High rates of labor migration in Zafarobod village of Tajikistan leave many families without their primary breadwinners; some men never return home and abandon their wives and children. Another issue faced by the community of Zafarobod village is access to meals for school children. 

"Each of us has children and grandchildren who go to school every day, and because they have many lessons, they don't have time to have breakfast or eat at home,” explained Markhabo Sohibnazarova, one of the members of the Khushnamo organization. Some students commute to school from a nearby village and don’t have the time or opportunity to go all the way home and eat lunch.

Single mothers and abandoned wives of labor migrants found a way to put bread on the table not only for their families but also to feed the school children in their district. A retired school teacher Machoizkhon Toirova, Markhabo, and several other women from the village started a community-based organization called Khushnamo. 

“Our group decided to create a mobile kitchen so children can drink tea and eat a snack during their break. We bring home what remains so that our children are not hungry," said Markhabo. 

This successful venture was made possible via training organized by the civil society organization Fidokor. Experienced trainers taught community members to identify the most pressing needs in their villages and develop project proposals. With this assistance, Khushnamo established training courses and opened a bakery. As a result, women in Zafarobod received culinary training and secured regular employment. This initiative also helped the school resolve the issue of providing meals to students. Khushnamo began serving reasonably priced meals and snacks to the school children. 

This local initiative, which expanded women’s access to social and economic resources, was supported through the USAID-funded Partnership for Innovations program. The bakery's training program provided women with three months of cooking courses. Khushnamo purchased and installed all the necessary equipment – brass ovens, mixers, and other cooking tools. They even purchased a traditional tandoor oven to bake Tajik bread.

Within the first month alone of business, villagers were positively impacted by Khushnamo’s work. At a fair held in the district, they showcased their products – cakes and pastries baked at their new culinary workshop. Soon the villagers also learned about this shop and started ordering cakes, traditional meat pies, and other products from the women for weddings and other family events.

According to Markhabo, Khushnamo appealed to the local education department and subsequently received an order to provide hot breakfasts at other schools nearby. "We did not lose our focus on schoolchildren. The children are already so used to our products and they no longer bring bread from home but get food from us at low prices," shared Markhabo.