Internet Access and Training Program (IATP)

IATP News from Central Asia

June 2005

UZBEKISTAN

alumni
Oleg Guychgeldiyev (Muskie 95)
and Akmaya Kakadjanova (FLEX
95) (front) participate in the
discussion with Kent Logsdon at the
ARC in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Alumni Meet State Department Official Online to Discuss US Relations with Central Asia
On June 9, seventeen alumni of US government-sponsored exchange programs gathered at 10 IATP access sites in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Armenia, to discuss US relations with Central Asian republics. Kent Logsdon, deputy director in the US State Department's Office of Caucasus and Central Asian Affairs at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, also participated in the chat from the United States. Initiated by ECA and hosted on the State Alumni website, the 60-minute chat provided alumni with insight into foreign policy and the official American response to the May 13 events in Andijan, Uzbekistan, where hundreds were killed under controversial circumstances. Alumni across Central Asia posted questions about this incident, how to prevent future conflicts in the region, and how the Kyrgyzstani and Uzbekistani governments should handle the situation of displaced Andijan residents. Leyla Amannazarova (UGRAD 03), using IATP’s free dial-up to join the chat from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, asked about the US reaction to the Uzbek parliamentary investigation of the events. Logsdon replied, "The United States continues to urge Uzbekistan to undertake a credible and transparent assessment of the events in Andijan in cooperation with an international partner… We informed the government of Uzbekistan that we will not take part as a monitor in its parliamentary investigation...." Kamoliddin Hamzayev (Fulbright 04) from Tashkent, Uzbekistan asked about the status and conditions of 500 Uzbek refugees on the Kyrgyz territory, Logsdon answered, "The Kyrgyz government, working closely with [the United National High Commissioner for Refugees], is taking care of these refugees and is publicly committed to ensuring that these refugees are processed appropriately through the UNHCR system, in line with the Kyrgyz Government's international commitments.” Thanks to the online discussion with the important State Department figure, the alumni could discuss issues concerning vital issues and stability in Central Asia.

Distance Learning with IATP

Last year, IATP hired 65 consultants to create distance learning courses that are offered free-of-charge from the IATP DL portal;
By May 2005, more than 1,000 people had participated in a DL course offered on the IATP DL portal;
Out of 233 applicants, 50 alumni won the opportunity to participate in DL courses from US universities through the IATP Distance Learning Support Fund.

chat moderator
Jakhongir Sharifiy (CC 03)
moderates the chat from the IATP
access site in Namangan,
Uzbekistan

Uzbekistani and Kyrgyzstani Residents Discuss Cross Border Issues Online
On June 9, nine journalists, alumni of the ECA-funded Community Connections (CC) program, and leaders of nongovernmental organizations convened for a 90-minute online discussion on promoting cross-border relations between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan from IATP access sites in Osh and Jalalabat, Kyrgyzstan, and Namangan, Ferghana, Termez, and Chirchik, Uzbekistan, all cities near borders. After the tragic events of May 13 in Andijan, Uzbekistan, more than 500 Uzbekistanis fled to Kyrgyzstan, fearing for their safety and freedom, which has not helped already tense relations between the countries. Initiated and moderated by Jakhongir Sharifiy (CC 03), the chat participants discussed the disputes over access, distribution, and ecological conditions of land and water, as well as human rights and cross-border customs and security issues. To the question of Abdymomun Umarov, the coordinator of the Soros-funded Resource Center in Osh, concerning usage of water for irrigation in Uzbekistan and division of pasture territories between the sides, Sharifiy replied, “First of all, any problem between two countries has to be solved by the state governments. The solution depends greatly on signed agreements concerning water usage, which are not fully maintained. Another possible solution is an exchange of water for gas, as Uzbekistan is rich in gas.” The participants also discussed the lack of information on passing the border, which influences customs procedures, makes visa regulations more complicated for residents, and results in complaints from both sides. Accordingly Gulmira Jusueva (CC 03) noted, “People complain about the violation of their rights, but they do not know the rules themselves.” Umarov stressed the role media should play in covering cross-border issues, “It is necessary that journalists provide fair coverage of corruption and law enforcement failures and inform local communities of rules for passing the border.” Thanks to this discussion, the participants had a rare opportunity to speak with one another on both sides of the border, as they all would like to decrease cross-border tension and improve relations between the two countries.

