I was born in the south of Kyrgyzstan, in the oil field workers’ town of Kochkor-Ata, we have quite a large oil field there. My mother raised me and my two sisters; my father passed away when I was five. After school, I went to Bishkek and enrolled in the Faculty of International Relations at
Civic society in Kazakhstan helps migrants with tuberculosis to get treated
Kazakhstan is the only CIS country where tuberculosis diagnostics and treatments are available for everyone free of charge. The government provides treatment, while non-governmental organizations provide assistance to patients. Natalia Zholnerova, the head of Amelia Civic Organization, talks about joint attempts of the government and NGOs to fight tuberculosis in Kazakhstan. Migrants from Central Asia
Aleksey, Ukraine, 33 years old: “I was told I had no chance to survive and doctors did not want to deal with me”
I am from Severodonetsk – this town is known for its nitrogen chemical plant. My parents worked there. As for me, I decided to follow my own path and after graduating from school I studied to be a plasterer. It was really interesting for me, but I never wanted to be a pilot or an
Marina, Ukraine, 26 years old: “My parents and my husband knew about the disease but they did not know how to support me”
I now live in Poland and do not even want to remember what happened to me several years ago. I am from Kirovohrad, in Ukraine, and I am my parents’ only child. Following my father’s advice, I entered a medical college and became a paramedic. Then I worked as a school nurse and I liked
‘Kyrgyz clinics’ in Moscow: why do migrants seek to be treated by migrant doctors?
A study by Ekaterina Demintseva and Daniel Kashnitsky has discovered the reasons of “Kyrgyz clinics” appeal among migrants in Russia. When migrants seek medical care, they usually choose a clinic and a doctor based on friends’ and acquaintances’ recommendations. This is the rationale and the impetus for the emergence and success of the so-called ‘Kyrgyz
Samira, Azerbaijan, 30 y.o.: “I know first-hand what happens if you interrupt treatment: the disease took two more years of my life”
I come from a poor family. We lived in a region of Georgia bordering Azerbaijan. My parents survived by growing vegetables in their own garden. They did not have higher education or good jobs. They did not want my brother and I to have the same lives as them, so they did not let us
Gohar, Armenia, 46 y.o. “I was constantly afraid that I might infect my son with TB”
Tuberculosis changed my life dramatically. Although initially everything was going well. I was born in Yerevan into a family of a chauffeur. My mother was a teacher of Russian, and I had planned to follow in her footsteps, but in my third year at the Pedagogical Institute, I realized that I definitely did not want
Anna Ryl: There is no government support for migrants in difficult circumstances
Anna Ryl, Korgau-Astana foundation manager, talks about migrants’ life in Kazakhstan After Russia, Kazakhstan is the second leading country in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region by the number of migrants entering the country. Mainly, they arrive to Kazakhstan from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, as well as China and Turkey. For 15 years,
Sardor, Kyrgyzstan, 50 y.o.: “The most important in fight against TB, is to not quit treatment”
I was born in the southern capital of Kyrgyzstan, in the city of Osh. My father worked for 40 years at a silk factory and my mother was a shop assistant. We have a big family – nine children, I am the youngest. I studied at an Uzbek school, but I did not manage to
REG is launching the informational campaign timed to the World TB Day 2021
The Regional Expert Group on Migration and Health, together with TB Europe Coalition (TBEC), is launching the #HealthWithoutBorders campaign ahead of World TB Day 2021, celebrated on 24 March. For three weeks, both organizations will publish the personal stories of people affected by tuberculosis who are migrants in either Eastern or in Western Europe, and