Traditional Sweets and Dairies: Women as Microentrepreneurs

Final Report - English language translation received by the Virtual Foundation (e-mail from ISAR-Central Asia office in Kazakhstan) January 17, 2002

The Women's Center "Dilbarim" of Tashkent Region worked on this project, financed through the Virtual Foundation and supervised by ISAR-Central Asia, from June 1- October 1, 2001. According to the plan of the project, 60 women (15 from each of the four districts of Tashkent Region (Yangiyul, Kuyichirchic, Chinaz and Zangiota) were taught during these four months.

We ran our sessions in both the Uzbek and Russian languages.

We held the monthly seminars and practical training in each district on the following topics:

We explained the basics of small business organization, and provided all participants with supporting materials. These materials are written for beginning entrepreneurs and everybody could use them. They include practical information about how to organize and to develop one's own enterprise, how to apply for loans, how to write a business plan for receiving the loans, about taxation and tax breaks for small and medium businesses. During the "technology" parts of the training sessions, we demonstrated and explained the production and processing technologies to the participants, who then had opportunities to learn these methods through practice and their own efforts.

By carrying out this project to encourage women to succeed in running their own businesses, our Women's Center has become involved in adult education programs which increase opportunities for these groups of women who were not involved in the formal education system.

To run the training sessions, representatives of Dilbarim Women's Center worked in close cooperation with the leaders from the local Women's Committees in each of the four districts. These leaders also learned about organizing small businesses, and how to present this information to others. These local leaders are now organizing business consultations at Women's Centers in their districts. Also, seventy-five people received information and consultation at the Women's Center office of Tashkent Region during the period of the this project.

We completed the project within the original budget. All the vouchers and our financial report are on file at the ISAR-Central Asia office in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

We thank the donors, the American students at the Model United Nations Conference at Hamilton Conference last year [December 2000 - ed.] for making our project possible. It would not have happened without their support.