Juniper Kyz: Wrapping Up a Transformative Pilot Season in Kyrgyzstan
- joy stalteri
- Jun 10, 2025
- 3 min read
This spring, we launched the very first Juniper Kyz program in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan — a 2-month journey designed to empower young women through running, health education, and leadership. What began as a grassroots idea quickly blossomed into a movement of strength, sisterhood, and self-discovery.
Together, 15 participants trained, learned, reflected, and grew, showing up for themselves and one another in powerful ways.Here’s a look at what we created — and what’s coming next.
🏃♀️ What We Achieved
💙 15 girls completed the full program, balancing school, jobs, and family responsibilities.
💙 12 completed their first ever 10K race at Run the Silk Road in Issyk-Kul.
💙 100% of survey respondents reported improved confidence and self-esteem.
💙 100% of survey respondents said the skills they developed through Juniper Kyz are applicable to other spheres in their life.
💙 85% of survey respondents said the information they learned through our workshops on women’s health is difficult for them to find elsewhere.
💙 Many shared stories of better mental health, feeling safer in their bodies, and discovering new leadership potential.
From nutrition and menstrual health workshops to trail runs and peer mentorship, Juniper Kyz offered more than training — it created a deeply affirming space where girls could move, learn, and lead.
“This program gave me everything. It was like free therapy. I’ll never forget what I learned here.”
Highlights by Week
Week 1–2: Orientation, baseline surveys, and our first team runs. We set our intentions, learned about goal setting, and built foundational fitness through local park & track interval runs. Girls were taught the key basics of running - how to properly warm up, cool down, and progress in the sport while minimizing injury risk and maintaining motivation.
Week 3–4: Our education sessions kicked off with hormones and menstrual health, mental and emotional wellness, and nutrition, all led by Central Asian experts. We also introduced strength, yoga, and running tools such as pacing and technique.
Week 5: We tackled our first trail run through the hills surrounding Bishkek— a brand-new challenge for nearly every participant. Educational workshops this week focused on leadership, the mind-body connection, and women’s wellness.
Week 6: Participants explored gender equality and women’s rights with Bermet Stakeeva, head of the Forum of Women's NGOs. We also ran our first unofficial 10K simulation to prepare for race day.
Week 7: We focused on tapering — teaching participants how to reduce training volume to feel fresh for race day. We then traveled to Issyk-Kul for the Run the Silk Road 10K with our friends from HIFE. We danced, ran, laughed, and celebrated as a team. All attendees successfully completed a 10k, none of them stopping to walk at any point.
Week 8: Our final weeks were dedicated to leadership projects, reflection, and the Run, Girl, Run! 5K — our own women’s race in Bishkek, open to the wider community. Every girl led a creative capstone project that put to practice the skills and knowledge they had gained through the project, such as hosting their own running masterclasses for their friends and creating educational Kyrgyz-language fitness content.
Crowdfunding Success
We raised $4,900 USD, surpassing our original goal of $3,900 — thanks to the incredible support of friends, family, and new donors around the world. Because of smart budgeting and in-kind sponsorships, we spent far less than projected.
This means: We now have enough funds to run another full 2-month program in 2025!
What’s Next?
Launch a second beginner Juniper Kyz cohort in Bishkek
Add an intermediate-level program for continuing runners in Bishkek
Expansion to Jalal Abad and Talas
Build an alumni mentorship network
Deepen partnerships with local organizations and wellness leaders
Register as a legal entity to access grant funding and grow sustainably
If you believe in girl-powered leadership, wellness equity, and running as a force for change, we’d love to connect.
Whether as a partner, donor, mentor, or cheerleader — your support makes this work possible.
To our girls: you inspired us. Thank you for showing up with courage, trust, and joy. This is just the beginning.
With gratitude and strength,
The Juniper Kyz Team 🌿
Follow us on Instagram: @juniper_kyz
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