WHO is looking for a volunteer communications specialist to work in Ashgabat. This announcement was posted on the organization's website .

Describing the living conditions in Turkmenistan, the organization warns those interested about some of the features:

• Turkmenistan is an upper middle-income country;

• the criminal situation is quite calm, but open statistics or any other information on crimes are not published, therefore it is very difficult to assess trends in the field of crime;

• Turkmenistan is located in a seismic zone. Earthquakes happen here periodically;

• climate has always been one of the most significant factors affecting people's lives. Summers are especially hot. On some days the temperature in the shade can reach 45-47 degrees in the shade and 55 degrees in the sun;

• according to the official exchange rate, the dollar is equal to 3.5 manats;

• Only cash is accepted for payment. Payment by credit cards is possible only in some hotels and in the offices of foreign airlines (air companies). It is recommended that you always have sufficient cash with you during your visit.

WHO emphasizes that this is an offer for volunteers, so volunteers must find their own place to live and provide for their other needs. It is not specified whether volunteer benefits will be issued to those wishing to, and if so, in what amount.

It is worth noting that the organization did not specify other features important for the residence of foreigners that they may encounter in the country:

• ignorance of basic human rights, including freedom of expression. This implies an implicit prohibition against criticizing the government or expressing other dissatisfaction with the authorities;

• residents of the country are not notified of earthquakes (or other natural disasters). The victims are unlikely to receive any support;

• Despite the extreme summer temperatures, in many cases it may not be possible to install an air conditioner in an apartment. In particular, but not exclusively, this applies to apartments located on the side of the carriageway. City passenger transport is not equipped with air conditioning;

• in addition to the official exchange rate, there is a “black currency market” in the country, where the exchange rate differs from the state one by 5-10 times. This means that by exchanging dollars for manats at the state rate, prices for goods in the country for foreigners will be very high. For example, a kilogram of meat at the market in this case will cost more than $ 21. It is illegal to trade dollars on the black market and can be criminalized.

Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan