Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, October 30, 2023 – The Women’s Empowerment – Creating Accessibility for Resilient Entrepreneurs (WE CARE) project took its first step towards improving the lives of children and women in the Kyrgyz Republic with a launch event held today. WE CARE is a $3-million initiative that aims to enhance access to quality development and education services for children while fostering economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs through the establishment of early childhood development centers.
The WE CARE project is launched in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Aga Khan Foundation. Over the next three years, WE CARE will provide assistance to over 100 early childhood development centers and train over 700 teachers and caregivers.
During the launch event, the Minister of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, Dogdurkul Kendirbaeva, noted the project’s importance for developing early childhood education in Kyrgyz Republic.
“The Ministry of Education welcomes and supports every initiative aimed at creating conditions for the early development of children, regardless of the form of ownership. Because the early development of a child is a priority, an important task”
U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Lesslie Viguerie highlighted the importance of childcare and early childhood education, noting that this new initiative launch coincides with the first International Day of Care and Support celebrated on October 29.
“There are those in this country who claim that the United States does not care so much about the problems of Kyrgyz women and children. Programs like We CARE and others like them that focus every day on health and education show how false that argument is. Access to quality childcare is an investment in our collective future. The United States benefits from partners that are prosperous and democratic,” said Ambassador Viguerie.
Davlatsulton Dorgabekova, CEO of the Aga Khan Foundation in the Kyrgyz Republic, discussed how the WE CARE Project contributes to the Kyrgyz government’s Education Development Strategy 2020-2040.
“We strongly believe that within the framework of this project, women in the Kyrgyz Republic will have the opportunity to become sustainable entrepreneurs in the field of early childhood development, which will allow them not only to gain economic independence, but also to make a significant contribution to the economic development of the country. This project is equally a contribution to a brighter future for children through our support of quality preschool education in the Kyrgyz Republic.”
As the project unfolds over the next three years, WE CARE will contribute to improving early childhood development services and empowering women entrepreneurs in the Kyrgyz Republic.
For more information about the WE CARE project and its future activities, please contact: Jypara Tashmamatova, ECD Program Manager at Aga Khan Foundation in the Kyrgyz Republic, 0773 960 537.
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