Living with Dignity: Poetry, herald of equality in Kyrgyzstan
As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a poetry evening and quiz were held with the participants of the Living with Dignity project in Ivanovka village.
On 3 December 2023, the Roza Otunbayeva Initiative held a poetry evening called “Poetry – Herald of Equality” at a primary school in Ivanovka, a village in the Chui region. At the event, Zhypara Isabaeva, Honored Worker of Culture of the Kyrgyz Republic, Abdyjalil Betegeev, a member of the Kyrgyz National Union of Writers, and Venera Akmatova, a member of the Kyrgyz National Union of Writers, read their poems about parents, women, children, and nature protection.
A resident of Ivanovka, Roza Suurulova, and an 11th grade school student, Malika Sulaimanova, read their poems and expressed their gratitude to the organisers, saying that this event fed their souls and gave them rest.
In addition, within the framework of the Living with Dignity project, a final quiz was organised with the participants of the event, and valuable gifts were presented.
Asan Dzhekshenov, a participant of the project, said: “In Kyrgyzstan, girls were treated specially, they used to sit on the throne and were given special respect. By participating in this project, we were able to get a lot of useful information on preventing violence against women. I express my gratitude to the public fund Roza Otunbayeva Initiative for implementing this project.”
Melisbek kyzy Aisuluu emphasized that such events increase harmony and respect in the family, and said that participation in the project gave a lot of useful information and turned her life in a better direction.
The executive director of the fund, Roza Kaiykova, expressed her gratitude to the poets and residents of Ivanovka village who came to the event. She also mentioned that the Living with Dignity project is one of the important projects in the prevention of gender-based violence among residents of Ivanovka village. The most important thing is that the thoughts, views, and attitudes of each member of the family are directed towards a positive change through this project. This can be seen from the views of the participants and their active participation that the project is achieving its goal, she said.
International Alert is implementing the Living with Dignity project in Ivanovka in cooperation with the Roza Otunbaeva Initiative International Public Fund. The project aims to overcome gender stereotypes, reduce gender-based violence at the family level through behavioural change, and expansion of family economic opportunities. The project has been funded by UK International Development but the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the UK government.
