First, as a disclaimer, I cannot directly speak to the stories portrayed in the recent 20/20 piece, or the other stories that ABC news has recently promoted, as I have had no personal experience with the people or countries involved. However, as an actively serving volunteer in the Kyrgyz Republic, I can speak about the safety and security situation here.
First, for context, Kyrgyzstan is a small, post-Soviet nation in the heart of Central Asia. The country, with a population around 5 million and the land area of North Dakota, rests on China’s far western border. It is heavily impoverished but boasts the only parliamentary government in the region. Where on the one hand, Kyrgyzstan has one of the poorest performing economies in the area, it has also been called Central Asia’s “Island of Democracy.”
Democracy, then, being a messy affair, has also led to some trouble here. Most recently, as Google Trends can attest, we have seen civil unrest, a new government, and ethnic violence. In light of these events, thankfully, and worthy of much praise, Peace Corps Kyrgyzstan may be considered the opposite of the image 20/20 has recently portrayed:
We didn’t lose a single volunteer, and no volunteer suffered bodily harm. Volunteers were evacuated from their sites when their safety was threatened. Volunteers who witnessed violence were provided professional counseling. Sites that displayed signals that violence might continue were closed permanently.
Furthermore, both long before any hint of nationwide violence was in the air, and since, our safety and security team has aggressively prepared us for emergencies, from the scale of the individual to that of the nation. We have multiple phone numbers to call, from hard power connections with local police to our Peer Support Network. Between the solutions staff provides, and the local support network they have helped me cultivate, I have never once felt seriously threatened.
It is the opinion of this volunteer that the stories presented in the recent news must be given appropriate gravity, however they must also not be taken out of context. Working and living abroad comes with its own unique brand of personal safety concerns. Peace Corps Kyrgyzstan, however, having seen more than its fair share of recent violence, gets high marks in my book, the context of this blog act as testament to that.
For anyone with questions or comments, please feel free to post below.
Furthermore, for the official Peace Corps response, go here. And for their official statement on volunteer safety, see the safety section of their website.
