Central Asia
History
Central Asia is a land dominated by deserts for most of its main expanse and mountains on the east and south. Rain is practically nonexistent. Until late in the 20th century, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were all part of the former Soviet Union. They all became independent states in 1991 with the break up of the Soviet Union. Independent of centralized control from Moscow more by default than by design, the people of the former Soviet states of Central Asia struggle to survive without the massive subsidies guaranteed under Soviet Rule, and have been left without a clearly-defined vision or sense of purpose.
Fortunately, the Soviets placed great emphasis on education, so most of the people are literate. And regardless of whether or not its citizens subscribed to Communism, the Soviet system did provide a certain measure of societal stability, and its citizens rarely went hungry to bed. That is no longer the case especially in rural regions the populations are facing previously unknown levels of unemployment, poverty, pandemic health problems and a sense of hopelessness.
Although Afghanistan was never a subject state under Soviet control, the populations face many similar and more extreme challenges because of decades of war and internal conflict and most recently the totalitarian control and oppression from the Taliban. Unlike its neighboring northern states, illiteracy is a major concern, where only one out of ten women can read and write.
The Aral Sea, once the fourth largest inland body of water in the world is located in the northern most countries of Central Asia; Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. It has shrunk to less than 25% of its former volume, due to massive irrigation of the deserts for cotton and rice production. The two main rivers feeding the Aral Sea barely reach the sea most years. The Amu Darya, feeds the Aral Sea from the south, is the largest River in Central Asia, stretching 2,540 kilometers in length. The Syr Darya feeds the Aral Sea to the North. Much of the water used for irrigation is in fact drainage water from irrigation. In parts of the Aral Sea Basin 60% of the population have no access to potable water, thus relying on irrigation canals which are polluted with salts and agricultural chemicals.
It was in the midst of this diverse and unique setting in Asia that JDA was born. Out of the vision to learn from these contrasting cultures and the many challenges that the people face as move toward transition. JDA assists and work alongside individuals, families and communities to help bring about transformation. JDA is small company with commited national staff that have a big dream for what their nations can be through freedom and liberty and the creastive expression and work of the individual. |
