Women's Wealth and Influence Project held its Project End Meeting

Save the Children’s Women’s Wealth and Influence (WWI) Project funded by Department for International Development (DFID) held its Project End Meeting on April 20, 2016 at the National Library, Dushanbe.

The meeting showcased 4 years of learning and achievements of the Project working with rural women of Tajikistan. In attendance were representatives of the Committee for Women and Family Affairs, Ministry of Labour and other partners at national and community levels. During the event, participants heard about results and experience from the project, and discussed progress and priority next steps for increasing women’s agency and economic empowerment. Around 100 attendees participated, including Mr. Hugh Philpott, UK Ambassador to Tajikistan, key government officials such as Ms. Qosimzoda Idigul Tagho the head of Committee for Women and Family Affairs of RT (CWFA), Ms. Ma’rifat Shokirova the Head of international cooperation department of the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of RT, Save the Children staff, representatives of local government and women’s groups from targeted districts and civil society organizations.

The Ambassador Hugh Philpott emphasized that efforts made toward women’s empowerment, improvement of their access to working places, assets, land and natural resources should be continued. The Head of Committee for Women and Family Affairs of Tajikistan suggested to replicate this approach and expand the practice in order to cover more rural women of Tajikistan.

The event also featured a panel discussion moderated by Murodova Zuhro, WW&I Project Manager and Safargul Bukhorieva from CWFA.  The panelists discussed the project and its influence to overall livelihoods of communities, highlighted efforts of rural women towards development of entrepreneurial activities, agriculture, establishing work places, access of girls and young women to vocational and high school education, improvement of local infrastructure, and also cooperation with local government, INGO, UN Agencies for improvement of economic wellbeing.

In the frame of continued support of the Government of Tajikistan and DFID Women’s Wealth and Influence Project has been implemented across 17 districts in Tajikistan (14 districts of Khatlon region and 3 Districts of Republican Subordination) since 2012. The overall goal of the project was to improve rural women’s wealth and influence, strengthen women’s groups and create better access to services and technical information.