Kyrgyzstan

Country overview:

Population: 5,431,747

Capital: Bishkek

Population living in urbanized areas: 36%

Percent of population living below poverty line: 40%

Literacy rate: 98.7%

Life Expectancy: 69.43 years

Population Growth Rate: 1.396%

•Kyrgyzstan is 90% mountainous with 94% of land being over 1000m above sea level.•The highest point is Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) at 7,439 m. •The mountains are home to many basins, peaks and glaciers.•The country measures 199,951 sq km•It is landlocked by 4 different countries – China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan’s terrain

Cultural Traditions:

In a similar way to the cuisine of Kyrgyzstan, the traditional dress also reflects the strong sense of tradition stemming from the lifestyle of the population. It also reflects the type of weather that is experienced within the country. The clothes are thick and warm due to the dramatic changes in temperature that occur between night and day. Even in the summer the night time temperatures can fall very low in the mountains. People wear sleeveless felt waistcoats to add an extra layer of warmth that can be removed depending on the temperature. The clothes were also designed to suit the nomadic lifestyle of the Kyrgyz people. They do not hinder movement , allowing comfort whilst travelling and tending to livestock.

Traditional dress:

Traditionally, as represented through their culture, the people of Kyrgyzstan were nomadic. They moved around according to the seasons and in search of grazing land for live stock. This all began to change when the Soviet union created several land reform acts in the 1920’s. This meant that people began to settle down, moving into Soviet style apartment blocks or building their own homes. After the independence of Tajikistan in 1991 government funding was cut dramatically meaning that people could not finish building or renovating their homes.

The new laws change the lifestyle of many Krygyz people dramatically. The Soviet union provided some citizens with a small plot of land for subsistence farming – in return the citizens had to work on large state run farms. The sparse agricultural land in Tajikistan was divided up into state farms. These were carefully monitored and set targets for productivity.

The history of land use:

Traditional Housing in Kyrgyzstan:

This is a yurt or tunduk . They were used by the Nomadic people of Kyrgyzstan. They are easily movable like a tent or temporary home so provided the perfect accommodation for traditional Kyrgyz people who moved around in search of grazing land for their livestock.

The current housing need :

These pictures illustrate some of the current living conditions found outside of the main cities in Kyrgyzstan. People move to urban areas in search of jobs and build unsafe, temporary homes on the edge of the city.

These houses have no access to running or sanitary water, sewerage systems or heating. Almost 70% of the population live in substandard homes like these or are homeless. There are often several generations of one family crowded into such one or two roomed houses.

Finding a solution:Habitat for Humanity Kyrgyzstan was founded in 1999 and to date has improved the living conditions of more than 2,500 families. The main programs included:

• Renovation and refurbishment of apartment blocks• Assisting families in the completion of half built homes• Building sustainable housing such as Cane Reed houses.

Habitat for humanity is a non-profit organization that aims to eliminate poverty housing by creating simple, decent, affordable homes by making housing a matter of conscience and action.

Imanaliev Niyazbek and his family after they helped build their Cane Reed house.