Our ongoing work battling childhood malnutrition ▸

[ [link removed] ]Mercy Corps

I recently returned from a visit to our team in
Kyrgyzstan, and wanted to share with you the success your support is
making possible for families there. In Bishkek, the capital, I met with
Dr. Uma Kandalaeva, a pediatrician by training who is Mercy Corps’ current
Kyrgyzstan country director. Looking out at snow-capped mountains, I
learned that in 1994, when Mercy Corps team members first arrived in
Kyrgyzstan, we discovered schoolchildren who were given only a cup of tea
— just tea — for their mid-day meal.

At that time, Kyrgyzstan was a former Soviet republic that had only
recently declared its independence. In this remote, mountainous country,
where most people are traditionally nomadic herders and still rely on a
predominantly agricultural economy, food was scarce and initiatives to
help were even scarcer.

Twenty-five years later, with your support, Mercy Corps programs in this
landlocked central Asian country have fed tens of millions of hot meals to
schoolchildren, helping battle an epidemic of malnutrition that threatens
this young nation’s future. Certainly there is much more work to be done,
but when we look at our first quarter-century here, we see a great success
story unfolding.

[ Lunchtime ]Lunchtime in Kyrgyzstan
In schools throughout Kyrgyzstan, children receive nutritious, hot lunches
prepared by Mercy Corps-trained chefs who bring a global mindset to their
food resources and are dedicated to providing healthy meals for the
children.
As the political and economic conditions in Kyrgyzstan have shifted over
the past 25 years, Mercy Corps has adapted our approach to meet the needs
of Kyrgyz families in times of both civil conflict and peace. Whatever the
current situation on the ground, our longstanding presence has focused on
the health and educational needs of Kyrgyz schoolchildren.

In local schools around the country, our program provides nutritious and
filling lunches for children in kindergarten and primary schools,
including in remote, high-altitude communities. To make a sustainable,
long-term difference, we train the chefs who provide these meals, and
train the communities on sanitation, hygiene and nutrition. We also have
renovated nearly 300 school kitchens so that these hot meals can get to
those who need them. Between 2012 and 2018, your generous support has
helped us to serve more than 56.5 million hot meals, feeding 50,000
kindergarteners and 65,000 primary school kids.

[ [link removed] ]Ladling a beverage [ [link removed] ]Kyrgyzstan cuisine [ [link removed] ]Boy smiling at lunch

I learned that
introducing hot meals at the preschool and primary school levels doesn’t
just prevent children from going hungry. Improved nutrition and health
outcomes lead to improved cognitive learning capabilities, which result in
better academic performance. This, in turn, can lay the groundwork for the
entire country’s economic success.

"A nation’s future depends upon its children," says Dr. Kandalaeva, the
country director. "When those children are underfed, undernourished and
undereducated, that nation may be facing a long road out of poverty.
Malnutrition in Kyrgyzstan is taking a real toll on not only the Kyrgyz
people but on the nation as a whole."

Hunger remains a critical issue for these families, but I could see
encouraging signs that things are headed in the right direction. And, when
our teams have talked to the school cooks attending vocational schools in
Bishkek, and to the instructors leading these longtime programs, what we
consistently heard is hope and inspiration. They tell us that change feels
possible, and that they see these programs improving children’s lives
every day.

As my visit ended, I considered the challenges that remain. Nearly a third
of Kyrgyz people live below the poverty line, and millions of people
struggle to build sustainable lives for themselves and their families. But
as Mercy Corps marks our 25th anniversary of working with communities
here, you’ve helped us to build programs that feed Kyrgyzstan’s children,
and show that a better world is indeed possible.

[ Children ]Children in Kyrgyzstan
Children participating in Mercy Corps school lunch programs in Kyrgyzstan
benefit from improved nutrition and health, so they’re better prepared to
learn and lead.
Thank you for your ongoing support, you can see the difference you make in
the faces of the children.

Christy Delafield
Mercy Corps Director of Communications

P.S. [ [link removed] ]Learn more about what your support helps
provide in Kyrgyzstan.

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