Oxfam in Tajikistan | Oxfam in Asia

Tajikistan remains the poorest country in Central Asia and among former Soviet states, with 40 percent of the population living below the poverty line.

Tajikistan is the poorest of the former Soviet Republics. Since 1991, Tajikistan has faced a variety of development challenges precipitated by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ensuing civil war from 1992 to 1997. Between 2000 and 2017, Tajikistan's GDP grew by more than 7 percent per year, and the percentage of people living in poverty was reduced from above 80 percent to below 30 percent. However, economic growth was not inclusive nor sustainable during that period. Job creation was slow and has failed to match the needs created by the fast-growing population.

Majority of people Oxfam in Tajikistan works with are smallholder farmers, predominantly women, due to high male migration.

Oxfam's work in Tajikistan

Oxfam started working in Tajikistan in 2001, providing humanitarian assistance in the Khatlon region. We worked to find solutions to extreme poverty, and the collapse of social security, public health care, sanitation, and education systems brought about by the civil war.

Over time, we shifted our work gradually towards development in line with the appeals made by the Tajikistan government. Today, we have expanded our reach to two regions — Khatlon and Sughd. In the past 17 years, we have assisted in improving the lives of over 500,000 Tajiks by providing livelihoods, distributing water, promoting sanitation, and making them resilient to disaster.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Oxfam's WASH program in Tajikistan provides piped safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene to communities. We work to improve governance of water and sanitation at both national and local levels, building demand for better sanitation and improved hygiene practices at household levels, and securing social accountability and financing for water and sanitation through innovative funding models.

Our bottom line is to increase Tajik people's quality of life. We facilitate Tajikistan Water Supply and Sanitation Network (TAJWSS) in partnership with the Tajikistan government to promote the role of water consumers and citizens in decision-making. We work with the private sector and local NGOs to understand the water needs of communities and deliver solutions that work for the local people on water management, sanitation marketing, and hygiene promotion to achieve scale, sustainability, and impact.

Economic Empowerment

Oxfam works to boost micro and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the agriculture sector in Tajikistan. We are guided by a 'step-up' strategy to empower small-scale food producers and low-income consumers.

Over the past few years, our work has led to three models of engagement that have been successfully tested, replicated and advocated:

Women's Economic Empowerment and Leadership - we support smallholder women farmers in upholding their rights as women and laborers in the agriculture industry.
Market System Development – we assist in improving sustainable market access for smallholder food producers
Enabling Environment - we build community-based organisations in order to work closely with communities

Our Economic Justice Programme is developed under the technical guidance of Khatlon's executive administration to establish an Agricultural Platform (AP) that enables Oxfam and the Khatlon government to collaborate in exploring strategies that boost productivity, manage natural resources, and improve value chains in the region's small-scale agriculture industry.

Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM)

Oxfam in Asia - Tajikistan - Disaster Risk Reduction Management

Oxfam works collaboratively with decision makers at regional & national levels and local administrative units in supporting communities that are economically and socially vulnerable to better respond and prepare for the impact of natural hazards.

Our Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) projects are developed and implemented with the Committee of Emergency and Civil defense (CoESCD) of the Republic of Tajikistan and targeted communities.

Analysing Distribution of Care Work in Communities

Oxfam in Tajikistan is the only organization in Central Asia that deploys ‘Rapid Care Analysis’ to collect data from communities and generate evidence on the distribution of care and domestic work between women and men. Our evidence-based initiatives with our partners recognise women’s contribution to Tajikistan’s economy and society.

Women Empowerment and Ending Violence Against Women and Girls

Oxfam in Asia - Tajikistan - Women Empowerment

We at Oxfam put ending violence against women in Tajikistan at the forefront of our development programmes. We support Tajik women to build their livelihood opportunities so that they can participate and contribute to the country's economy. We do so by improving their knowledge, capacity, and technical skills.

Advocating and Campaigning for Progressive Policies

Oxfam in Asia - Tajikistan - Policy Influencing

We create spaces for dialogue and collaboration to challenge the barriers to inclusive and sustainable development. We share our learning from programmes to influence the government and development sectors to adopt, replicate, expand, and generate necessary funding to deliver programmes that work at scale for the benefit of Tajik people.