Project report: New hope for those who have lost their breadwinners
SGS 2025 Grantee: Parastor, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Project: Training in entrepreneurship for women and people with disabilities who have been left without a breadwinner
For the project ‘Assured Future’, 30 vulnerable individuals were selected who had lost their breadwinner, were unemployed, and needed to gain knowledge and skills in business planning, sales, and marketing, including practical training. Together with project partners and the public organisations ‘Dasti Yeri’ and ‘Sabo’, the participants were selected from three communities based on their personal interests and specific criteria. They were trained in baking various homemade biscuits and cakes, growing flowers and houseplants, and knitting.
Trainers ran courses for three groups. 10 elderly women enrolled in the flower-growing group. 15 unemployed young women and people with disabilities learned to knit scarves, baby boots and children’s dresses. 5 young women learned to bake biscuits and cakes.
The participants were provided with the necessary tools and materials: mixers and ovens, sewing kits and knitting yarns, and flower-pots.
Sabrina, who has had a disability since childhood, noted that after attending the course on baking, her family members had begun to ask her for recipes and help with baking biscuits.
An elderly woman, Rahima, said that she has started to grow flowers and sell them to her neighbours. Mohira has also been selling her flowers to friends. Now she wants to sell them in the market.
Before the project, Adiba didn’t know what business planning was. After training, she learned how to budget for knitted items: socks, jumpers, and baby boots. Now orders for her products are increasing so she can help not only her family but also her neighbours.
The parents of the girls attending the knitting classes requested that such training continue, as there are no educational centres in their community.
The project helped beneficiaries to overcome crisis situations, start earning money, expand their opportunities for integration in the local community, and receive support from community members. Parastor has also received requests from vulnerable people to continue with similar projects in other communities, to provide support and expand opportunities.
Contact:
Rana Kasimova
Project Manager
NGO Parastor
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
infoparastor5@gmail.com
