Kyrgyzstan: rebuilding houses in violence-stricken south

" Thousands of people, mainly in Osh and Jalalabad, lost their homes during the violence in June, " said Ishfaq Khan, head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Osh. " In view of the scale of the destruction and the harm inflicted on people here in the city of Osh, the ICRC has begun to repair and rebuild houses in coordination with other humanitarian organizations. The work is being carried out in close cooperation with the local authorities, including the State Directorate for Reconstruction and Development, which has assigned a group of engineers to the project. "

After the ruins were cleared, the State Directorate assessed the level of destruction. Based on that assessment, the ICRC has begun the actual renovation work, which will ultimately enable some 3,000 people from the Cheriomushki and Furkat areas to move from tents, where they currently live, to the houses in the coming months.

Damaged houses will be partially rebuilt using reinforced concrete and bricks, and fitted with windows, doors, roofing and heating systems. Families with up to seven members will be provided with two rooms (some 28 square metres); for every additional seven members, they will receive another room measuring approximately 14 square metres.

The ICRC has been visiting detainees and carrying out other humanitarian activities in Kyrgyzstan since 1999. It opened a representation in Bishkek in 2004 and re-opened an office in Osh in early 2010. A second office was opened in Jalalabad at mid-year.