2024: A Year of Growth

By Lisa Coll, Eurasia Foundation President

Change is in the air at Eurasia Foundation. Our programs expanded this year, both in size and scope. As a result, our team nearly doubled, bringing fresh perspectives and renewed energy to our internal and external operations. We bid farewell to two long-standing programs but embraced even more new opportunities.  

I’ve thought a lot about Eurasia Foundation’s legacy during this season, reflecting on how our history informs our future. I’ve found that we are able to embrace bold changes because we remain grounded in the mission and values that have guided us for over 30 years. This has been 2024’s theme: maintaining our roots while rising to meet the moment. 

2024 kicked off with the launch of our Ukraine Digital Transformation Activity (DTA). This five-year, $150 million award by USAID and UK Dev expands on the work of our TAPAS project, which ended in June after 8 successful years. DTA builds on this legacy by enhancing Ukraine’s digital capabilities and building resilient systems for a secure, prosperous future. 

DTA met major digitalization milestones in its first year. In May, we joined our partners in the Government of Ukraine to mark the one-year anniversary of the eRecovery program that launched with support from TAPAS. Through eRecovery, nearly 82,000 families have reported damaged or destroyed homes and received compensation for repairs or replacement. In October, TIME Magazine named Diia—Ukraine’s e-services app and portal—one of the year’s best inventions, citing a DTA-supported e-service that allows Ukrainians separated by the war to marry online. And in December, DTA announced that the eQueue service had streamlined over 1.5 million border crossings, facilitating efficient trade and travel between Ukraine and its neighbors in the EU and Moldova. 

I remain humbled by the brilliance and bravery of our Ukrainian colleagues. While they fight tirelessly for their country’s future and build a stronger democracy in the process, our entire team stands alongside them. 

Our Social Innovation in Central Asia (SICA) project also wrapped its final full year of operation. SICA’s impact spanned remote towns and large cities across Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Over five years, changemakers gained the tools to truly transform their communities, guided by support from Eurasia Foundation. They revamped local recycling systems, recovered misplaced public funds, and sparked civic engagement through art. More than 400 young people learned their strengths by leading projects and connecting with change-minded peers. 

Eurasia Foundation provided training and support, but we also gained a lot in return, inspired by the participants’ stories of change. Their stories inspired Eurasia Foundation’s Communications Specialist Jamile Satibaldiyeva to write a play about changemakers in Central Asia. Äuejai, or “airport” in Kazakh, debuted in September at Almaty’s ARTiSHOCK theatre, a fitting final tribute to the resolve and resourcefulness of SICA participants. These stories of change also live on in a StoryMap to inspire future generations of changemakers across the region. 

However, our work in Central Asia is far from over. SICA will continue to support Tajikistan’s burgeoning community of social entrepreneurs in 2025 after heavily supporting the creation of the country’s flagship social entrepreneurship law this year. We are also thrilled to announce a new project, Qadam, to bolster civil society in Kazakhstan. Qadam will continue SICA’s work of amplifying local changemakers, paying special attention to the country’s rural and Kazakh-speaking regions. 

Eurasia Foundation has grown tremendously since the start of this year. Just like the rapidly changing world we inhabit, our organization continues to change in both planned and surprising ways. But our mission—our heart—remains. We listen. We learn. And we do our utmost to give each person the tools to shape their life on their own terms.  

I am proud of our legacy, but prouder still of the future we’re building. Thank you for your continued trust and support. Happy New Year to all!