Humanitarian Support in a Post-Soviet State

This case report describes the origin, structure and early activities of the Manas Air Base Outreach Society (MABOS), a military volunteer humanitarian support program in the depleted post-Soviet nation of Kyrgyzstan. MABOS' efforts focus on provision of essential material and social support to at risk populations and small scale public facilities construction projects. The organisational format of MABOS is a 'hybrid' in that it is similar to a Private Volunteer Organization (PVO) in its staffing, but has the distinct advantage of command support from the military leadership on the Air Base. The authors provide an introductory comment on Natsios' Nine Principles of Reconstruction and note the value of Natsios' evidence-informed principles to focus the planning process, increase efficacy, refine accountability and minimise the footprint of humanitarian support and development programs. Natsios' principles provide an evaluative template for MABOS projects throughout the article. Following an overview of the history and current economic problems of Kyrgyzstan, the authors explain the structure of MABOS and describe several projects responding to a range of social, economic, public health, and infrastructure needs in the nation's capital area of Bishkek. The structure and processes of the projects are described, referencing Natsios' principles, focusing in particular on the 'iron triad' of ownership, capacity building, and sustainability. The authors' intent is to illustrate one way in which military-related organisations can effectively provide humanitarian development support within the larger rubric of traditional civil-military collaboration. Note: Much of the material for this paper was contributed by one of the authors (R.D.) who served as a MABOS volunteer in 2005-2006 and continues to follow the organisation's activities to the present

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