A four-year, US$4.2 million civic engagement and entrepreneurship initiative, Jasa.kg harnesses and cultivates the dynamism and creativity of Kyrgyzstani youth to build a stable, prosperous and democratic Kyrgyzstan. Launched in 2011 by IYF, the project primarily aims to:

• Inspire active citizenship among Kyrgyzstani youth
• Prepare youth for the marketplace
• Create a culture of positive youth development. 

A “Life Skills for Orphans” Component was added to the Jasa.kg project in August 2011. The “Orphans Component” is integrated into the overall Jasa.kg project through three primary activities involving youth in residential institutions:

• Establish public sector dialogues
• Conduct a robust life skills assessment
• Implement a validated life skills training curriculum within Kyrgyz residential facilities

Taken together, these activities will build the capacity of young people in critical life skills while creating a cadre of expert trainers to implement life skills programming in residential facilities.