Ashurakhon Obidova, Tajikistan "I am a poor widow, having lost my husband in the Tajik civil war"

Ashurakhon Obidova's story

"I live in the semi-rural Leninskii district outside the Tajik capital, Dushanbe. I am a poor widow, having lost my husband in the Tajik civil war. The war lasted five years. I have no source of income really. When my husband died, I had no money and got no compensation from the government.

"But last year when US Congressmen and women recently visited my community, myself and other women like me were asked what kind of help was most needed. We all responded: "It's our dream to own a cow!"

"My comments were not forgotten. Several months after the delegation returned to the US, I was told that some members of the group wrote cheques to provide cows to seven women under a credit programme run by CARE. My cow is called Natasha, she has changed my life, she is so useful. Now I sell milk, yoghurt and cheese. We are building a shed for her; someone will help me do this.

"The cow cost me 500 soms [US $180] and those chosen to partake in the scheme have 12 months to pay the money back. Although it's quite a financial commitment for women like me, there's a long waiting list, I'm told. All the women I know around here think the credit scheme to buy cows is excellent, because the package always includes a calf that can be kept on to generate more income or sold off when it is bigger.

"Natasha not only provides food and an income but also the dung is dried and burnt as fuel during the harsh winters. My daughter now goes to school. Before I had a cow, this was impossible. Some other people in the neighbourhood are jealous of me, but I tell them to try and get a cow of their own, or think of some other way of earning [money].

"Many, many women in Leninskii are alone, so this kind of support is really useful. Some are widows like me, many are married, but due to chronic unemployment here in Tajikistan many men leave to work in Russia and are not seen or heard from for months on end. My neighbour, Sharofat, has two daughters and a son to support. She hasn't heard from her husband since he left for the Ukraine three years ago. That's partly why we women decided to organise ourselves into income-generating groups like the Stakhanov Group."