For 21 years, Madina Yergaliyeva has led Initiative Support, an NGO that tackles socio-economic challenges. Since then Madina has been assisting in improving the situation in the healthcare system, increasing the access of citizens of Kazakhstan, including those living in the Aral Sea ecological disaster zone, to medical services. Living in Qyzylorda, a town in southern Kazakhstan close to the Aral Sea, Madina knows firsthand about the direct impact that ecological issues have on local life. For years, the irreversible processes of environmental degradation due to the shrinkage of the Aral Sea have worsened living conditions and ecology in the region.

For many years, cases of torture by law enforcement officers in Kazakhstan have not reached the court, as victims lacked evidence and access to complaint mechanisms. Yet after January 2022, when a series of mass protests triggered by a sudden surge in gas prices led to violent clashes between protesters and police, numerous reports of torture and cruel police treatment surfaced. The need for a more effective mechanism for filing complaints and investigating cases of torture became more pronounced. In response to this need, the Expert Independent Research Institute (EIRI) Public Foundation, with the support of USAID’s Social Innovation in Central Asia (SICA) program, launched a project to combat torture of Kazakhstanis by state law enforcement agencies. The team created an educational website and a series of free videos that has helped more than 5,000 victims of torture find step-by-step procedures to protect their rights. Moreover, thanks to SICA support, the organization conducted workshops and roundtables for law enforcement officials that received public recognition and more than 20 media mentions.