We held SCA’s traditional spring event – Saiga Day (supported by WFN & WCN) in Muynak and Kungrad region. The methodological basis of the celebration was developed and proposed to the mentors of the SWCs by the educational team from NGO “Ekomaktab”.
Preparations for the Saiga Day were held jointly with our long-standing partners NGO “Ekomaktab”. Kids from school No. 1 in Muynak took part in the festival (they also participated in other SCA events before). The head of the steppe club, Azamat Khozhametov, has repeatedly taken part in seminars to improve the experience of environmental education for teachers. In addition, this year kids from 4 new schools joined Saiga Day (school No. 3, 4, 5 in Muynak and a branch of school No. 4 in Mikoyan village).
Saiga Day was held in two schools, with kids from all other aforementioned schools joining the celebration. I.e. children from schools No. 1 and 3 teamed up as well as children from schools No. 4 and 5 and held joint Saiga Days. In total, over 190 students and teachers became participants and spectators of the eco-festival in Muynak (140 ppl in school No. 1 and 50 ppl in school No. 4). The holiday was attended by employees of the newly created regional branch of the Committee for Ecology and Environmental Protection of Karakalpakstan. Participants from newly joined schools and their teachers – biology teachers Gaukhar Tanabergenova and Zahira Yerimbetova presented themselves very well. Despite the fact that they organized the Saiga Day for the first time, everything was done on a high level with a lot of care and participation. Schools No. 1 and 3, on the other hand, held events at a lower level than usual, despite the experience of Azamat Khozhametov from School No. 1. Zebo Isakova participated as an observer at Saiga Day and shared her assessments and recommendations for the future.
Saiga Day in Muynak:
In parallel, we held a Saiga Day in Kungrad region (funded by WCN, WFN). The school No 54 in Jaslyk village welcomed the teams of young ecologists from neighboring villages – from school No. 31 in the village of Kyrk-Kyz and school No. 52 from the village of Yelabad. Participants from the latter two schools were new to the celebration. The joint Saiga Day was held with support and active participation of Uz-Kor Gas Chemical. Uz-Kor Gas organized a bus transfer for children from Kyrk-kyz and Yelabad to Jaslyk and back, and also prepared winner prizes. A team of employees from the Saigachiy Complex Landscape Reserve arrived at the Festival and prepared their competition program. In total, about 150 students, teachers and guests took part in the Saiga Day in Jaslyk. Everything went very well, we were pleased with the participants from new schools (No. 31 and 52), Jaslyk School No. 54 traditionally was doing an excellent job. It’s especially worth mentioning Medet Mukanov, who prepared everything perfectly, using the already existing experience in conducting environmental events and new creative ideas.
In Nukus, Saiga Day was held with the support of WCN. As usual, it was held in the format of a school eco-festival on the basis of the education and development center Progress. In addition to students and teachers, the event was attended by guests from the Complex Landscape Reserve “Saigachiy” and environmental party. In total, about 130 people took part in the event, including guests from Saigachiy Complex Landscape Reserve. The celebration was held at a very high level. We are very grateful to Progress school director Madina Abdikarimova for her continued commitment to saiga conservation.
Another Saiga Day was held in Karakalpakiya village on the basis of the SWC of school No. 26. A cycling race and a marathon were held here, with a total of 40 participants. The Saiga Day itself brought together about 50 people. Saule Daukeeva has been the organizer of our joint local events for several years now. This year, despite her illness, she managed to organize everything at a good level.
In total, Saiga Day 2022 in Uzbekistan hosted over 500 students and teachers from 10 schools, as well as guests from the Saigachiy Reserve and the Ecological Party. NGO Ecomaktab and Uz-Kor Gas Chemical acted as co-organizers together with SCA.