Jurabi Make Cents

In an attempt to address the enormous problem of unemployment in the Khorog and Shugnan regions of Tajikistan, the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Chamanoro developed and implemented a project to teach impoverished women to produce national handicrafts. The goal of the project is to help generate income and stabilize economically impoverished regions. The project provided training in sewing and knitting to over 90 women from Khorog and Shugnan regions.

Chamanoro, meaning “light,” is supported by the Kalam Civil Society Support Center (CSSC), which is turn receives technical training and support from the USAID-funded, IREX-implemented Civil Society Support Initiative (CSSI) program in Tajikistan. Through CSSI, IREX provides collaborative support to train and fund CSSCs. CSSCs are “intermediary support organizations” - local institutions that exist to provide training and grants to other NGOs. To help CSSCs become more effective in their work, IREX provides institutional development in the areas of fundraising, transparency and accountability, cost-effectiveness, and overall organizational capacity. This in turn improves CSSCs’ abilities to train their constituent NGOs in topics such as quality control, project evaluation, and inter-sectoral cooperation. With technical assistance from the IREX-supported Kalam CSSC, Chamanoro delivered the handicraft training to group of 98 women over four months. The group comprised of villagers and Khorog city residents, mainly young women from poor families.

In the traditional Tajik family, it is uncommon for women to work outside the home. Since the breakup of the former Soviet Union, however, civil war and unemployment has forced the bulk of the male population to travel to Russia in search of work. Women in turn have been forced to adapt to new roles, venturing more openly into local markets to sell small, cheap products and household goods to earn a living. Compounding the adversity and frustration the women face are the harsh winters characterized by the regions’ geographic remoteness, high altitudes, and the absence of basic, reliable forms of transportation and communication.

Chamanoro’s mission, resulting from the severe impact of the region’s climate and unemployment, is to provide women with vocational skills and sustainable employment opportunities. Chamanoro’s project provided women with training on sewing techniques in products that carry cultural value, have practical applications, and are income-generating. Specifically, Chamanoro trained the 98 women to sew socks (Jurabi), Tajik traditional skull-caps (Tyubitekas), and other national dresses that are in demand during the coldest months of the year.

Among the products created, Jurabi in particular form the backbone of sustainability for the women. Jurabi are traditional, knitted socks, unique to the Pamiri region, and made of sheep or goat wool. The wool used for knitting is hand-made, while Jurabi patterns include Aryan symbols that represent friendship, freedom and love. The knitting methods for Jurabi also differ by region, with the Pamiri style being the most popular and durable. Jurabi are unique to Tajikistan and differ from those of other countries in that they are knitted with one needle (while those of other countries utilize up to four needles), and employ more effective dying methods, all contributing to Jurabi’s durability and quality. Local and national markets have so far proved sufficient to keep the women in business for extended periods. Each pair of Jurabi cost about $5 to $7, with price-variance depending on market demand, design and minor differences in quality. Demand comes from both, local residents and regional and international tourists.

Today, the women see the benefits of their new training. “I am the mother of eight children,” says Aslimo Khukumatshoeva. “Before I was involved in small business activities, the situation in our family was disastrous because my husband was paralyzed and was not able to support the family. Now, by selling goods in the market, I feel satisfied about my work and about me being able to support my family. I am grateful for this training on how to work in small business.” Nozukmo Niyozbekova, another local seamstress, expresses similar emotions, “As a result of your courses, I am embroidering at home now and have a lot of requests from other people. At the present, I can use income from this activity to support my family and five children. I would like you to expand your activities in the region and provide women with more opportunities to support their families by means of developing small businesses.”