Empowering and rehabilitating young ex-offenders in Kazakhstan

An UNDEF project in Kazakhstan successfully completed its work for empowerment and a comprehensive rehabilitation for young ex-offenders. The project, implemented by Social and Sustainable Youth Development Public Fund in the capital Nur-Sultan, supported up to 200 ex-offenders through counselling, skill building, and volunteering; established a centre for ex-offenders and start-up initiatives; proposed guidelines to local authorities for future use; and scaled up its work to Almaty and other cities in Kazakhstan. The project’s success was especially gratifying as the grantee was a young civil society organization with no prior international donor experience, giving UNDEF an important role as mentor. The project is a good example of UNDEF’s mission to invest in small, local, less established NGOs.