Published: 04 March 2014 г.
In 2013 ‘Change the World Around You!’ competition winners made significant impacts in their communities, providing employment, increasing accessibility for people with disabilities and developing recycling projects.
With the second phase of the competition underway, a second set of young social entrepreneurs will once again strive to improve conditions in their communities. Having taken part in social entrepreneurship training conducted by the University of Central Asia (UCA), these youth are well prepared to implement their business plans. Six winners in the Kyrgyz Republic were awarded $2,500 at an award ceremony on 17 January 2014 at UCA in Bishkek.
One of the winners is Asel Baidyldaeva. Having worked with people with disabilities for over three years, she recognised the need for a special fitness facility for them. “I had the idea of establishing a centre to serve the needs of elderly people with diabetes with specially designed programmes. Diabetes can be dangerous so encouraging a healthy lifestyle can have many health benefits, including less need for insulin.” said Baidyldaeva, a 19 year old student at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek.
Focusing her efforts in Osh, winner Aigerim Sakieva is focusing on collecting wastepaper in schools. The idea came to her when she observed the area near her university covered with garbage. Sakieva believes that collecting the waste will help the environmental issues and prevent the emergence of infectious disease. She also hopes to change attitudes in Osh and encourage separating garbage.
Participating in the Social Entrepreneurship training seminars in Bishkek, Sakieva was able to develop her skills; “The 17 days of training at UCA we received really helped me to develop my skills in order to push this project forward,” she explained, “I was able to learn about the different aspects that should be included in a business plan. The teachers were very professional and the training definitely contributed to my win!”
She expects her project to have a social and economic impact. The money received from paper recycling will be used for wages of the people who will collect the papers. This way she will not only reduce waste in the city of Osh but also create employment opportunities.
Winner Samatbek Monoldorov is using his grant money to provide his hometown with much-needed laundry services. As a native of Bokonbaev village, Monoldorov observed a lack of laundromat services, “It is a huge problem in our village. Most houses are not equipped with water lines and therefore, are unable to install a washing machine. Even if their houses have water lines, many cannot afford to buy washing machines. Opening a laundromat will offer affordable prices for villagers to do their laundry. I also wanted to make it accessible for people with disabilities so their services will be free,” said Monoldorov.
Monoldorov had already secured a building for the laundromat prior to receiving his grant funding. Although he had the building, he did not have the project implementation skills he needed until he participated in the UCA training. “When I heard my name announced as a winner, I first felt scared because I felt the burden of responsibility for implementing my project. However, with the support I have received, I am sure that it will have a positive impact in the Bokonbaev village,” he said.
The remaining winners will also have a positive impact in their communities. Their projects include a bathhouse to improve hygiene among miners in Batken Oblast; a training centre for children with disabilities in Nokat; and a call centre employing the visually impaired in Bishkek.
The ‘Change the World!’ contest is implemented by the University of Central Asia with support from the Aga Khan Foundation and in partnership with the International Academy of Business (Kazakhstan). The social entrepreneurship contest and projects are funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation and The Coca-Cola Company under the “Empowering Youth for Socioeconomic Development in the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan” project. Phase I was launched in July 2012 in the Kyrgyz Republic with nine winners receiving grants of up to $3,000 to implement social entrepreneurship projects in their communities. Phase II is currently underway in the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan.