CENTER PROFILE
Oasis Center
BISHKEK · CHUY OBLAST · FOUNDED 2008 · NGO
Medical, psychological, educational, and reintegration support for victims of sexual and labour exploitation among at-risk children and women.
ABOUT OASIS
Working with young people the system left behind.
Oasis Center has been in Kyrgyzstan since 2008, doing work that most organizations do not touch. Their focus is on young people pushed to the margins through no fault of their own: teenagers leaving orphanages with nowhere to go, young people in conflict with the law, and survivors of gender-based violence and trafficking. For underage girls who have survived sexual violence or forced marriage, Oasis remains the only organization in the country with a dedicated program.
In 15 years they have reached more than 25,000 people. What makes Oasis different is that they do not hand someone a package of services and step away. They stay with young people through the transition out of institutional care and into independent adult life, making sure each person has housing, legal documents, access to education, and a community that will hold them.
Their advocacy work has changed actual law. In 2022, changes backed by Oasis increased criminal penalties for violence against children and closed statute of limitations loopholes that had let abusers avoid accountability for years. That kind of result takes patience, and it is what sets long-term organizations apart from short-term projects.
HOW OASIS HELPS
Four programs. One long-term commitment.
Bilim-Belek Education Programme
Bilim-Belek means “education as a gift” in Kyrgyz. The programme, launched in 2017, pays for tuition, school supplies, transportation, and mentorship so that care leavers and GBV survivors can access formal or vocational education. More than 120 young people have been supported. Over 60 percent are survivors of violence or trafficking.
Vulnerable Youth Support Program
Since 2008 this program has helped young people make the transition out of institutional care and into independent life. It covers practical life skills, rehabilitation camps, access to healthcare, and legal support. More than 500 young people have been through it, across more than 30 camps.
Advocacy Program
Since 2015 Oasis has worked on the laws that were failing vulnerable young people. They secured the Ministry of Labour as the responsible agency for social orphans and established state grant mechanisms for NGOs doing post-institutional support. Policy change is slow work, and they have stayed with it.
Gender-Based Violence and Anti-Trafficking Program
Oasis coordinates a coalition of 20 organizations working against GBV and trafficking across Kyrgyzstan. They have trained more than 350 government officials on how to identify victims, and reached 1.5 million people through media campaigns with major Kyrgyz news outlets. Awareness matters when it changes how the system responds.
BY THE NUMBERS
25,000+
people reached
since 2008
120+
youth in the
Bilim-Belek programme
1.5M
people reached through
media campaigns
350+
government officials
trained on GBV
SUPPORT OASIS
Your donation funds work that lasts.
When you donate to KoldooBar, your contribution supports crisis centers across Kyrgyzstan — including Oasis. 10% of donations goes toward maintaining KoldooBar. Your support keeps the work going.
Your support keeps the work going — from legal defense for trafficking survivors to educational support for care leavers. Thank you for making a difference.