TAJIKISTAN

website
CSLAS has produced a CD-based
copy of the World of Islam with the
help of IATP

Librarians Digitize Rare Books in Dushanbe, Tajikistan
On June 14, four employees of the Central Scientific Library of the Academy of Sciences (CSLAS) completed a photo editing and Web design course conducted by IATP administrator Dmitry Frolov at the IATP access site in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. As a result of the two-week training, the participants created a CD-based copy of The World of Islam, a twelve-volume journal published by the Imperial Court of the Russian Empire in 1812. Covering news on development of Islam in Russia and Central Asia and stories about religious figures, the journal aimed to promote religious tolerance and pluralism. Twenty employees of the library, which houses the local access site, have attended IATP trainings. With computer skills, they are preserving rare books and manuscripts under the $25,000 US Embassy-funded project, Rare Books Preservation and Access. The training participants learned how to use photo editing software to scan, enhance, and prepare images for publishing, as well as a common programming language and advanced Web design to create a CD-based website of the journal, which was the fourth in a series of CDs produced by the library. In order to save money and improve their own design capacity, the librarians decided to take advantage of advanced IATP courses and learn to digitize the books themselves. Not only will the project help preserve Tajikistan’s cultural heritage, but it is one of the first digitization projects of its kind in Tajikistan.

training
Rustam Bairamov introduces the
participants to online resources on
human trafficking issues at the
IATP access site in Kurgan-tube,
Tajikistan

Alumni Advisory Council Holds Seminar on Human Trafficking in Kurgan-Tube, Tajikistan
On June 17, three members of the Alumni Advisory Council (AAC) conducted a seminar on human trafficking issues for 16 students of Tajik Medical University and Husrav University at the IATP access site in Kurgan-Tube, Tajikistan. Every year, some 350,000 Tajik nationals migrate to neighboring countries and Russia in search of seasonal work to support their families. The primary goal of the seminar was to raise awareness of human trafficking issues among the youth, since lack of knowledge makes it easier for corrupt state officials and criminal structures to harass and exploit Tajik labor migrants. Otabek Sultanov (Ugrad 96) and Rustam Bairamov, AAC members and volunteers at Youth Movement in Tajikistan, a local nongovernmental organization which aims to improve labor migrants’ knowledge of their rights and obligations, introduced the participants to the concept of human trafficking and its prevalence. Sultanov also discussed how acceptance of domestic violence, sexual and domestic servitude, rape, and drug smuggling affects Tajikistan. The participants visited various online news outlets with stories on human trafficking and resources about preventing human trafficking. Latofat Sharipova, a student from Husrav University, remarked, “I think it is very important for young people to know about it, because we did not even realize how dangerous it can turn out to go to work abroad.”

TURKMENISTAN

alumni
David W. Guth and PAS Alumni
Coordinator Gulyalek Sotanova in
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan answer
questions from alumni about
media in the United States

