Tajikistan

Eurasia Foundation first opened a representative office in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in 1996.

As part of its drive to establish partner foundations throughout the region, the Foundation set up Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia (EFCA) as an independent organization in 2006. As a part of EFCA, the Tajikistan office works locally to promote youth development, expand independent media and citizen journalism, reduce radicalization, encourage responsive local government, support private enterprise, sponsor economic growth, and engage citizens in civil society.

EFCA also runs cross-border programs to boost cooperation between NGOs in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Because border issues must be solved jointly, EFCA supports a project on border cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan to foster the development of small- and mid-sized business in southern Tajikistan and northern Afghanistan.

Programs

EFCA’s most active programs in Tajikistan include:

  • Reducing Youth Radicalization Program,which aims to reduce the threat of political and religious radicalization in five of the poorest districts of Tajikistan’s Sugd and Khatlon regions by giving NGOs the knowledge and tools to address the triggers of youth radicalization. This program is sponsored by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • Civil Society Poverty Reduction Program, which strengthens the capacity of local NGOs working with vulnerable groups in Khatlon and the Districts of Republican Subordination on poverty reduction issues, to address poverty among vulnerable groups in society. The program has distributed grants to eight local NGOs and created regular income for 195 people.
  • Economic Migrants: Tajikistan Migrants Language Study, which facilitates the creation of Russian language courses for labor migrants. The language courses will help more than 450 potential migrants to protect their rights, identify job opportunities, send remittances, learn skills required in the labor market, and obtain information about working and living standards in countries of destination.
  • Improving CSO Services for Vulnerable Groups, which promotes exercising fundamental democratic rights at a local, self-government level in 15 communities in Fayzabad, Nosiri Khisrav and Khuroson districts of Tajikistan. EFCA and partners work closely with local governments, local councils and civil society activists to provide training and consultation to community members to increase the number of citizens exercising their rights with regard to voting, standing and campaigning for council elections, accessing information, monitoring service delivery, budget development, and monitoring budget implementation.

    • Impact

    • As a result of the Civil Society Poverty Reduction Program, 135 new enterprises, including sewing workshops, a dairy processing center, and a shoe workshop were launched by the program’s beneficiaries helping nearly 200 disadvantaged families.
    • As a result of the Reducing Youth Radicalization Program, partnerships were formed with 6 NGOs working with youth and 30 youth representatives were selected and received training. These young leaders have established Youth Banks in their local areas that will provide an outlet for youth by giving those interested an opportunity to actively engage in the social life of their community.
    • As a result of the Improving Citizens’ Participation at Local Self-Government Level in Tajikistan Program, resource centers of “local governance” were created and started to work in each pilot region and provided consultation to over 2,000 local people about their rights. On average, the number of citizens’ appeals to the Prosecutor’s office in pilot regions reporting rights violations increased by 18 percent.