In remote Tajikistan , aspiring women launch their own businesses
by Molly Shapiro
Photo : Courtney Gerard
Imagine living
in one of the most remote places in the world , in a village nestled among some of the tallest peaks on earth . It ’ s a place where jobs are scarce , the economy is weak , and most everyone struggles to put food on the table . And if you ’ re a woman , it ’ s a place with many obstacles and few opportunities .
This is the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast ( GBAO ) region of Tajikistan , one of the poorest parts of the second poorest country in Central Asia . The villages of GBAO are isolated and hard to reach , particularly in the long winter months . And even though almost 40 % of the region ’ s people live in poverty , the central government provides them with little help .
In GBAO and throughout Tajikistan , it ’ s common for men to go abroad to find work , mostly to Russia . Roughly 20 % of Tajik men leave their families to work abroad , sending a portion of their earnings back home . This means that women are left alone to manage the household , take care of the children , and provide for the family ’ s basic needs . Sometimes , their husbands send back little , or worse , some never return home at all , choosing instead to build a new life for themselves in their adopted country .
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