The Story of Ulubbek Anvarjanov

With support from EFCA, 16-year-old Ulugbek Anvarjanov has become an entrepreneur. After receiving training from Kosh Araket, a local NGO, he went on to sell more than $140 in his first six months in business to his friends and relatives. “My dream is to buy my own woodworking tools so I can do it all myself,” Ulugbek Anvarjanov says. “Then my business would be more profitable.”

Kosh Araket first trained 13 young people in the fundamentals of business. It then gave each of the trainees a small sum of money and enough equipment and materials to start their own businesses. Along with Ulugbek, the young people raised poultry, sewed national clothing and made traditional household items.

Most of the trainees netted more than $25 a month after starting their businesses, a decent start for young people in an area where most of their friends are forced to seek work abroad. Some of the participants also decided to pool their resources and start joint businesses.

This project is part of a youth development program EFCA is running in the Jalabad, Osh and Batken regions of southern Kyrgyzstan and in the Sogd region of Tajikistan, with funding from USAID and the Danish government. 

Other projects realized under this program focused on reducing bribes at public schools in Osh and developing partnerships between youth and local governments in northern Tajikistan to address causes of religious extremism.

Source:  EFCA, Supporting Youth Initiatives 05/22/2008