ISAR | Partners

In the mid-1990s, Azerbaijan--a country of seven million people in the south Caucasus--was home to only a handful of NGOs. At that time, most citizens associated the term "NGO" exclusively with humanitarian aid efforts. Today, a thriving movement of hundreds of social and environmental organizations works to solve local problems and to pressure both the government and Azerbaijan's burgeoning private sector to pay attention to the needs of the country's citizens. ISAR-Azerbaijan led the growth of this movement starting in 1995. Events such as ISAR's annual NGO Fair raised public awareness about the growing strengths and experiences of NGOs, while our grants, information and training programs provided NGOs with concrete support and education. In short, ISAR Azerbaijan helped to independent citizen initiatives on the map.