The Foundation for Tolerance International is a Kyrgyz non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1998 to prevent conflict and build peace and justice in Central Asia. It has operated for nine years in a fluid and changing context, but it has remained focused on its original goals of conflict prevention on a range of vertical and horizontal conflicts. FTI’s work is focused on two main directions: 1. The prevention and non-violent resolution of interethnic conflicts in the Fergana Valley – a multiethnic region that stands at the crossroads of the three Central Asian states of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The Fergana Valley is characterized notably by a very high population density, an unfinished and conflicting border demarcation process, and disputes over scarce land and water resources. These factors have led to instances of violence amongst local communities and authorities of different nationalities and ethnic groups. 2. The expansion of the space for dialogue and promotion of a culture of non-violence between civil society and power institutions in the Kyrgyz Republic. Background The organization originally grew out of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) “Conflict Transformation and Tolerance Education” project. The UNHCR’s project was launched in March 1996 in Southern Kyrgyzstan, led by FTI Founder and Executive Director, Raya Kadyrova. Her assignment was to implement a tolerance education project directed at minimizing tension between Kyrgyz and Tajik secondary school students. She says this post inspired her to found FTI as an independent NGO (Strutton 2007). Since then, FTI has developed into one of the largest local NGOs in the region working explicitly and specifically towards conflict prevention and resolution (Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict 2007). It employs a staff of over 40 people, all from various nationalities, ages, and fields of expertise. The head office and Early Warning project office are located in Bishkek, while activities at the community level are conducted through four regional offices in the Southern Kyrgyz cities of Osh, Batken, Aksy, and Leilek. Building strong alliances in Central Asia among all relevant stakeholders has been one of the chief objectives of the organization since its inception. FTI created the National Coordination Council and Regional Coordination Councils, which aim to facilitate communication among civil society, authorities, law enforcement, and the media to prevent and resolve violent conflict. FTI is one of the initiators and lead NGOs of the Ferghana Valley NGO network Dolina Mira