Citizens of Naryn in the Kyrgyz Republic will enjoy improved wastewater services thanks to a joint €6.5 million investment by the EBRD, the Government of Switzerland and the European Union (EU) in the municipal water service infrastructure at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the critical importance of high standards of hygiene and sanitation.

The Naryn financing package will include a 15-year EBRD loan of €2 million, a grant for capital investment and technical assistance of up to €3.5 million from the Government of Switzerland and a €1 million investment grant from the EU.

It will help address the consequences of decades of underinvestment in the municipal water and wastewater systems. The project will support the rehabilitation and extension of the main sewers, the purchase of operational and maintenance equipment and the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in Naryn.

This will improve the city wastewater infrastructure resilience to climate change and public health challenges, optimise operating costs of the municipal water utility and increase the amount of citizens with regular access to wastewater services from 10,000 to 39,000 residents by 2024.

It builds on the successfully implemented previous phase of the project financed by a €2 million EBRD loan combined with a €3.6 million Swiss Government grant and mainly aimed at urgent repairs and the extension of the drinking water supply system in Naryn.

In addition, technical assistance of €1 million will be provided by the Government of Switzerland to help the Naryn water company implement the project, improve corporate practices and set up a stakeholder participation programme.

Living in a deprived settlement presents many difficulties. Among them, access to basic health services, which is guaranteed by the Constitution, can become a real obstacle course. Thanks to Swiss support, more than 600 people have been able to register at a Family Medicine Center and obtain health care services.

The project has been implemented by the local NGOs PA “Kyrgyz Family Planning Alliance” in partnership with PA “Arysh”, PA “Child Protection Center” and NGO “Advocacy Center for Human Rights”. It helped to set up a system to receive medical services in primary health care organizations through a referral document. Once registered, a person gets an access to basic health services and can get the compulsory health insurance. During two months, in September and October 2020, more than 600 internal migrants in Osh and Bishkek have been registered.

In addition, at the peak of the first wave, 6,000 low-income families with children living in 12 deprived settlements in Bishkek and 11 in Osh received food packages and personal protective and hygienic equipment for COVID-19 prevention.

The NGOs also worked with them to prevent domestic violence and child suicides through psychosocial support. Talks and consultations with parents on methods of non-violent parenting took place. A participant of the training explains that thanks to this training, she listen more to her children and discuss with them about their future. Another participant said: “I have learned what psychological violence is. Before I thought that only physical violence exists”. Detection system was put in place with the neighborhood heads and community leaders. They were informed about what to do and where to turn in cases of domestic violence for women and children.