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Success Story
USAID alum creates
successful social
programs for his
community
Local Leader Makes a Difference
Photo: Community Connection
Alexei Kulikov (left) discusses his projects
with other community leaders at a
workshop in Almaty.
“USAID opened lots of
opportunities for me.
Although I had so many
ideas and skills, I would
not have been able to
realize them if I did not
participate in the USAID
program,” said Alexei
Kulikov.
Alexei Kulikov, 30, always wanted to make a difference in his
community, and a USAID study tour in the U.S. gave him the tools
to accomplish this dream.
Kulikov works as a trainer at a Social Fund Pomosh’ (Help),
a nongovernmental organization focusing on youth issues in
Kostanai Oblast in northern Kazakhstan. In 2006 he participated
in the USAID Community Connections program which brought
community leaders from Kazakhstan to Tucson, Arizona for a
study tour designed to familiarize them with youth projects in the
United States. During this three-week study tour, Kulikov and his
colleagues from Kazakhstan had an opportunity to observe the
work of American youth organizations and attend specialized
seminars on a variety of topics related to their work.
Since returning home, Kulikov has put the information and skills
acquired on this USAID program to work for his community. One
of the first results from his trip was a two-month training course
Kulikov created for unemployed youth to prepare them to search
for work, write resumes, and interview successfully. Kulikov
drew inspiration for this course from his visit to a Tucson youth
unemployment center. After the pilot run of the training course, 39
of 40 participants found work, and the Kostanai Oblast Municipality
pledged to fund future trainings.
“Thanks to the training, I have achieved my dream,” said Dinara
Shukizhanova, 21, who got her dream job as a financial specialist
for the government after attending the workshop. “Without it, I would
have waited for a long time...or maybe even never gotten this job!”
Kulikov also designed a project to combat smoking and alcohol
abuse among teenagers in Kostanai, using resources that he
brought from Tucson organizations and translated with the help of
local volunteers.
Kulikov attributes much of his success to his participation in the
USAID program. “USAID opened lots of opportunities for me.
Although I had so many ideas and skills, I would not have been able
to realize them if I did not participate in the USAID program,” he
said.
Kulikov’s latest project focuses on replicating a teamwork session
conducted by an outdoor leadership program he witnessed in the
U.S. “I hope to create more successful social projects in the future,”
he said.
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