Kyrgyzstan is a small republic of Central Asia bordering Western China where the Tchien Shan "Heavenly Mountains" rise to over 23,000 feet, or 7,000 meters. It is accessible by air from the west using Turkish Air from Istanbul, and British Air from London flying directly to Bishkek. Many international carriers fly into Almaty, Kazakstan, only four hours drive from Bishkek.

Colonized by Russia in the middle 1800's, the land ("stan") of the Kyrgyz with a history of 1000 years, became a Soviet Republic in 1923. This beautiful mountainous country with nearly 5 million people is comprised of many ethnic groups, Kyrgyz, Russian, Uzbek, Korean and other representatives of surrounding countries. People are friendly and hospitable to strangers. Russian is the "lingua franca" of all of Central Asia, but local languages, Kyrgyz and Uzbek are increasingly used in the cities, and almost exclusively in the rural areas. The Soviet system though lacking freedom, provided most basic human needs including universal education. The country boasts a literacy rate in the upper 90% range and many with degrees in higher education.

On the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Kyrgyzstan along with other republics of Central Asia became independent. Almost immediately factories shut down, jobs were eliminated, and the social safety net of the Soviet system disappeared. No longer were housing, and many other benefits provided. New systems had to be devised and privatization left many impoverished. Inflation and unemployment increased. The almost universal government salaries of $20-$30/month were no longer sufficient, and the now $10/month given pensioners is tragically small. Small businesses have grown but not enough to provide significant employment. Many banks have failed. Collective farms split up leaving farmers to try to make a living on their small plots of ground with no experience of the business of agriculture. International assistance has bolstered the economy somewhat with joint ventures and large loans, but leaving the country with a huge foreign debt.

The government is no longer able to afford the expensive highly specialized Soviet health care system, and worked with international agencies to develop a different system requiring major changes and less provision for the people. In many similar ways the governments of Central Asia are finding their own way with variable success. The changes are painful and have caused much economic and social disruption. By government invitation, many organizations including STLI have been encouraged to help in developing this newly independent suffering country.