Already for the third time, the most significant, inspiring, creative and valuable CSO projects were awarded with the most prestigious prize in the civil sector – the CSO New Vision Award!
This year the selection committee had the difficult task of choosing just several winners out of 100 diverse and worthy applications. It is worth mentioning that in this round, almost 50 CSOs from 6 countries took part in the contest. This year, civil society organizations from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan were represented for the first time.
How did selection take place? Before making decisions, the committee evaluated applications based on the following criteria:
- An organization has real achievements;
- The story inspires and motivates others to address social problems;
- The story is narrated in a convincing manner, using innovative and digital technologies;
- An example should have a significant social effect;
- An organization’s success story helps build a positive image not only within the CSO community, but also among the general public.
Who became an award winner? In total, there were nine winners. See descriptions below!
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan took part in the contest for the first time this year. The public association that was awarded by the committee helps abandoned children forget their pains and problems, and brings them hope for a better future. The Azerbaijan Children Union became a winner with the “Other People’s Children Does Not Happen” project. The organization’s director Kamalya Agazade accepted the award at the ceremony.
Tajikistan
The selection committee was pleased with applications from Tajikistan. This year two organizations from Tajikistan became winners!
The Public Association The Lonely Women Support Center “Nuri Umed,” and its founder Salomat Aezova, and a project of the National Small and Medium Business Association of the Republic of Tajikistan, “TajikMama,” and its representative Nasibakhon Aminova were winners.
The first organization helps young women from Tajik villages gain education and provides psychological, legal and material support to lonely women. The second organization brings together parents, businesses and professionals of different profiles in educating children.
Turkmenistan
Like Azerbaijan, this was the first time that Turkmenistan took part in the contest. The selection committee decided to award a nonprofit organization using a ‘peer-to-peer’ approach in its work, where its representatives foster healthy lifestyle skills in their peers. The winner from Azerbaijan is the public organization “Y-PEER National Network Youth Center,” and its representative Maya Meretkuliyeva.
Kyrgyzstan
We were pleased that Kyrgyzstan had two winners. The first award goes to the alliance that united 47 organizations in the area of agriculture, healthcare, nutrition, food safety, gender equality, education and children with disabilities. The first winner is Public Association “Civil Society Alliance for Scaling Up Nutrition and Food Security”.
The second well-deserved CSO New Vision Award! goes to Public Foundation “Smail.KG” from Osh. This organization has been dealing with protecting the rights and promoting the interests of children with health limitations, by introducing effective inclusive education practices and improving the city infrastructure.
Uzbekistan
One of the oldest nonprofit organizations in Uzbekistan became an award winner: “For An Environmental Clean Fergana” Association, which was founded in 1989. Over all these years it has implemented many projects, and a public environmental control system has been introduced in the country.
Kazakhstan
Our country also pleased us with its applications. Two organizations became winners. The experts highly evaluated the Public Foundation “Umit Uzbeu.” One of this organization’s projects, “Mother-Made Creation,” has already been distinguished as the most innovation project at the social ideas exhibition in Kazakhstan. It allowed disabled children’s mothers to be trained in message therapy, by which they could help other families too. Indeed, the project involved a tremendous amount of work with children and parents.
Public Association “RUKH” was not left without attention either. Its goal is to help people with health problems. They do not limit, but instead expand such people’s abilities!
The ceremony has exceeded the expectations of not only the participants, but the organizers themselves. The winners’ sincere thanks and wishes were a wonderful reward for ARGO.