Rural Women Step Forward: In Kyrgyz Republic, women take on roles in politics and business
Rural women have great potential as leaders and entrepreneurs. They also have the desire to lead. But they face many obstacles: few job opportunities, low levels of education, and lots of unpaid work. They are also often openly discouraged by their loved ones to pursue their dreams, pressured by traditional stereotypes.
In Europe and Central Asia, the status of rural women is considered among the most advanced in the world. But even there and even now, rural women face discrimination. In 2012, four UN agencies – UN Women, FAO, WFP, and IFAD – launched the “Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment” Project to boost women’s prosperity and leadership. Since then the project is operating in multiple countries. In the Kyrgyz Republic, RWEE targets vulnerable rural women and those living below the national poverty line of 2700 KGS, or roughly US $32 a month.
We spoke to four Kyrgyz women, who succeeded with help from RWEE. They talk about their experiences, opportunities, and challenges.
“Politics is not only for men”
Right after graduation, Tursunai Akmatova started working as a teacher in a rural school and never considered switching careers. That is, until 2014, when she learned about the RWEE project and decided to participate. Then, in 2017, Tursunai became a member of the local council kenesh.
“I was able to prove that politics is not only for men, that women can and should do it too,” Tursunai said.
While working for local kenesh, Tursunai has strived to contribute to her village, called Baizak. During the pandemic, she and other activists helped distribute food packages and personal protective equipment to families in need. Besides social work, she also supports women entrepreneurs — together with like-minded women, she founded an agricultural fund, which now includes 50 women.
“Over the years, I have been able to achieve a lot and am very grateful to those who always supported me, although I myself was hesitant at the start,” says Tursunai. “I believe that, thanks to this project, many women were able to awaken their ‘I’, they believed in themselves and started doing what they love.”
“We better understand what women and children are facing”
Back in 2015 Nuria Temirbek kyzy was a housewife in the village of Ak-Zhar and did not plan to work, let alone become engaged in business or politics. Two years later she became a deputy of the local kenesh and since then she has been supporting her fellow villagers.
Like Tursunai, Nuria got into a meeting with representatives of an international organization by a mere accident. And that meeting turned her life around: “My outlook on life has changed for the better. I started believing in myself and in 2016 put forward my candidacy for the post of member of the local council. I won the elections. I used to be sure that a woman should stay at home, raise children, take care of her husband. But it turned out that we are very strong, that we can do everything,” Nuria says.
One of Nuria’s main challenges — and her strength — is her gender: “At first, my husband was against my activities, because I was often not at home, but now he supports me. A woman member of the local parliament differs from a male counterpart in that we better understand the problems that women and children are facing every day, so we try to help solve them,” explains Nuria.
“I overcame my fear and started working”
Elmira Sazanova was one of those dreamers who always believed in success and strived to achieve her goals. She is a mother of four and the owner of a small sewing workshop overseeing the work of dozens of seamstresses. Though not so long ago all she dreamt about was having two professional sewing machines so she could to step up her home-production of dresses for neighbors and friends.
She found out about RWEE in 2014, and was told that that they could help me with starting a business. “To be honest,” she says, “I did not believe in this, but I decided to give it a try. I went to lots of trainings. In the end we prepared a project plan for a sewing workshop. And then one day, just like that, the sewing machines arrived. And there were so many! I was surprised and confused: what to do with so many sewing machines, where to get the workers? But I overcame my fear and started working,” recalls Elmira.
But even with the equipment it wasn’t easy to kick-start the business. First, Elmira had to look for people to sew and products to sell — many villagers could not afford to buy new clothes regularly. And then the pandemic hit, and her workshop started to sew masks. In her workshop Elmira hires even those without any experience. As she explains: “Almost every woman can be trained in sewing; the main thing is that she has a desire to learn and work.”
“I wanted to become a role model for my children”
Only a few years ago, 60-year-old Upnisa Madmarova pondered the simple idea of opening a sewing workshop. But at that moment the dream seemed impossible.
“I wanted to become a role model for my children,” explains Upnisa. At a turning point in her life, she decided to do everything in her power to bring her family out of poverty, and always move forward even if it was only one step at a time.
Upnisa joined RWEE and, together with other women from her village of Chek-Abad, she took a series of training sessions. With newfound confidence she entered a contest for best business proposal. Upnisa’s proposal for a small sewing workshop in her village was chosen as one of the best ones, bringing her a big step closer to longtime dream of opening a sewing factory.
But her goal was not simply to earn more money for herself and her family. She wanted to provide other vulnerable women from poor families with income opportunities. “I have offered jobs to 15 women in the workshop and more women even work for me long-distance. When I hear the laughter of our girls during working hours — for me this is success and my biggest victory.”
This story draws from stories previously published on UN in the Kyrgyz Republic. Editorial support by Paul VanDeCarr and Maria Podkopaeva, Development Coordination Office. For more information about the United Nations' work in Kyrgyz Republic, please visit: Kyrgyzstan.UN.org. To learn more about the results of our work in this area and beyond, please read the UNSDG Chair Report on DCO.