Alumni Discuss Media Issues with American Expert Online
On June 7, IATP united 17 alumni of US government-sponsored exchange programs for an online discussion with Professor of Journalism David W. Guth at IATP access sites in Ashgabat, Dashoguz, and Balkanabat, Turkmenistan. IATP Alumni Coordinator Gulnara Chashemova moderated the discussion, which was initiated by the US Embassy in Ashgabat to give alumni from all regions of Turkmenistan a chance to speak with the American media specialist. Guth, who is the winner of a number of professional awards in journalism, including the George Foster Peabody Award that he received in 1983 for investigative journalism, gained his experience as news and public affairs director and reporter/anchor at the North Carolina News Network and the Capital Sports Network, and served as special assistant to the secretary for communications at the North Carolina Department of Administration. In the course of the online discussion, Professor Guth answered questions on media-related issues in the United States, journalism ethics, good story-telling, and foundations and exchange programs that support journalism development in Central Asia. Sulgun Garajayeva (UGRAD 04) asked about different coverage of the Iraqi war by American and Arab journalists. Professor Guth replied, “I do not get my news from just one source. I usually read three newspapers a day, watch two different television broadcasts, and subscribe to several weekly magazines. Diversity of opinion is okay in the market place of ideas. It is up to the individual to seek out different opinions and weigh the value of them.” In a country with no journalism school and state-controlled media, the online discussion enabled the alumni to learn about the values of American journalism.

Maral Meredova’s DL course is
available on IATP’s DL portal
iatp.edu.tm/moodle

DL Students Complete DL Course on Basics of Econometrics in Ashgabat
On June 29, thirteen trainees from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Great Britain completed Maral Meredova’s nine-week distance learning (DL) course entitled “Basics of Econometrics,” which is hosted on IATP’s DL portal. Econometrics is a combination of statistical and mathematical methods extensively used in international economics to develop accurate economic forecasting and policy planning by testing and quantifying theories and solutions to economic issues. Meredova has worked as a professor of mathematics at the Turkmen Institute of the National Economy (TINE) in Ashgabat for 17 years. The primary goal of Meredova's course was to teach econometrics to students and economists, as it is not thoroughly covered in Turkmen universities. After learning how to create a DL course from IATP trainings, Meredova developed her course, which consisted of nine modules and provided students with online lectures on basics of econometrics, theories and hypothetical quizzes, polls, and forums. In her message to Meredova, Gulnara Redjepova, a Turkmen graduate student studying in Ankara, Turkey, wrote, “I did not have a chance to study econometrics at TINE in Ashgabat. Thanks to the DL course, I finally gained knowledge of econometrics, which will help me in writing my graduation thesis.” Meredova’s course is one of the six IATP DL courses offered by trainers from Turkmenistan, who have taught 54 students on different topics such as psychology, journalism, mathematics, and interactive teaching methods.

KAZAKHSTAN

libarians
Librarian Gulmira Alpysbayeva (in
pink) from the South Kazakhstan
Regional Youth Library in Shymkent
learns the benefits of the Internet
for library services from her
colleagues in Ust-Kamenogorsk,
Kazakhstan

IATP Partner from Shymkent Learns Sustainable Development from Colleagues in Ust-Kamenogorsk
On June 17, Gulmira Alpysbayeva, head of the Client Service Department at the South Kazakhstan Regional Youth Library (SKRYL) in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, conducted a two-hour seminar on organizing trainings and events for 20 colleagues by sharing the knowledge and experience she had gained at the East Kazakhstan Regional Library (EKRL) in Ust-Kamenogorsk from June 7 to 10. The two libraries are the IATP partner organizations that have been covering an increasing level of costs and offering paid services at their pilot Community Internet and Training Centers (CITCs) since July 2004. Starting on August 1, the CITCs will operate independently and continue to provide free Internet access and training each month for alumni and representatives of nongovernmental organizations, but charge modest fees for other services. Learning to sustain a CITC requires partners to change their practices and begin offering paid services and advertising. The EKRL has been successful in moving toward sustainability by matching market needs, creating websites, and offering paid intensive trainings, which has helped them cover the high costs of Internet, labor, and site maintenance. They agreed to spend four days with the visiting librarian from Shymkent after the IATP sustainability meeting in April 2005. In the course of the training, Alpysbayeva learned about ways the library in Ust-Kamenogorsk uses the Internet to search and order new books, print out daily periodicals and news, create engaging presentations on various themes using Web resources, thus improving the library services and attracting more users. Alpysbayeva commented, “The EKRL experience offered me a lot of innovative ideas that we can implement in our library. I learned how greatly a library can improve its services if it widely uses the Internet.” For most librarians in Kazakhstan, learning ways to work efficiently and reach out to markets is completely new but, through training support, they are not only preparing to sustain IATP’s work but better serve their communities.

