Today, the unemployment rate in the country is higher among women than among men. According to the Social Technology Agency (AST), the difference reaches up to 20%, and employed women earn, on average, 36.4% less. Moreover, this gap is growing annually, despite the existing law on gender equality.
This forces women, especially those in rural areas, to seek new ways of earning income to support their families. A good example of such an initiative by women is the establishment by the residents of the village of Bokonbaev in the Ton district of the Issyk-Kul region of the Territorial Public Self-Governance of the Kun-Chygysh ayil okrug, with the support of the international organization WECF (Women in Europe for a Common Future). WECF provided training for rural women on processing milk and fruits and creating guesthouses as part of the international program “Empowering Women – A Benefit for All!” This four-year program targets six countries (Afghanistan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, South Africa, Tajikistan, Uganda). The program is implemented in Kyrgyzstan by local NGOs “Alga”, the Social Technology Agency, CAAWS, the Kyrgyz Alliance for Water and Sanitation, and “Mehr-Shavkat” in partnership with the international organization WECF.
The Kun-Chygysh ayil okrug consists of 9 villages in the Issyk-Kul region. These are Ak-Olon, Bokonbaev, Dolon, Ak-Oston, Kabak, Chyrak, Taldy Bulak, Ton, and Munduz. There are 12,740 rural residents, of whom 6,438 are women. According to the coordinator of CAAWS (Kyrgyz Alliance for Water and Sanitation) Ainura Kulnazarova, the main sources of income and sectors of activity for the population are livestock breeding – 50%, agriculture – 25%, and the service sector – 25%. This means that livestock breeders are mainly men, while women assist their husbands (milking cows, processing the milk into sour cream, cottage cheese, kurut, and kaymak), work more in the garden and vegetable patch with their children, and prepare supplies for winter, engaging in the sale of their agricultural products. In reality, the share of women’s labor participation in agricultural production far exceeds that of men.
At the resource center of the Public Self-Governance “Manzhyly Bokonbaev” in the Issyk-Kul region, deputy Erkingul Imankozhoeva met with women members of the Public Self-Governance to identify the problems faced by female entrepreneurs in their activities. The Public Self-Governance has already celebrated its 12th anniversary and during this time managed to create interest groups. There are groups of singers and musicians, groups of handicraftsmen, a group for dairy processing, a group for processing fruits and vegetables, and a group for eco-tourism. Naturally, over such a respectable period of existence, the members of the Public Self-Governance have accumulated significant experience in solving the problems of rural women.
As it turned out, each group of the Public Self-Governance has its own “unofficial” leaders. For example, Cholpon Choytonbaeva is responsible for dairy production, Maiрам Eshbaeva for fruit collection and processing, Jyldyz Asanakunova for the handicraft sector, and so on. Today, these activists came to be heard by the deputy regarding their aspirations. Maiрам Eshieva earned 40,000 soms from the processing and sale of dairy products last year, half of which was the cost of raw materials and her labor, while the other half was pure profit! A decent addition to the family budget!
Cholpon Osmonova received an income of 75,000 soms, of which 30,000 soms were her own expenses. However, 40,000 went to the family.
But everyone is talking not about their own successes, but about common problems!
It is very difficult to find safe milk, as Kyrgyzstan has a complicated epizootic situation. In addition to many sick cows in the villages, some responsible individuals abuse their position: for a certain fee from the animal owners, they issue a certificate confirming that the livestock has no diseases. “We rely on the veterinary clinic’s certificate when buying milk, but we constantly fear brucellosis,” says Cholpon Choytonbaeva.
Furthermore, the conditions for storing dairy products in the homes of rural women do not meet the standards: the dishes are treated in unknown ways, and there are not enough refrigerators. Therefore, the sanitary and epidemiological service does not grant members of the Public Self-Governance the permission required to obtain a quality certificate. And without this, not a single local store accepts products from the Public Self-Governance for sale.
According to the women, they have adapted to buying milk only from the same clients, selling it by visiting their regular customers at home, while producing only in small batches. And yet their skills allow them to even open a mini-dairy processing workshop under the Public Self-Governance, as they have learned even how to prepare biolact! But besides the aforementioned problems, they lack special equipment, and they cannot afford to buy it themselves: only a potential donor could provide the 8,000-10,000 dollars needed!
Women prepare wonderful jams, preserves from currants, apricots, and raspberries, sugar-free jams, and compotes from apricots and cherries, as well as currant and apple juices. Delicious, but again, there are problems with selling the products. There is no packaging, no lids. Additionally, foreign buyers – tourists in season – ask for goods in small packaging with screw caps. In Kyrgyzstan, glass jars of 0.5 liters are produced, while foreigners request 0.25 liters! So far, JICA has provided the entrepreneurs with such jars, and guesthouses bought products in bulk (400 jars), but what about the future? Also, the women cannot obtain a license.
At the organic products exhibition that took place in Bishkek last November, entrepreneurs raised the issue of obtaining at least some local license, especially since the Public Self-Governance “Manzhyly Bokonbaev” is part of the network of organic ayimaks in the Issyk-Kul region.
As they said, they produce their products in minimal volumes, and rural women find it difficult to meet all the requirements applicable to large-scale production. “Maybe there are some ways to solve our problems?” the women turned to the deputy.
There are also problems for the artisans. It is difficult to obtain dyes, there are no wool carding and felting machines, and much manual labor is required; they lack design knowledge, which is why they mainly produce handicraft products. But foreign buyers seek products of a completely different quality. Rural women also need to learn about marketing. Therefore, sales are slow, though stable. However, they cannot expand production.
In recent years, members of the Public Self-Governance have considered developing a network of eco-friendly guesthouses. Among them, the experience of mother-heroine Doooltkul Alieva deserves attention. It is difficult for her to raise eight children solely on her husband’s earnings, especially since their 15-year-old daughter Djipara has suffered from cerebral palsy since birth! The mother is almost “tied” to her daughter, who spends all day in a wheelchair. Therefore, the couple decided to open their home to tourists during the tourist season, facilitated by the official recognition of the village of Bokonbaev as a regional center for eco-tourism on the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul.
“Usually, tourists stay here for only one day, for one night. But we want them to stay longer and will try to entice them to visit the attractions and picturesque places in our area,” says Doooltkul-ezhe.
In short, the women talked a lot about how, despite their household burdens, they can also engage in income-generating activities. Overcoming poverty and strengthening the potential of local self-governance in the Kun-Chygysh Aiyl Okrug is an important task. But to do this, the “insurmountable” problems faced by the entrepreneurial subjects must be solved. Otherwise, there will be no movement forward!
