Uzbekistan to Use $20M From Karimova’s Returned Assets to Improve Rural Schools

From the assets of Gulnara Karimova, daughter of Uzbekistan’s first president, returned from Switzerland, $20 million will be allocated to improve rural schools, Orda.kz reports.

The decision was made by the Ishonch (“Trust”) fund, which manages Karimova’s assets. According to Radio Azattyq, citing the UN office in Uzbekistan, the money will be directed to the project “Modeling Climate Resilience and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools,” which will launch on October 1, 2025.

The funds will be used to renovate 45 rural schools across the country, providing them with drinking water, heating, and environmentally friendly energy sources.

In addition, part of the money will go toward training 2,700 teachers and other school staff on climate resilience, water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.

Nearly 1.5 million children in Uzbekistan currently attend schools without access to drinking water or heating.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny