Community Movement initiative, improvement strategies for SST projects, and the WFP HGSF program. Special emphasis was placed on co-funding projects in Bel-Aldy village aimed at empowering and actively involving the local population to strengthen community capacity.
The program also included training on time management, safeguarding standards (PSE & Safeguarding), and the operational role of administration as a strategic partner.
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