Summer Placement--Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan

The Government of Kazakhstan's Semipalatinsk Relief and Rehabilitation Programme invites all interested persons to spend the summer in the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan and surrounding villages working with local NGOs and state institutions in assisting the populations affected by the nuclear testing.

The region has seen an increase in institutions involved in civil society. As the nuclear testing was stopped in the late 1980s largely because of NGOs, there are several particularly strong NGOs which attempt to help different population groups (orphans, elderly people, those in the villages surrounding the test site). In addition, there are budding community-based organisations (CBOs) which have been formed in the surrounding villages.

The region has suffered significantly over the last fifty years. The health situation in the area shows twice and three times the national average for cancers and other diseases. In addition, it is thought that some aspects of the testing have been passed on through the gene pool. The region's economy, once the geographical center of a 250 million people market, now finds itself on the outskirts of a dwindling market. The military industrial complex, which had sustained the region's economy, has completely disappeared.

Each participant in the programme will be matched up with an NGO or state institution (hospital, orphanage, elderly home) according to their preference. The participants will largely be on their own to think in which way they can assist based on their own previous experience. However, suggestions include:

• Assisting NGOs and CBOs with grant and small business proposals;
• Assisting with medical treatment;
• Assisting in improving the services of a state institution;
• Carrying out needs assessment (mostly regarding health) for villages;
• Teaching English;
• Teaching of basic computer skills;
• Playing games with orphans (infants and children).

The Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) will also help place participants based on their experience and their requests. The PCU is already in contact with some of these institutions regarding their needs.

Participants in the Summer programme should have the following qualifications:

• Some background in the social spheres and knowledge of transition issues;
• Russian language skills (the region is Russian-speaking; Kazakh is spoken rarely in the villages);
• Tolerance for difficult living conditions (depending on where you are
  based);
• Be available for at least one month (up to 10 weeks)

Unfortunately, the programme is not able to fund individuals to come to Semipalatinsk. However, the PCU is able to assist the participants with logistics, apartment search, invitation letter and visa for Kazakhstan. Participants should preferably arrive at the beginning of June or the beginning of July for orientation given by the local government.

The time up in Semipalatinsk will include a tour of the former nuclear testing site, Kurchatov (the secret city where the weapons were created), Lake Balapan (created from an underground blast) and several museums related to the nuclear legacy.

The summer placements are for those who are interested in learning firsthand about the effects of the transition to the market economy under special circumstances. It is hoped that when people come to the region for a summer that they will give something to the region and obtain something out of their experience. The intention is that in the future, these contacts may lead to other potential programmes, such as twinning with other cities or the sending of more volunteers to the region.

Those interested should send their CV to the PCU (Programme Coordination Unit) whose e-mail address is: [email protected]

For information on the programme itself, check out its website:
www.semipalatinsk.org.

Last updated:    March 2000

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