Kyrgyzstan
Street Football Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic
SFF work with orphans, vulnerable children, and marginalised adults residing in illegal settlements. Many of their adult participants are migrants from rural areas who seek better life in Bishkek. SFF run three core activities: annual tournaments among orphanages, providing humanitarian help to orphanages, and preparing and selecting the Homeless World Cup national team.
Homelessness Statistics
3,500
People living on the streets of Bishkek alone (IWPR, 2016)
15
Homeless people died in January 2018 when temperatures dropped to -30C (Eurasianet, 2018)
Although the economy has stabilised somewhat since the 90s, Kyrgyzstan is still affected by the fall of the Soviet Union, with fewer social benefits and housing resources (Borgen Project, 2017; Habitat). Access to amenities like sewage systems, water, electricity and health care is severely lacking, particularly for those living in poverty and rural communities (Habitat).
Support for vulnerable people is almost non-existent; in the capital Bishkek there is only one year-round shelter with a 70-person capacity (IWPR, 2016). Systemic corruption means that some may have to pay officials to receive benefits (RFERL, 2019).
