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Guest Speaker: Advancing Nonprofit Management Education in the Universities of the Kyrgyz Republic

On March 13, 2015, Larisa Ozeryansky, U.S. Peace Corps Health Education Volunteer at the Republican AIDS Center of the Kyrgyz Republic, visited the School of International Relations of KNU to share her experience with CSOs in 17 countries of the world.

The presentation was made for the 4^th year students enrolled in the 2^nd NPM course “Nonprofit Organizations in the Contemporary World.” Larisa received her Master’s of Public Health degree in Maternal and Child Health through the George Washington University and Emory University and has undergraduate experience studying Biology at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia.  In her presentation Larisa shared her valuable experience of helping and learning while working in different CSOs in Latin America, including Ecuador (2008), Nicaragua (2009), and Guatemala (2011). She told about her experience of being part of some great education, health and environmental projects to bring positive change in the lives of socially vulnerable communities. It was also interesting for students to learn about Larisa’s volunteering experience with the Kyrgyz Republican AIDS Center as well as at other organizations, such as “Mama +” in Osh, Indigo in Bishkek and Reading Club at the Bayalinov Youth Library. The guest lecture ended with Questions and Answer Session, where students asked many questions re: CSOs in other countries, as well as Larisa’s experience with CSOs in Kyrgyzstan and her future plans.

Larisa’s experience of volunteerism is an excellent example for Kyrgyzstan students to become part of creating a long-lasting change for the better, which will positively impact citizens’ lives in Kyrgyzstan.

This guest speaker’s lecture is a part of the NPM Education supported by the USAID Collaborative Governance Program through the Consortium of Universities on NPM and NPM Resource Center at KNU.