To commemorate International Rural Women's Day [6] (IRWD), IREX would like to present this story about one woman's work to support her family. IRWD is a day to honor contributions of rural women to rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.
A caring mother of young children, and the wife of a local railway worker, Arman Tuygunbekova lives in a small village in Northern Kazakhstan. In this region unemployment is a constant threat, child development centers and schools are sparse and often ill equipped, and local women, like Arman, have little knowledge or access to information about proper nutrition for themselves and their families. For the families that can afford to send their children to school, budget constraints and low family incomes force children of all ages and grades to study using just two classrooms, and funds for desks and learning supplies are limited. At home, these children are often fed what is affordable and accessible, as their mothers have little background knowledge about the nutritional value of the foods.
With her youngest child still nursing and her eldest child reaching preschool age, Arman joined the BOTA Foundation’s [7] Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program for families who are living below the poverty line. CCT offers financial incentives and provides access to services that improve the development and well-being of their children. As a participant in the CCT program, Arman receives modest payments that allow her to make vast changes to her and her family's lives. With the funds she receives from the BOTA foundation, she is purchasing healthier foods for her family and enrolling her eldest son in preschool – investments she had only dreamed about prior to joining the CCT program.
In addition to the funds she receives, Arman attends trainings organized by the BOTA Foundation to help improve the health decisions she makes for her family. After attending a number of trainings, Arman feels empowered and confident in her ability to improve the quality of life for her family. A few years ago, like many other women in Kazakhstan, Arman’s lack of proper nutrition led her to be diagnosed with anemia. The trainings taught her how to control her anemia and keep her iron levels at a healthy rate by making different food choices. The trainings also provided a place for Arman and other women from the village to meet and socialize. In addition to the knowledge that she gained from the trainings, she gained a support group that she can turn to for assistance and advice.
The BOTA foundation recently visited Arman’s home, curious to know what effect the CCT has had on her life and her family. Careful to keep her voice low as to not wake her sleeping baby in the back room of her modest home, she shared, “I’ve learned so many things…we are so lucky. We have it all now – financial support, knowledge from the trainings, and new friends.”
IREX, Save the Children [8], and the World Bank [9] have partnered to oversee the development of the BOTA Foundation, an unprecedented development venture that is overseeing the repatriation of over $115 million through programs targeting the poorest children in Kazakhstan