On September 4, in the city of Osh, the UN World Food Programme (WFP), together with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Ministry of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic, and Good Neighbors Kyrgyz Republic, successfully held a practical seminar on school water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for school representatives from the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan.
The seminar in Osh was a continuation of the initiative launched on August 28 in Bishkek, bringing together school principals, teachers, and representatives of school health and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) committees from Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Batken regions.
The key highlight of the seminar was the distribution of practical guidelines and information-educational materials (booklets and posters) to school administrations on implementing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) measures.
What does the development of the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) initiative in schools include?
🔹 Access to safe drinking water and quality sanitation facilities.
🔹 Convenient handwashing stations and adherence to food hygiene practices.
🔹 Creating an inclusive, accessible, and comfortable environment for all children, including children with disabilities.
Implementing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) measures across all regions of the country is our shared contribution to building a safe, healthy, and inclusive environment for every child!
On August 25, 2026, a practical seminar titled "Organization of Healthy Nutrition in Schools" was held at the K. Chokoev School in Kotormo village. The event was organized by Good Neighbors Kyrgyz Republic as part of the "Green Schools for Healthy Nutrition" project.
School principals from Uch-Terek and Bel-Aldy rural areas gathered to study successful experiences in establishing school-adjacent farming: from growing apples, vegetables, and even bananas and lemons, to harvesting twice a season and building a specialized cellar for food storage.
Interview with a seminar participant:
Sharipova Jazgul Uchbaevna, Principal of the Mukash Zhamgyrkanov School, shared her impressions of the visit and plans for developing her school ground:
"Today we took part in the seminar and were greatly impressed. Our school has previously attempted to implement the Garden project for planting an apple orchard: we prepared suitable plots, submitted soil analysis results, and filed all necessary documents on time. This seminar inspired us once again! We will make every effort to establish our own apple orchard and a fully functioning school farm, and we also greatly count on your support in implementing this initiative."
School-adjacent farming is an effective and accessible tool that helps provide children with fresh produce, enrich daily hot meals, and strengthen the health of the younger generation!
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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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In school age, children face serious internal and external changes. Against this background, conflicts often arise, and bullying can go into the shadows — adults either identify it too late or do not notice it at all.
Director of secondary school No. 30 named after A. Aliev (Osh) Sulaimanova Nuskaiym Amanbaevna shares why traditional preventive measures are no longer enough. To truly protect teenagers, educators need new methodologies, instructions, and, most importantly, the right approach to communication.
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A four-day intensive training-of-trainers on implementing the Methodological Guidelines for Creating a Safe Educational Environment for teachers and social educators concluded in Bishkek.
The initiative was conducted by the branch of the International NGO Good Neighbors in the Kyrgyz Republic in cooperation with the Ministry of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The trainers who led the course emphasized the critical importance of fostering a protected atmosphere in educational institutions:
“Without safety, neither quality education nor healthy child development is possible. It is essential not only to notice physical threats in time, but also to detect violence and bullying. Children must feel protected both physically and psychologically — in schools as well as in kindergartens!”
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Altynbek Erkimbekov, Head of the Department of Upbringing and Extracurricular Education at the Ministry of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic, summarized the outcomes of the four-day Training of Trainers on the "Safe Educational Environment" Methodological Guide.
In his interview, Altynbek Erkimbekov emphasized that creating a protected school atmosphere requires the combined efforts of the government, international organizations, and the pedagogical community.
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A four-day intensive Training of Trainers was held in Bishkek, dedicated to implementing the Methodological Guide on Ensuring a Safe Educational Environment for teachers and social workers.
The event was organized under the "Safe Educational Environment" project by Good Neighbors in the Kyrgyz Republic in collaboration with the Ministry of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic. The official opening was attended by Altynbek Erkimbekov, Head of the Department of Upbringing and Additional Education at the Ministry of Education.
The primary goal of the initiative is to promote the creation of a safe, violence-free school environment for children and adolescents. Over the course of four days, participants mastered key aspects of adult learning, examined response algorithms for various types of violence and bullying (including cyberbullying), studied the trauma-informed approach, legal frameworks for child protection, and effective strategies for engaging with families and school staff.
Strengthening the capacity of teachers and social workers is a crucial step by Good Neighbors toward implementing unified child protection standards, expanding access to a supportive school atmosphere, and shaping a psychologically healthy future for the younger generation.
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