He entered this field long ago while working on projects supporting people living with HIV. It was then that it became clear that without resolving legal issues, social and medical assistance reaches a dead end. Sergey and his colleagues had to handle passport issuance and protect the rights of their clients on a voluntary basis, even before the official status of public defenders was established.  

"We dealt with legal issues even though we weren't working on any jurisprudence-related projects. We were simply providing help, doing this work for free," he says of that period. When the "Street Lawyers" project began to take shape, Sergey was invited to join the team.  

Today, he works in two areas simultaneously: at a syringe exchange point at the "RANS Plus" public foundation and at the "Ganesha" public foundation's crisis center for women who have survived violence. His clients include people released from correctional facilities and members of other key population groups. Behind every case lies a complex human story and, often, a lack of understanding from society.  

He paints a precise and unvarnished picture of his daily work:  

"The problems are commonplace: passport issuance, document restoration" Sergey lists. "We participate in court hearings and help people who have been released from prison. Essentially, we are wherever the client needs legal assistance."  

To ensure this help operates smoothly, the paralegals had to build relationships with government agencies from the ground up.  

"It was difficult at first while we were getting everything established," he admits. "We sought out people, got acquainted with deputies in various departments, and explained our situation: where we work, with what kinds of people, and with which groups. Eventually, they met us halfway."  

The professional level of the paralegals themselves is also evolving. International partners and experienced mentors make a significant contribution to their development. In complex cases involving violence or the protection of minors' rights, professional lawyers come to their aid.  

"UNDP constantly provides training and professional development. Legislation changes, procedures for approaching state bodies change, as do the rules for submitting applications and complaints. In training, we learn many new nuances," emphasizes Sergey. "Coordination councils are being created where our lawyers solve complex cases. Thanks to them, we have grown; they have invested their knowledge and efforts in us."  

Every month, Sergey handles dozens of phone inquiries and takes on several complex cases, whether it's restoring the lost documents of a citizen born in another republic or protecting someone from illegal actions.  

He sums up the results of his challenging daily work simply and honestly:  

"Of course, we are not all-powerful, but we do everything we can."  

This material was prepared as part of the UNDP project "Effective HIV and Tuberculosis Control in the Kyrgyz Republic," implemented jointly with the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic with financial support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.