Osh, Kyrgyzstan (December 28, 2009) – “Adilet” Self-Help Group Association established a center for women entrepreneurship of in Kok-Bel village of Nookat rayon, Osh province.  The center has carpet weaving, wool carding and sewing shops as well as computer hall.  UNDP Poverty Reduction Programme allocated grant funds amounting to 152,000 KGS. This project was initiated a group of women from Kok-Bel village headed by Kalys Nurueva.

Previously, they were engaged with home-based sewing services.  Having organized a Self-Help Group Associations they decided to enlarge their business and asked for a grant support from the UNDP Poverty Reduction Programme.   They compiled their own funds amounting to 134,000 KGS and UNDP grant and purchased required equipment for the shops.  Their purchase of a wool carding machine was particularly important, since it will provide with good quality raw materials not only craftswomen of this center, but people of the whole village.  Previously, people were forced to have the wool carded in the neighboring village located in 15 km from the village.  Considering most of them are solely engaged in livestock due to severe climatic conditions, opening of wool-carding shop in the village is a great help for over 800 households.

Craftswomen of this village are famous for their carpet weaving skills from the ancient times.  Women-entrepreneurs intended to reveal this forgotten art, but the key problem was lack of the equipment on wool processing.  Now this problem is solved and the process of carpets making in Kok-Bel village will be mainstreamed. They already have the first orders for handmade carpets, which will be made of pure wool and, therefore, will be of high quality.

Another feature of this project is opening of a training center on carpet weaving. Lately, this kind of applied arts became popular in Nookat rayon of Osh province.  At present, it is the one of the main income generating activities for most of families in this rayon, and for people of Kok-Bel village in particular.

Thus opening of such a center in the village with high unemployment level is a great event.  For example, there are 12 jobs created in women’s center, families of whom will have a stable income.  At the same time, a range of other problems of Kok-Bel village will be solved, including lack of required domestic services.

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Kok-Bel village is located in 60 km from the rayon center of Nookat town and a central village of Kok-Bel aiyl okmotu.  The village population is 5687 people with 812 households.  The local population is mainly engaged with livestock.  Farming is poorly developed due to constraints in water resources, both for irrigation and drinking purposes.

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