Kyrgyzstan
John Smith Fellows in Kyrgyzstan work together to strengthen the relationship between Great Britain and Kyrgyzstan. With the British Council Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan they spread knowledge about the John Smith Memorial Trust and encourage young leaders to apply for the Fellowship Programme.
JSMT News
2001 Kyrgyz Fellow Sheradil Baktygulov launches 'Kyrgyz Connect'
Sheradil Baktygulov, 2001 Fellow, has recently established the Kyrgyz Connect project - connecting Kyrgyz and American students to show them their commonalities and shared experiences. Sheradil is a Hubert H.Humphrey Fellow at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and launched this project with the help of UNC's Center for Slavic, Eurasian and Eastern European Studies. Read More
British Council Library Opens in Bishkek
On the 19th January 2007, the Deputy Director of British Council Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan, Paul Norton, and several senior representatives from the Kyrgyz government opened a new centre of British Literature and Education at the National Library of Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek. Read More
Trustee Lord McCluskey visits Kyrgyzstan
Lord McCluskey visited Kyrgyzstan from 25 - 30 October 2005. The planned programme had to be substantially altered because of political unrest, involving a serious 'picket' of parliament by some thousands of demonstrators. The purpose of the visit was to meet the Fellows, to spread knowledge of the Programme and understanding of its aims and methods, and to learn from the Fellows how their work was progressing. All the available Fellows attended various events. Lord McCluskey, with the help of the British Council and the Fellows, met several hundred people at different venues, including a Trust Reception, and gave a Press conference, which resulted in much publicity about the Trust and the Programme. Photo Gallery Four
NGO 'Action'
In Kyrgyzstan in 2001, Chinara Kasmambetova (2000 Fellow) initiated the creation of a new NGO, 'Action', among young workers of the Parliament, involving all John Smith Fellows. Their activities focus on poverty and combating illiteracy problems in Kyrgyzstan.
Articles
Kyrgyz Revolution - a personal view
An article by a Senior John Smith Fellow giving a personal view on the events in Kyrgyzstan in March 2005
New Power in Kyrgyzstan
by 2000 Fellow Chinara Kasmambeteva
'In light of the growing complaints of citizens, of the opposition and others in all spheres of the life, about the state of the economy, unemployment, poverty, and corruption, the early end of President A. Akaev’s regime was predictable. But nobody expected that it would happen so quickly and with the results that we have seen....'
