KAZAKHSTAN: ENVIRONMENTAL NGO "REFLECTION" WORKS INSIDE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 001546 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, OES/PCI (PHUDAK) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON SENV SOCI KDEM KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: ENVIRONMENTAL NGO "REFLECTION" WORKS INSIDE ECO-SCHOOL IN TEMIRTAU, CENTRAL KAZAKHSTAN ASTANA 00001546 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. SUMMARY: The environmental organization/NGO Otrazhenie (Reflection),physically located in one of 22 "eco-schools" in Kazakhstan, engages in community service projects, works closely with the Temirtau city council, and serves as the city's environmental information center. The school and NGO have combined to promote an "eco-lifestyle," such as recycling, which has greatly improved this industrial city. Students at School 16 teach environmental classes to each other, which motivates them to remain active in later years. Reflection has found financial support from the Kazakhstani government, U.S. Institute for Soviet and American Relations (ISAR),EU, Global Environmental Fund, and the U.S. Department of State. END SUMMARY. REFLECTION: ENVIRONMENTAL NGO INSIDE A SCHOOL ¶2. Temirtau is Kazakhstan's premier steel manufacturing town, home to the massive ArcelorMittal steel-mill complex, a major source of pollution. So it is fitting that the Temirtau environmental organization/NGO Otrazhenie (Reflection),focusing on youth outreach, is located inside a school (Temirtau School 16, grade and high school combined). Its director, Yelena Varganova, a trained ecologist, not only runs the NGO but also has a dedicated classroom in order to teach environmental courses as part of the school's regular curriculum. Reflection also participates in community service projects and works closely with the city council, serving as its environmental information center. The organization has five people on staff, plus numerous teacher, student, and community volunteers. Reflection conducts seminars, training workshops, and conferences throughout the region to raise environmental awareness and promote sustainable development. Reflection also closely works with other environmental groups in the region on projects that directly affect Temirtau. In addition, it helped five other Karaganda schools achieve the "eco-school" designation. ECO-SCHOOLS IN KAZAKHSTAN ¶3. With School 16, Temirtau boasts one of Kazakhstan's 22 "eco-schools." In order to become an eco-school, the school must form an eco-committee composed of teachers, students, and school administrators to select activities. The school also must actively promote an "eco-lifestyle" in the community, such as recycling, using lamps with less wattage, planting trees, and maintaining green and clean yards. The recycling and yard cleanup projects have had a particularly telling effect on Temirtau, Varganova said. REFLECTION'S VARIOUS FUNDING, INCLUDING U.S. SOURCES ¶4. Although some of Reflection's funding comes from the government, it primarily relies on donor support. In the past, it received a grant from the U.S. Institute for Soviet and American Relations (ISAR) Resources for Environmental Activists program to carry out a water-related environmental project. The EU sponsored a children's video conference on the environment. The Global Environmental Fund gave Reflection money to buy outdoor solar lamps for ten schools in the Karaganda region, which demonstrate alternative energy to local residents. Reflection has also used this project to solicit ideas from children on how to use solar energy. Varaganova traveled to the United States on a U.S. Department of State "Creating Community Partnerships" Grant in October-November 2008 where she garnered valuable information on how to teach children about healthy lifestyles, one of her missions at Reflection. ¶5. Varaganova said that she (and her NGO) does not just teach children about the environment. She has organized a youth roundtable to prepare environmental protection and awareness projects. Several students have attended international competitions, such as this year's group that went to South Korea to present their environmental project in competition with other international teams. Students also prepare and teach classroom materials. When students from other schools see students teaching each other about the environment, they become more actively involved in the learning process and more motivated to remain engaged in later years. ASTANA 00001546 002.2 OF 002 RECYCLED EGG SHELL PICTURE AS GIFT ¶6. Varaganova showed REO several pictures on the school wall, made by children from garbage. They were quite stunning and could easily have been displayed in several museums, including the Paris Museum of Modern Art. Varagonova found a picture, made from discarded egg shells during a recent Easter Day celebration, and presented it as a gift to the REO. It now hangs in the Embassy and is a touching reminder that education is far reaching, recycling can take many forms, and environmental education can have an aesthetic and artistic component. ¶7. COMMENT: Kazakhstan -- a country polluted from heavy industry, massive industrial complexes, and Soviet era radioactive waste -- has a very positive and active environmental community. Its committed citizens demonstrate a heightened environmental awareness, and NGOs actively engage as partners with local governments and communities to bring about positive change in society. In this way, Reflection strongly exemplifies the growing role of civil society in Kazakhstan. END COMMENT.