Women's groups in Tajikistan organize and celebrate "Watermelon Day"

Qumsangir District, July 21, 2015 - Save the Children International DFID funded Women’s Wealth and Influence (WW&I) Project organized the Watermelon Day for Women’s Groups in Qumsangir district, jamoat Panj, village Pakhtakor. The event was arranged in the framework of the project cross visits in order to create a platform for more successful and newly established groups to exchange experiences and share ideas. 

The women’s groups in Qumsangir districts, which is known for its rich watermelon harvest, came up with the idea for the day themselves. 54 women from 17 districts gathered to exchange experiences and share their knowledge in watermelon growing, its usefulness for the human body and opportunities for small business. 

At the beginning of the event Shamsihon Kholova, a group leader invited participants of the event to the land where she grows watermelon.  She shared her group’s experience in growing watermelons.  “I’m very proud of my group and myself that we initiated the arrangement of this event. The event let us to share own experience and learn others,” Shamsihon said. Another group member told about how she managed watermelon business and received 31,000 TJS income for the season. Qahor Hakimov, Agriculture & Livestock Technical Expert, ran sessions on the improvement of watermelon growing using advanced agricultural techniques. Safarmamadov Fakhriddin, Business Development Expert demonstrated how creating a small watermelon business could create opportunities for rural women to generate income. The technical experts are a new addition to the WW&I Project and help to support women’s involvement in business with consultations on business-plan development, accounting skills, taxation and other relevant issues.  

A Head of Women and Family Affairs Unit at the Local Government of Qumsangir District, Bakhtdavlatova Gulbahor was also invited and participated in the event.  “I would like to thank the project for its contribution to women empowerment in our district. Thanks to the project methodology there are many sewing workshops and other entrepreneurial activities established by our women. Now they can run their own small business and solve own problems independently. How it is said - the Leading Power of the Society is a Woman,” she stated. Another women’s group member from Rudaki district said: “I’m so thankful to WW&I Project for arrangement of this cross visit, it was very useful for me and I learnt a lot from Qumsangir women how to plant seedlings properly to get rich harvest.”

 At the end of the event women shared experience on the growing not only watermelon but also cucumber, pumpkin, tomato, and onion in their lands and contributed to the presentations of SC specialists. 

DFID funded Women’s Wealth and Influence (WW&I) Project launched in 2012 in Tajikistan with the purpose of increasing the wealth and influence of 65000 rural women. More than 4200 women’s groups were established and provided with the methods to gather and pool their savings, allowing them to undertake community and income generating activities. The main activity of the project was to enable women to make decisions and increase their active participation in their households and communities.