In 2024, Médecins Sans Frontières launched a multidisciplinary rehabilitative care project for survivors of violence and ill-treatment in Kazakhstan.
The project, set up in the city of Almaty, in collaboration with local partners, focuses on mental health services, medical referrals and health education for vulnerable groups. This includes the Kandastar community, ethnic Kazakhs who have returned to Kazakhstan after years or even generations of living abroad, primarily in countries such as China, Mongolia and Uzbekistan.
Many Kandastar returnees face challenges integrating into society in Kazakhstan or suffer from mental health problems that developed during their emigrant life. In response, we started to provide them with individual mental health support and psychoeducation sessions, to help them cope with stress, trauma and adjustment difficulties.  
Our team is working to strengthen their resilience by providing psychosocial support and promoting community-based support and mental health awareness among the Kandastar. We aim to reduce the trauma faced by them, and ensure they receive the care and support necessary to rebuild their lives.