alumni
Saule Zhaparbekova (Fulbright 98)
stresses the importance of Web
resources for educators for alumni
at ARC in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Alumna Shares American DL Course Knowledge with Alumni in Almaty
On June 28, Saule Zhaparbekova (Fulbright 98), an English professor at the Kazakh National University, conducted a seminar on Web design for Educators, for four alumni at the Alumni Resource Center (ARC) in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Zhaparbekova is one of four Kazakhstani winners of IATP’s Distance Learning Support Fund (DLSF), which provided alumni of US government-sponsored programs the opportunity to increase their professional and educational level through DL courses offered by US universities on topics including business, management, education, and language. Zhaparbekova took the University of California-Berkeley’s six-month DL course “Web Design for Educators.” The course was designed for educators wishing to effectively support their classroom curriculum and enhance their students' skills and learning through the use of the Internet. After completing the course in June, Zhaparbekova used her skills to create her own DL course on business correspondence. Her course lasts 12 weeks and aims to teach interested students to write resumes, cover letters, and business letters, which allow them to effectively communicate with English-speaking business people. One of the alumni in attendance, Rauza Mukanova (Fulbright 98, RSEP 02), remarked, “DL is especially important in Kazakhstan, because of its vast territory, and people, who work in the sphere of education, need to be the ones to support it. That is why any training related to DL is needed.” Despite the various government programs on computerizing educational institutions in the country, such as connecting schools to the Internet, many educators lack IT skills and Internet access.

KYRGYZSTAN

Training
Kuznetsova guides colleagues to
compile a list of potential donors at
the IATP access site in Osh,
Kyrgyzstan

IATP Partner Teaches Fundraising in Osh
On June 23, Larisa Kuznetsova, the director of the marketing department at the Osh Regional Library (ORL), held a seminar on effectively searching for potential donors and grant programs. Ten ORL employees participated in the seminar at the IATP access site in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. Kuznetsova has considerable experience working with various international grants and using online search engines to find potential donors. During the workshop, Kuznetsova gave the participants tips on how to write and review proposals, to develop a budget, build relationships with donors, apply, and understand the donor’s decision-making process. Later, Kuznetsova walked the participants through various online resources of the Soros Foundation, UNESCO, and World Bank. By the end of the seminar, the participants compiled a list of 20 international donors and grants available online to keep for future reference.

Residents of Kyrgyzstan Complete DL Course on Effective Business Communication
On June 17, six residents from Kyrgyzstan and four from Kazakhstan finished Anar Madalieva’s (CC 04) Distance Learning (DL) course on effective business communication posted to IATP’s DL portal. From September to December 2004, IATP staff taught Madalieva, general manager of Koldo, a local business support center, and four other IATP DL consultants how to create DL courses, incorporating lectures, forums, chats, tests, and glossaries into online courses. Madalieva, who visited Fitchburg College in Massachusetts on a month-long business development program, developed a three-module, eight-week DL course. She taught her trainees, including students, scholars, entrepreneurs, and employees from international organizations, elements of business communication such as team work, positive feedback, and public speaking. Moreover, Madalieva provided sample case studies on communication issues that employees may face at work and introduced the participants to common formats for professional writing and speaking in specific business situations, which demand careful planning, solid content and argument, and logical organization and structure. DL is a growing educational medium that utilizes the Internet to provide the same quality of instruction that one would receive in a normal classroom, but with more flexibility for the student. Madalieva’s course is the fourth in series of IATP’s DL courses offered by 14 trainers, who have developed their own courses, including ones on training-of-trainer basics, project management, leadership, and business start-up, and trained more than 30 students online.