DUSHANBE, July 10, 2012, Asia-Plus -- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is fostering youth leadership in Tajikistan through a series of summer camps organized by Counterpart International as part of the Young Leaders Program, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe said.

Forty-five participants from the Zarafshon Valley, Rasht Valley, and Gorno Badakhshan reportedly gathered in Romit for a six-day summer camp July 6-11 to meet their peers from other parts of the country and advance their civic responsibility and leadership skills.

The USAID-supported Young Leaders Program was launched in 2011 to promote youth engagement and participation in community life through teaching leadership, civic responsibility, and volunteerism skills. Counterpart International implements this project in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Youth Committee, local non-governmental organizations, and local authorities.

The Young Leaders Program is one of the many assistance projects supported by the American people through USAID.  Since 1992, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe has provided more than $984 million in programs that support Tajikistan’s security, democratic institutions, the social sector, and economic growth.