Turkmenistan expands community social services to 36 districts with UN-backed pilot
Turkmenistan is scaling up community-based social services after a UN-supported Joint SDG Fund pilot from 2020 to 2022. The program reached 36 districts by 2025 and aims to cover all 56 districts by 2027. It supports children, people with disabilities, older persons, and women through services delivered closer to families.
The expansion follows a 2020–2022 Joint SDG Fund pilot that tested changes in who qualifies, how help is provided, where it is available, and what kinds of assistance are offered. In that phase, 45 specialists in social work across 20 districts assessed over 4,000 people and helped create or strengthen services.
These include assistance for families and children, reintegration for youths leaving orphanages or rehabilitation centres, and support for infants residing in baby homes. Women facing gender-based violence or unintended pregnancy can receive a telephone helpline and counselling. Training continues in 2026 for 130 students at universities.
The shift could bring support closer to families in underserved areas, potentially reducing reliance on distant institutions. Children with disabilities, older people, women and others may gain quicker access to rehabilitation, counselling and reintegration help. If workforce expansion and training continue, local services may become more consistent, though results could depend on funding, staffing and how evenly services reach all districts.