ACDI/VOCA

ACDI/VOCA is a US-based private non-profit development organization formed in 1997 from the merger of two companies, Agricultural Cooperative Development International (ACDI) and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (VOCA). Today, ACDI/VOCA provides technical assistance to more than 30 countries, including those of the former Soviet Union.

In Kazakstan, ACDI/VOCA is active in the development of the agricultural sector and private enterprises. It provides technical assistance to private farmers, agribusinesses, farmers associations and agricultural institutions. It helps to set up joint ventures between Kazak and US companies, and assists local companies to locate sources of financial assistance.

In 1996, ACDI/VOCA designed a microenterprise project, Community Loan Fund (KCLF), with financial support from USAID and Soros Foundation. The project provides small, working capital loans ranging from $100 - $3,000 that allow small businesses to buy their supplies with cash and in bulk.

As of July 1998, over 500 active borrowers and 75 groups were engaged in KCLF in the areas of trade, services, and manufacturing. Nearly eighty percent of KCLF's clients are women, and it boasts a default rate of less than one-percent. In 1999, the group plans to establish a Business Development Services Unit to provide clients with training and technical assistance. KCLF is currently based in Taldykorgan, Kazakstan. The Regional Project Coordinator is Saken Akchalov, tel: (32822) 71547. Other ACDI/VOCA projects in Kazakstan include:

• "Farmer to Farmer" Agricultural Finance Project: provides short-term technical assistance to banking institutions, businesses, entrepreneurs, educational institutions and other financial institutions in Central Asia in order to introduce international standards of bank management and develop mechanisms for agricultural lending. Oleg Urazov, Project Director, tel: (3272) 411798, fax: (3272) 509387.
• "Farmer to Farmer" Agricultural Business Project: assists in the formation and development of agricultural enterprises, cooperatives and associations by providing short-term technical assistance in management, business-planning and improving production, as well as processing and marketing of agricultural products. Bulat Utkelov, Project Director, tel.: (3272) 411695, fax: (3272) 509386.
• Food Systems Restructuring Project: facilitates contacts between local enterprises and U.S. firms interested in pursuing joint venture opportunities, transferring technology, providing technical assistance and trade and investment. Murat Zhunusov, Project Manager, tel: (3272) 411787.

A print version of much of the information contained in this Central Asian Third Sector Organizations section can be found in Civil Society in Central Asia (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1999).

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Last updated:    November 1998