CARE in Tajikistan

In 1992 CARE began working in the newly established Confederation of Independent States. In 2000, CARE established its office in Dushanbe, the capital city of Tajikistan and now has 200 staff members in the country.

In Tajikistan we:

distribute food
improve education by helping local organisations gain more influence over educational policy
raise awareness about violence against women
improve agriculture, for example by teaching farmers new techniques

Tajikistan is the poorest of the former Soviet Republic states. Following independence in 1991, Tajikistan faced a series of crises. Separation from the Soviet Union caused an immediate economic collapse. A civil war in 1992-93 resulted in significant loss of life and property and left close to 500,000 people homeless.

CARE in action:

Food
Even before the conflict in Afghanistan started CARE identified one million people who were in need of food aid to survive the winter. CARE Tajikistan now distributes food to close to 300,000 people and is working to increase food production in the long term by teaching farmers new farming techniques and building irrigation systems. Since the recent war in Afghanistan, CARE has also been supporting Afghan refugees in Tajikistan.

Protecting the environment
CARE is helping rural communities in Tajikistan to cope with climate change by changing the way they farm and use natural resources. This project teaches people alternatives to those traditional practices which are harmful to the environment.