The Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan) gained independence from the USSR in 1991 and is now a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Situated in the north-eastern part of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan has borders with Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and China. Its population numbers 5 million people, of whom 64% are Kyrgyz, 14% Uzbek and 13% Russian. Islam (75%) and Russian Orthodoxy (20%) are the major religions.

As a result of the 1992-95 civil war in neighbouring Tajikistan and continued internal chaos in Afghanistan, thousands of people fled to Kyrgyzstan in search of refuge. In 2000, a small number of Chechen asylum-seekers began arriving in Kyrgyzstan fleeing from internal conflict as well. In June 2003, there were 6644 Tajik refugees, 759 Afghan refugees and 521 Chechen asylum-seekers registered with the Department of Migration Services (DMS) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Refugees in Kyrgyzstan experience problems in the socio-economic sphere, particularly with respect to access to social services, education and other benefits. The vast majority are unemployed and lack a stable source of income.

HIV/AIDS awareness project for refugee youth

Over the past few years, HIV/AIDS has become a critical issue in Kyrgyzstan, although it is still a low-prevalence country. In April 2003, there were 349 registered HIV cases in the country. However, the estimated number is much higher than the officially registered cases. It is important to note that, so far, no refugees have been reported HIV-positive and it is vital to maintain this favourable situation. In August 2001, UNHCR, UNFPA and KFPA implemented a joint pilot HIV/AIDS awareness project to preserve the reproductive health of refugees. The project focused on Tajik refugee youth aged 14-20 years in northern Kyrgyzstan, who have little or no opportunity to receive information and education on HIV/AIDS and reproductive health through the national system. In addition, the project worked to reduce STI infections and to encourage family planning.

Implementation arrangements were taken step by step. Before the pilot was carried out, KFPA conducted a survey to estimate the youth's level of knowledge on HIV/AIDS and reproductive health. The survey showed that they did not have sufficient and correct information on the subject.

Initial lack of acceptance

At the beginning of the pilot project, refugee parents were reluctant to allow their children, particularly daughters, to participate in the programme. According to their cultural values, it was shameful to show and provide contraceptives such as condoms to children and many parents considered the subject of sexual health an unnecessary and unwanted topic. One solution to change these attitudes was to involve refugee leaders in the programme and educate them on the advantages of youngsters having knowledge of their bodies and sexual health. KFPA contacted local NGOs to identify refugee leaders in local communities. Programme staff visited the leaders and explained the project's aims and how the organization planned to conduct the programme.

Initially, the leaders expressed their disapproval due to the taboos surrounding the subject matter. In the end, persevering clarifications by KFPA staff motivated them to attend meetings in 2002. After attending these consultations, the leaders positively influenced refugee parents to permit their children to attend the sessions. In 2002, the parents also participated in separate meetings, which eventually resulted in greater understanding of, and support towards, the KFPA project.

From the lessons learned during the pilot project, all parties realised that working with leaders has significant importance since they have direct influence on and authority in the refugee communities. Involving them in the programme and educating them about HIV/AIDS built trustworthy relationships between the leaders and the programme staff, so that KFPA could smoothly provide seminars and trainings to refugee youth. A post-project survey, conducted after the refugees participated in consultations and trainings, demonstrated a significant improvement in their knowledge on HIV prevention and reproductive health.

Expansion

During the pilot project, KFPA had received many requests from the local population to participate in such a project. Given the success of the pilot initiative, a follow-up project took place in 2002. This project was implemented with three important changes. First, it was expanded to the southern part of Kyrgyzstan, in areas with large refugee populations; second, local people were encouraged to participate in the programme as well. Finally, the targeted age group was extended to 35 years. In 2002, a small number of Kyrgyz people, comprising 3% of the total beneficiaries, attended consultations/trainings with the refugees.

Several full-day meetings were organised for two different age groups: 14-20 years and 21-35 years. Approximately 20-25 refugee and local youth participated in each meeting. Many young people attended several of these consultations. For increased effectiveness, consultations were conducted in the Kyrgyz language only since the vast majority of Tajik refugees are ethnic Kyrgyz and they speak the language fluently. During the consultations, several handouts (brochures and booklets on HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness, reproductive health and family planning, etc.) in Kyrgyz and Russian were distributed.

Peer education

Each consultation was based on peer education and led by three trainers – an experienced KFPA trainer and two refugee trainers who had been selected and trained during the 2001 pilot project. The meetings were conducted for male and female groups separately, and were taking into account the participants' varied religious and ethical values and different cultural backgrounds. The dominant religion of Tajik refugees is Islam and, in general, there is no discussion on sexuality among them. All participants were Muslims.

During the consultations, KFPA and the refugee trainers received a considerable number of questions regarding these subjects, a clear proof of interest and the importance of the issue for refugee populations who had not had an opportunity to receive information about sexual health issues before. As a result of the programme, refugee youth became more interested in subjects such as HIV prevention and awareness, contraceptive methods and other issues related to sexuality.

Approximately 1400 refugees benefited from the projects in 2001 and 2002 during four training workshops and 59 consultations throughout Kyrgyzstan. We feel that this programme has had a significant impact, not only on the refugee participants, but also on their communities and local populations. The participants can act as resource persons and peer educators and provide further information and education to those who have not had such an opportunity. This could be the first step toward mobilizing their communities on the issue of HIV/AIDS.

Positive attitudes

After implementation of the second project, many participants expressed a positive attitude towards the programme and a better understanding of the subject. More importantly, they expressed their wish to continue the programme in the near future. As a result, KFPA decided to continue its activities for refugees in 2003. The target group of the new project includes Afghan refugees and Chechen asylum-seekers in Bishkek and its suburbs. Tajik refugees in Chui (north) and Osh (south) provinces who have not been involved in the programme in the last two years will be provided with seminars and consultations as well.

In total, there will be 26 consultations provided throughout the country in 2003, and community focal points will be set up in 16 villages with a high refugee population. Work will have to be done to break down the socio-cultural barriers that still affect the full acceptance of these projects by some groups in the beneficiary communities. To this end, KFPA will work directly with refugee leaders from the early stage of project implementation.