Remittances - a tool for development

Motoring through the small villages of the Bahor district, about 20 km south of the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, all seems well as spring gives way to early summer and local people tend their wheat fields, orchards and dairy herds. But there is an absence of men in the fields, and in the cafes around the district. Ask a dozen locals where they are and the answer is always the same: "North, in Russia earning money - this is the only way we survive." Labour migrants are a critical component in the economies of most Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) nations, created in December 1991 and comprising Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. Remittances keep many struggling families at home above the poverty line, and help to alleviate the stress caused by a lack of domestic job opportunities. An estimated 620,000 Tajik seasonal workers travel abroad each year, primarily to Russia but also to neighbouring Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, according to a recent International Organisation for Migration (IOM) report. Eight years after a bitterly fought civil war, Tajikistan remains blighted by problems, and despite a slight economic recovery recently, the country still has the lowest per capita income of all the former Soviet republics. Migrant workers are thus of key importance in this impoverished nation of 6.5 million. "According to official information received from the national bank, migrant remittance for 2004 was almost US $260 million. It is considered one of the main sources of livelihood, especially in rural areas, since there is no infrastructure there at all," Abdusattor Esoev, IOM national programme coordinator in Tajikistan, told IRIN. Unofficial estimates put the value of incoming remittances much higher. The average per capita income is below $10 per month, and about 86 percent of the population still cannot meet their basic needs. With an official unemployment rate of 46.7 percent, economic opportunities are sparse, which further encourages migration. IMPACT ON FAMILY LIFE Although the living standards of migrant workers' families have improved, the negative impact of extended periods of separation cannot be dismissed. Many women suddenly find themselves having to take on new responsibilities as the head of the household. It is a role they are not generally brought up to perform in this largely traditional, male-dominated society. With no child-care facilities available, the children of working mothers are often left on their own. While labour migration is primarily seasonal, there are instances where the migrant never returns. "I haven't seen my father in six years; I miss him," Sayora Bobieva, 24, a sweet-seller in Vakhdat, an impoverished town 20 km east of Dushanbe, told IRIN. Her neighbour across the road, Saida Pirova, 43, told IRIN her spouse had left and had not been seen since. "I miss my husband, but I have no choice but to accept this. I think he may have remarried - he doesn't send us any money," said the mother-of-five who sells apples to earn a meagre living. USING REMITTANCES FOR DEVELOPMENT IOM is expanding an initiative that was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to assist migrant households, local communities and partners in civil society. They aim to promote the investment of migrant remittances and use the capital for the development of continuing viable livelihoods for the families of migrant workers. In coordination with local development committees, the IOM also plans to provide participatory financing facilities for community initiatives, telecommunications infrastructure, and counselling services for those considering work overseas and their families. The Geneva-based organisation has opened a resource centre in Dushanbe, the first of its kind in Central Asia, providing would-be economic migrants with the information they need before travelling abroad. Pending funding, IOM also wants to work on the social reintegration of returning migrants. "The reintegration programme for migrants will be part of a greater IOM effort to integrate former combatants, amnestied detainees and IDPs [internally displaced persons], which first began in 2001," Esoev said. Other initiatives are being set up to reduce the dependency of rural Tajiks on the remittance economy. The HUMO Micro Lending Foundation, a newly-formed Tajik NGO, works with around 700 community-based organisations to support micro-enterprises with credit services. "HUMO provides one alternative for women who are too poor to start their own businesses - economic development of this kind in rural areas can mean men stay at home rather than becoming labour migrants," Lola Davlatshoeva of HUMO told IRIN. Mastura Asoeva set up a basket-weaving business in Bahor two years ago with loans from CARE's microcredit unit, the forerunner of HUMO. "Of course my husband is in Russia, but if the business continues to grow, well, maybe he can stay and work for me!" See IRIN's global overview: Remittances - money makes the world go round