16 April 2021, Lakhsh district, Rasht Valley – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, and the Embassy of the Russian Federation to Tajikistan visited Rasht Valley in a joint mission to observe the work of UNDP projects funded by the Government of Russian Federation.

The projects are aimed at promoting livelihoods, empowering youth and women, building capacity for sustainable business ideas, and improving local economy through stimulating entrepreneurial and innovative mindset among the rural population.

Representatives of UNDP, MEDT, and the Russian Embassy in Tajikistan get insight of history of food production technology at a local museum in Rasht Valley during mission to observe the work of projects aimed at improving livelihoods

The delegation visited the youth educational and information center of Lakhsh district established to teach foreign languages, entrepreneurship and ICT skills to young people to improve service provision in tourism sphere. To date, 30 young people, including 13 girls, have completed two-month elementary English language courses and courses in tourism promotion and young guide training.

The delegation also met with representatives of youth mobile group providing agrarian service to dehkhan farms and individual farmers trained to use innovative methods of gardening and equipped with modern technology for the treatment of gardens and crops.

The partners then visited a wool processing workshop, equipped with machinery for full production cycle from carding to roll-drying, previously done manually. The capacity of equipment for processing 3.5 tons of wool per month, which significantly speeds the process and also helps the farmers make profit of the natural product that the farmers preciously used to dispose due to lack of processing capacity.

This year four mobile applications on innovative tools for farmers, provision of credit funds for vulnerable population on launching small economic projects, supporting local economic and income generation projects are planned within the Small Innovation Fund to further improve livelihood in Rasht Valley.

All the initiatives are implemented under UNDP "Strengthening communities in Khatlon region and Rasht valley" and “Youth for Business” projects funded by the Government of the Russian Federation.

For more details please contact:

Rukhshona Nazhmidinova, Communications Analyst, UNDP in Tajikistan. E-mail: rukhshona.nazhmidinova@undp.org Tel: +992 44 6005596, 6005597, 6005600, 6005601