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Tailoring a future in Kyrgyzstan

The British Red Cross supports a programme helping vulnerable women turn their lives around by teaching them how to sew for a living.

The programme is co-funded by the European Commission.

A woman admires her mother's new outfit

Around 200 women have taken part in training at the Osh rehabilitation centre for vulnerable women, run by the Kyrgyzstan Red Crescent. Opened in June 2007, the project recruits women who need extra support, like internal migrants and those with low incomes or several children.

"Our courses are very popular,” says Asylkan Abdyrakhmanova, who teaches sewing at the centre. “We provide our trainees with skills that are in demand today."

Valuable skills

She continued: “They also learn about first aid, women’s and family health issues, human rights, as well as business skills like writing a CV, interviewing and legal aspects of being in business. After taking our courses, the women are not only able to sew quality clothing but they also know how to start a business.”

Two similar centres are run in Bishkek and Jalal-Abad. In Bishkek women can also take advantage of free computer training.

The Kyrgyzstan Red Crescent project will train 1,600 women by June 2009. The European Commission funds 72 per cent of the project's cost.

A woman sewingWhen 18-year-old Saera Orunbayeva’s father died five years ago, the future looked bleak for her family. Now she can support them all.

Read Saera's story

A woman proudly wears the dress she madeTajikhan and Ainura are preparing for their final exams. They both feel the project has given them pride and a better future.

Read Tajikhan and Ainura's story

A woman sewingThanks to the training, Shairgul Mamatova can now create stunning tapestries, some of which decorate the European Development Bank in Bishkek.

Read Shairgul's story

EU flagThis project is primarily funded by the European Union.
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