"Mercy Corps is an international relief and development organisation with headquarters in Edinburgh, Scotland and Portland, Oregon (USA). We have been working in Central Asia since 1994, with projects running since that time in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. We have also had programmes for much of that period in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, as well as in Russia and the Caucusus, and for the last twenty years in Afghanistan.

My own involvement has been as a manager of the projects we have run that aim to meet both developmental and conflict management goals. This has meant that I have worked mostly in and around the Ferghana Valley - an extraordinary area shared by three nations and considerably more than three ethnic groups. It is an area of real beauty and potential wealth although the current border regimes and years of dense population and intense agriculture compound the problems of contemporary poverty.

These images come from my work in the region and show (amongst other things) the participatory research and decision-making processes that my colleagues and I have been using in the region. We go to great lengths to try and ensure that decisions are taken by the local communities, and not by outsiders. But we also work extremely hard to ensure that all groups within any community are involved in that decision, and whenever possible that the neighbouring villages and communities are also involved so that there is a real contribution both to basic needs and to sustainably peaceful relations even during difficult times.

This is Mercy Corps' way of alleviating suffering, poverty and oppression, and helping people build secure, productive and just communities in this magnificent part of the Silk Road, and on the whole organisation's behalf I thank thesilkroad.org for its continued support. I hope we meet there one day!"

Article & photos by Colin Spurway. (c) 2006.

Visit Mercy Corps online at www.mercycorps.org.uk

Please note that all photographs are copyright and acredited to Colin Spurway/Mercy Corps.