A Mother, A Teacher, A Trailblazer
Raising the Status of Water Issues and Women in Turkmenistan
“In many cases, women here are homemakers,” says Lyale Orazova, talking about her homeland, Turkmenistan. “Since a woman gives birth to her children, she is responsible for teaching them the ways of our people. It’s the women who teach children that water is special, that it must be valued, and that they need to take care of it. My mother taught me that and I am teaching it to my daughter,” she says.
Lyale is an expert in the processing and cleaning of industrial drainage water and the Head of the Mary branch of the Union of Women of Turkmenistan, which promotes the role of women in social, political and cultural life. Lyale was also elected a member of the recently established Small Basin Council for the Murgab River, as part of USAID’s Smart Waters project.
The Small Basin Council is the first platform in the country that enables representatives from different agencies, ministries and community members like farmers and business people to discuss water management issues together. The aim of the Small Basin Council is to foster collaboration to find the best solutions to water-related problems.
