Under the patronage and presence of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, the CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development, Mr. Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, laid the foundation stone for the project to rehabilitate and expand the General Children's Emergency Hospital in the capital, Bishkek. SFD will finance the project with a $30 million soft development loan.

The ceremony was attended by H.E. Ibrahim bin Radi Al-Radi, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Kyrgyz Republic, H.E. Gulnara Baatyrova, the Acting Minister of Health of Kyrgyzstan, the Director of the Kyrgyz State Agency of Architecture, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of the Council of Ministers, a delegation from the Saudi Fund for Development, and several officials in Kyrgyzstan.

The project will contribute to developing the health sector in the Kyrgyz Republic and improving health services in paediatrics. To cater to the growing healthcare needs of the Republic, the project will include constructing and equipping a five-story surgical building with a total area of ​​17 thousand square meters and a capacity of about (212) medical beds. The funding of this project also includes providing medical and non-medical equipment, furniture for the surgery building, advisory services, and supervising implementation.

On this occasion, the Kyrgyz President expressed his appreciation to the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the development support it provides through the Saudi Fund for Development to the Kyrgyz Republic. He further emphasized that this vital project would contribute to strengthening the health system in the country and will ensure the expansion of the provision of more health care services to the population of Kyrgyzstan, precisely to the city of Bishkek, in addition to the neighbouring cities to provide a healthy and sustainable future.

In a related context, in the presence of H.E. Mr. Kasimampitov Soyunbek, Minister of State of the Kyrgyz Republic, the SFD CEO, Mr. Al-Marshad, inaugurated the fourteenth (14) State School in Bishkek during his visit to the Kyrgyz Republic. The opening ceremony was attended by His Excellency the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Kyrgyzstan, H.E. Ibrahim bin Radi Al-Radi, the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan, Mr. Ulan Mambetakunov, the Head of the Education Center of the Leninsky Region of Bishkek, as well as the school principal. The school's inauguration comes within the comprehensive framework of the project to construct 30 public schools in various regions of the country. The number of beneficiaries expected to benefit directly and indirectly is expected to reach 50 000 students annually, made possible by the Fund's soft development loan valued at $30 million.

The project aims to develop and improve public education in Kyrgyzstan by building more schools to meet the increasing number of students in different regions. The project forms part of the government's plan to develop the country's education sector and help alleviate the hardships students face when trying to reach schools that are far from their homes. The new school, which includes 40 classrooms, vocational and technical laboratories, gyms, and integrated boarding health clinics, will further contribute to reducing the student density in the neighboring school, which has more than 2,000 students

In this context, SFD CEO, Mr.  Al-Marshad, said: " This school will help raise the absorptive capacity of the education sector, enhance the level of quality education in Kyrgyzstan, and create an effective and safe learning environment for all, and providing new job opportunities. The project reflects the SFD held belief in the noble mission of the education sector as it contributes to developing people and societies and achieves several development goals, including the fourth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is related to the quality of education. We always seek to fund projects that support the education sector, which is a key to sustainable development that can achieve social growth and economic prosperity."

The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) started its development cooperation with the Republic of Kyrgyzstan in 2011. Over the past years, SFD has financed over than eight (8) projects in several sectors, including transportation, education, health, agriculture, and sanitation, with a total of $200 million. This is in addition to the provision of a generous grant from the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is worth $3.8 million, and managed by the Saudi Fund for Development and intended to equip a number of medical centers.

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