Photo : Courtney Gerard
seed money or the knowledge needed to start a business . Fortunately , she did have the support of her fellow villagers , one of whom told her about ASPIRE and offered her the chance to attend the workshop .
“ During the 10 days I felt that I am one of the skillful women with craft skills ,” she recalled . “ In the training , all my fear and worry had gone . I decided to take a risk and bravely started to bake kulcha .” Zarnisso took the round flatbreads to a local shop to be sold . With the money she earned , she bought more flour so she could bake more bread . “ In this way , I increased my income ,” she explained . “ I started to save money for my children ’ s needs , as we learned in the training .”
“ I feel a great improvement in my life ,” Zarnisso said . “ I am sharing the training information with my children , who help me in making kulcha . I am planning to get a better oven to make quality kulcha , as there is big demand .” Already , Zarnisso is receiving a lot of orders from neighbors and friends who want her kulcha for weddings and other events .
FINDING THE COURAGE TO START A BUSINESS AND SELL HER WARES
Lojvar lives in Sharikkhona village in the Shugnan district . Like the other villagers , she and her family have a small plot of land , but it wasn ’ t enough to sustain them . When she married her husband , he wasn ’ t working , so they didn ’ t
have enough money to buy food . But despite her troubles , Lojvar said : “ I am a happy woman because I have crafting skills learnt from my grandmother and my mother . I was involved in knitting , weaving , and doing other traditional things for weddings with my mother .”
Lojvar was new to the village , so she wasn ’ t comfortable selling things to her neighbors , who weren ’ t yet aware of her talents . Instead , she made products and sent them to her mother in another village to sell . But things changed after she attended the ASPIRE workshop .
“ Luckily , after attending the training I got courage . My fear disappeared , and I gained enough finance literacy ,” she said . “ Today , I am freely selling milk and making Pamiri socks and slippers from natural wool . My plan is to get a new machine for weaving and spinning .”
Like other women who participate in the ASPIRE program , Lojvar wanted to impart her learning to others and inspire them to achieve their dreams . “ As we learned from the training , I want to become a successful woman and teach others , too ,” she said . “ Therefore , I am planning to open a mini workshop and create jobs for other housewives in my village .”
THE IMPACT OF THE ASPIRE PROGRAM IS ONLY BEGINNING
Thus far , 170 women from GBAO have received training through ASPIRE , and 119 of them have started businesses selling products such as clothing , mattresses , pillows , socks , slippers , and bread . But there are many more women who want to take part in this type of training , and CAIT ’ s goal is to meet that growing demand .
Looking ahead , CAIT intends to offer this training in more districts to more women , supplementing the courses with increased financial support and mentoring opportunities for graduates .
The importance of doing this work is clear . For women like Fakhriya , Zarnisso , and Lojvar — women who had nowhere else to turn in their time of need — ASPIRE has succeeded in transforming their lives . This groundbreaking program has provided hope and stability to their families , and it has bolstered the economy and living conditions of their entire communities . u
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