The Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic said in a statement on February 15 that a new EU-funded project entitled "Building a Transparent Future for Rural Communities via Digitalisation" was recently launched in Kyrgyzstan.

It aims to support rural youth and women in the Osh and Issyk-Kul regions via improving digital literacy and skills development, strengthening digital entrepreneurship education and training along with promoting inclusion in public affairs on the local level. The project will identify existing gaps in digital literacy and skills development and match these with relevant solutions. The digital capacity of local authorities and civil society organisations will also be improved in order to enable the authorities to support the inclusion and involvement of women and youth in public affairs and local level decision-making. 

“Through seminars, workshops and mentoring conducted by Estonian and Kyrgyz experts as well as financial support the project aims to directly engage at least 700 people, including rural youth and women residing in the Issyk-Kul and Osh regions, representatives of local civil society, local self-governments, and vocational education and training institutions. The target groups will also benefit from the transfer of Estonian digital transformation knowledge and best practices in developing into an advanced digital society,” the EU delegation said in a statement.

The project is implemented by the Estonian Center of Eastern Partnership together with the Public Association Civil Initiative Centre 'Leader' in Kyrgyzstan. 

“Digital skills are becoming increasingly important for every citizen to successfully participate in the digital economy and society,” the statement added. “Moreover, being left behind in the digital transformation has become a new form of social exclusion. Compared to their peers in urban areas, rural youth and women tend to be at a disadvantage due to fewer education and employment prospects and lower accessibility of public services - a gap that is further exacerbated by the digital divide. It is therefore imperative to ensure rural communities are included in the digital transformation of the country.”