'It was the best training in my work life'

It helped me 'to develop as a person'

'Great presentation style with many opportunities to ask questions and talk about real life examples’

‘We learned something every day’

‘activities which I can use with my students’

‘freedom to speak’

'The course was well organized and very interesting, informative and fun’

‘It helped me speak without being shy’

‘All trainers were extremely helpful, kind, encouraging and supportive’

‘I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t notice how the time passed’

'The organisation of the course is wonderful'

The Erayim Aid Trust UK works to facilitate professional development for Kyrgyz teachers of English, who are mostly women. A team of British educational professionals volunteers regularly in various parts of Kyrgyzstan in the delivery of a free, two-week course for teachers. Most schools in the region have few facilities and the teachers and pupils have little exposure to spoken English.

As a result of this opportunity, their classroom delivery will in future incorporate the best of British teaching practices, tailored for schools with fewer resources, with an increasing amount of interactive learning to motivate their pupils. The teachers also benefit from the gift of a modern English book to refresh their knowledge and provide material which is far removed from the Soviet-style text books normally employed in schools. In the last three courses, local Kyrgyz trainers also had the chance to assist with the course delivery, under the close supervision of the British team. This both assists their own professional development and enables them to work to a higher standard in the future.

The next course is already being planned. Our aim is that future generations of Kyrgyz children will benefit from their teachers’ experience of close contact with British and local professional educators.

The Erayim Aid Trust UK also runs the year-round Gateway after-school project for children in deprived areas of the capital, Bishkek. This depends totally on donations to cover teaching materials and the salaries of our teachers and project manager.