Tajikistan

Bordered by China, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan is the poorest of the former Soviet republics. In 2007, it marked ten years since the end of its five-year civil war. As it moves out of the post-conflict period, it is now focusing on long-term development.

VSO opened its new Tajikistan programme in October 2007, with volunteers initially working in the areas of health and secure livelihoods.

Health

Due to migration during and after the civil war, Tajikistan has a serious shortage of trained and experienced health professionals. Absence of health services and social services at community level leads to poor standards of living and high maternal and child mortality rates, especially in rural areas.

In the health sector, VSO’s main aim in Tajikistan is to improve access of vulnerable groups to adequate medical and social services – including specialised services targeting people with disabilities. VSO volunteers, such as nurses and preventative health specialists, will support healthcare providers to develop new services, including health awareness programmes that focus on prevention and hygiene. Families will be encouraged to be proactive in their own health management and volunteer health workers will be trained in community outreach work.

Children with disabilities are among the most vulnerable people in Tajikistan. Many live in under-resourced institutions run by poorly paid staff who lack the skills to adequately attend to the children’s needs. VSO therapists will share skills with local staff, enabling them to provide better quality care for the children. They will also support staff to develop new services such as physiotherapy and hydrotherapy.

As well as supporting local partners to deliver better services for people with disabilities, VSO will assist them in raising awareness in the community in order to promote disabled people’s rights and reduce stigma.

Secure livelihoods

More than 64 per cent of Tajikistan’s population lives below the poverty line; a percentage that is concentrated in rural areas. The few existing job opportunities are generally limited to agriculture. Cotton is the most important crop, but profitability is low and competition from China has had a negative effect on farmers. Degradation of natural resources – evidenced by soil erosion, water salination and deforestation – is also a growing concern as the scarceness of arable land combines with a steadily growing population.

Volunteers with agricultural and management skills will work mainly with non-governmental organisations to support local communities to use their natural resources in a more sustainable way. This will include encouraging the adoption of alternative sources of energy such as wind, solar power and biogas. In cotton-growing areas, volunteers with expertise in enterprise development will help farmers to develop business ideas for alternative income and access small loans to fund these.