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A cord of three strands is not easily broken…What we teach in the communities, and what we observe ourselves as a team
In 1998, during a very busy day treating patients in a village in southern Kyrgyzstan, a visiting doctor commented:
“This is the fifth time I’ve been to this village, and it gets worse each time.”
Listening on, I was struck by the comment. With all these expert medical people and their
many resources, why was the situation getting worse? I had just become involved in a new
project to run a mobile medical clinic for rural communities, but it was becoming clear to
me that such a relief approach, while needed in some areas, was not going to give long term help.
What could we do? With some study, encouragement and advice from friends and some practical work,
I began to understand the concept of development—helping people to address their own situation.
In development, many clichés are tossed around—empowering, equipping, mobilizing. Clichéd as they are,
the terms all tell us essentially what development is about: people.
People who are able to take responsibility and control of their own situation.
This is what the people of rural Kyrgyzstan needed – sustainable development
in all parts of life, with the control and decisions being firmly with the people.
If they had these basics, they could use the resources they already had to improve
their situation, and far more effectively use any other resources they were
given.
The initial project staff of three is also reflective
of the development of the project. Involved from the very beginning, local
staff now completely control the NGO and project. Short term foreign workers,
from nurses to dietitians to engineers, have all made significant contributions
over the years. STLI Associates have had key roles and now assist in a
consultant role when required. The first local worker, Elmira, has gone
on to greatly develop her own knowledge and skills in community development,
and is now a key figure in community based development work in Kyrgyzstan.
Elmira is currently Director of another STLI development project which
focuses on networking and training for CD initiatives in Central Asia,
combining her leadership, management, training and basic CD skills she
largely developed in Osh CDP. She has also been chosen by an international
development agency as their Kyrgyzstan representative. Realizing the potential
of local people when trained, Osh CDC began an internship program in 2005,
taking on local people for a one-year period in which they develop their
personal skills and abilities while working with the team.
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