Tajikistan

Asia Plus
$36,270
To develop a network of regional correspondents, provide news bulletins for regional news outlets, and redesign its web page. Asia Plus will hire six correspondents who will attend a week-long training to improve their journalism skills and be trained in specific tasks required to implement this program. The network will facilitate an exchange of information among regions and between regions and the capital.

Independent Newspaper Tong
$16,630*
To resume publication of the only independent newspaper in the Uzbek language. The newspaper will contain local, national, and international news along with opinion and editorial pages. It will pay particular attention to human rights issues, women's equality, and social and political news.

Kuhi Nor NGO
$19,600
To provide an internet-based news service to the Tajik public. Kuhi Nor will permit free access to its Avesta website which posts national and regional news throughout the day, expand and reorganize the website, and add two interactive sections for discussion and public opinion polling. Kuhi Nor will also launch a weekly news bulletin which will be distributed to local news organizations and NGOs.

National Association for Independent Mass Media (NANSMIT)
$34,208*
To train journalists in the techniques of investigative journalism and provide legal assistance to journalists. NANSMIT will also print, ship, and distribute a book about the journalists who were killed during the Tajik civil war.

NGO "Fourth Power"
$19,913*
To maintain its media resource center and hold monthly press conferences on current politics. Fourth Power will distribute information packets containing print and video materials to local media outlets on a weekly basis, and will also organize a ten-day training course for two journalists in Moscow.

Public Association "Khoma"
$34,289*
To produce a weekly television news program. The program will be filmed by student teams at five institutions of higher education throughout Tajikistan. The editorial staff will edit the film and distribute it to twelve independent local and regional television broadcasters throughout the country.

Republican Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law
$29,720*
To continue to provide free legal aid to the most vulnerable segments of society. The Bureau will collect detailed data on the human rights abuses and due process problems, which will comprise the basis for its annual monitoring report. The Bureau will also publish three booklets about citizens' rights.

Youth Ecological Center of Dushanbe
$20,110*
To promote leadership skills among youth by providing training and resources to youth groups in Tajikistan. The Center will build organizational capacity and promote youth leadership by expanding its network of regional discussion clubs. The Center will also train the youth groups and their members to become effective NGO leaders and skillful negotiators with local authorities.