On 30 January SIPRI Researchers Damir Esenaliev and Anastasia Aladysheva travelled to Osh, Kyrgyzstan, to collect data as part of an impact evaluation of a peacebuilding educational programme.
The evaluation is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Central Asia and is funded by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie).
The peacebuilding training programme—which is jointly implemented by two non-governmental organizations, Legacy International and Center Interbilim—aims to foster ethnic tolerance, resolve conflicts and promote inter-ethnic cooperation among schoolchildren between the ages of 15 and 18 in public schools across southern Kyrgyzstan.
The research carried out in Osh sought to evaluate whether the programme leads to changes in the attitudes and conduct of young people, and whether the behaviour of their families changes as a result, estimating the magnitude of the impact, if any.
As the first step in the evaluation the researchers held focus group discussions with 20 teachers involved in delivering peace training to young people. Their answers will help to provide an understanding of the local context and indicate whether the programme has the potential to make positive changes in people’s perceptions of and behaviours towards other groups.
Read more about SIPRI’s Life in Kyrgyzstan Project. Contact Damir Esenaliev or Anastasia Aladysheva for more information.