Ahead of the curve — Tajik women aim to keep their community safe from COVID-19
In March and April, much of the world was aware of COVID-19 but was not yet prepared to address it as a global pandemic that would shift everyday life. But “Zarrin,” the Social Union for the Development of Village Organizations (SUDVO), had already started sewing and distributing free masks in Khorog, Tajikistan.
“We knew that it would reach Tajikistan too, we were just not sure when,” said Tursunmo Khudododova, head of SUDVO Zarrin.
“We need to help, because the price for regular masks has increased to 5 TJS and the respirators are 80 TJS ($8), which many people cannot afford,” said Tursunmo. “We distributed the first round of 330 sewed masks to bank personnel, including the First-Micro Finance Bank, Amonatbon, and Oriyonbonk — staff here are working directly with people and their services are crucial during this difficult situation. Our second round included 411 beneficiaries who were senior people, vulnerable households, and shopkeepers,” she said.
SUDVO Zarrin was established in 2010 with the support of the Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP), a rural development project of the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF). SUDVO Zarrin is a public body that regulates the activities of around 150 community-based savings groups (CBSGs), and has roughly 3,580 members, 95% of whom are female. Members of these CBSGs had managed over the years to accumulate savings of $731,730 in the town of Khorog. Money for the production of these masks was thus mobilised from the CBSGs funds.
The masks produced by SUDVO Zarrin are made with the recommendations of the Aga Khan Health Service (AKHS) to meet the required protective standards. Six layers of a special cloth that allows air to pass through but also blocks particles is used in one mask to protect people from infecting others.
“Now we are aiming to mass produce masks and donate them to medical personnel, local shops, markets, and also to poor households,” said Tursunmo.
SUDVO Zarrin is not just supporting the immediate community; the group has also donated TJS 3,000 (roughly $300 USD) to the public organisation Nur in Moscow, Russia, to support Tajik migrants. The group also donated approximately TJS 12,000 to the regional government fund created for the COVID-19 response.
“Many of these migrants are our children, and they remain without jobs or any source of income during the lockdown period,” said Tursunmo. “I am attending all CBSG meetings these days to mobilise more funding support for Russian migrants.”
Even though Tajikistan did not declare any cases of COVID-19 in the country until April 30, people like Tursunmo took action early on to organise the community and help prevent its spread. “I pray for the health and well-being of everyone around the world and hope this global pandemic will end soon,” says Tursunmo.
Tursunmo and SUDVO Zarrin are not alone in mobilizing community support to address the pandemic in Tajikistan. Community interest groups are a key feature of AKF’s work and are heeding the call during this time. Having grown and scaled over years, many of the groups have reached out to AKF since the pandemic began to share their stories, offer donations, and ask for support as they stop regular operations to produce masks for essential workers, vulnerable members of society, and entire communities. Their dedication to community and the amount of personal time and money they have invested are no less than heroic.
