How to make school meals healthy and eco-friendly? Experience of school principals from Toktogul
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 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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