Speeches Shim
The current situation with COVID-19 and the quarantine is challenging for everyone but it is especially difficult for our beneficiaries,” says Suhrob Idrissov who is a peer navigator for one of USAID’s HIV programs in Tajikistan that is funded by PEPFAR, and provides consultations and support to people with drug addictions, who are at risk of acquiring HIV, or already live with it.
USAID’s Kazakhstan Media Campaign Addresses Stigma Associated with Tuberculosis During COVID-19
When the Government of Kazakhstan declared a state of emergency on March 15, 2020 due to confirmed cases of COVID-19, many organizations, factories, and businesses suddenly had to suspend their operations. The fear of getting sick and possibly dying of COVID-19, as well as movement restrictions instituted by the government, has had a negative impact on other important public health programs.
Meet Pulot Ashurov, a horticulture producer and the leading exporter of fresh apricots from the Asht district of Tajikistan. Representing Apricot & Co., Pulot owns orchards located in the northernmost tip of Sughd Province of Tajikistan, bordering Uzbekistan. The fertile land, rich in vitamins and minerals, has been producing delicious apricots for decades. Tajikistan possesses a huge potential for fruit production due to ideal growing conditions in Asht and across the Ferghana Valley. Pulot, like many other traders in the country, faced challenges exporting small batches of dried apricots because he didn’t have the capacity or verifiable export quality standards to reach high-end export markets.
Jemal is a young woman from Ahal, the southern province of Turkmenistan. Born into a large, outgoing family, Jemal struggled to stand out. She was an average student and never found her place in the working world. When an acquaintance told Jemal about an opportunity for a high-paying job in Turkey with a nice family as a nanny, she thought this was her chance to do something special with her life. She jumped at the opportunity to learn and grow in a new, exciting environment.
In Tajikistan, the strength of the community is based on tradition. Traditions are what bind people together, creating shared experience and reminding everyone that they are part of something larger than themselves. Elderly men and women act as stewards of these traditions, ensuring that they are incorporated into everything, from weddings to ceremonies that celebrate the birth of a child. While these traditions are important to honor, bringing together thousands of people for Friday prayers at the mosque or hundreds of people for a traditional wedding amidst the COVID-19 pandemic can put individuals at increased risk of sickness and even death.
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