Central Asia Institute began working in Tajikistan in 2012. Situated between the larger and more economically developed Central Asian republics to the north, Afghanistan to the south, and China to the east, Tajikistan is the second poorest country in the region next to Afghanistan.
In the remote and marginalized Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, where CAI focuses its efforts, students lack the resources they need to grow, thrive, and contribute to their country’s future. Many school buildings date back to the Soviet era and have fallen into disrepair. While enrollment and literacy rates are higher in Tajikistan than in neighboring Afghanistan and Pakistan, girls in particular face barriers to completing their education. Only 68% of girls progress to upper secondary school, compared to 86% of boys.
Economic hardship compounds these challenges. In Gorno-Badakhshan, more than half the population lives below the poverty line.10 Unemployment is nearly five times the national average.11 With limited local job opportunities, thousands of men migrate each year in search of work. Their absence can leave women in vulnerable positions. Women shoulder household responsibilities alone, often without income or support. This imbalance restricts their ability to engage in paid employment.12
CAI works to change this reality. Since 2019, our women’s entrepreneurship program has equipped more than 450 budding women entrepreneurs with financial literacy, technical skills training, and access to equipment and funding to start and sustain small businesses.
We also create safe, healthy learning environments so children can grow and thrive. To date, we have built 23 and renovated 8 schools for children from preschool through secondary school. In 2025, we provided 19 scholarships to help students, 12 of whom are women, continue their education at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
10 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Support local economy in selected mountainous regions. GIZ. https://www.giz.de/en/projects/support-local-economy-selected-mountainous-regions-0
11 Khodjimukhammad Umarov. (2022). Development specifics of GBAO: Help from the centre and the international community is needed. CABAR.asia. https://cabar.asia/en/development-specifics-of-gbao-help-from-the-center-and-the-international-community-is-needed
12 Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. (2012, September). Social and economic inclusion of women from migrant households in Tajikistan: Assessment report. Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/f/e/93637.pdf
