Sitora’s Story
Sitora Majnunova, 41, lives with her brother and daughter in the Roshkala district in Tajikistan’s marginalized Gorno Badakhshan region. Following the death of her husband a few years back, Sitora was at an all-time low. Although she had a passion for sewing, she lost interest in life. She explains, “I had stress and was sick after my husband’s death and nobody could encourage me.”
But all that changed when she decided to attend a CAI-supported training on financial literacy organized by CAI-Tajikistan. Sitora remarked, “It was transformative. The pieces finally came together, and the group of women were so supportive and nurturing.”
“I’m so amazed that my attitude towards life could be changed in such a short period, and allow me to start a business, make a profit. The training motivated me to improve my life and my daughter’s. With the knowledge I gained, I prepared a family budget plan including sources of regular and non-regular income, expenses, and how to save.”
Now Sitora has converted her passion into a business creating traditional Tajik garments including woolen carpets for wedding ceremonies, skull-caps for girls, and woolen socks.
The training provided the launching pad for Sitora’s business to take off, and she hasn’t
slowed down since. She has continued to evaluate her business, study the market for her goods, and develop new and creative ideas.
“I am thinking of new business ideas and doing research on product demand in the market.”
