From Ministry Officials to Farmers — IATP Tajikistan Brings ICT to All

After more than nine years of working to close the digital divide and promote civil society, IATP Tajikistan will close its doors on December 10. IREX’s USAID/ECA-funded IATP program has provided free internet access and technical training to more than 15,000 local residents in the last two years alone, forming close partnerships at all levels of society—from Tajik Ministries all the way down to rural farmers.

In IATP’s e-Government project trained more than 250 ministry officials in ICT skills necessary to make full use of their modern office equipment, improve bureaucratic efficiency, and streamline services for Tajikistan’s citizens. Migration Service Senior Lieutenant Istat Shomirzoeva recalls before she learned to use her computer it took her at least an hour to prepare a simple letter. Now it only takes her 20 minutes using word processing software. Her colleague Sergeant Ismoil Zokirov also explained that the office can now process documents required for passports much more efficiently and provide more timely feedback to their citizens via e-mail.

IATP also assisted organizations in developing electronic databases to improve their services for the public. A notable example is the International Organization for Migration, who worked with IATP to develop an e-database for shelter workers designed to document reports of human trafficking they receive from the public. The national database collects, stores, and cross-references information on both victims and alleged perpetrators of trafficking.

Over the years, however, IATP in Tajikistan learned that more than just white collar workers were interested in ICT training. Rustan Nasritdinov, a businessman and head of the agricultural NGO Lola Farming, has partnered with IATP for the past several years to streamline his own organization and provide more than 145 rural farmers with mobile training programs on how to use computers and the internet. Now, farmers research questions on the use of imported feed additives and treatments for common livestock diseases on the internet at their local IATP centers. Other graduates of the training conduct online market research to price their produce competitively and stay abreast of the latest developments in their field. Nasritdinov explains, “Earlier, most of the farmers in my region conducted business in the traditional way—buying and selling crops at the local market. Now, many of them do it online.” Some farmers have even established clients and partners abroad, selling and shipping to foreign markets.

Although IATP in Tajikistan will close its doors in December, the centers will live on and continue to serve their communities as Independent Internet Centers (IICs). IATP partners will sustain the mission of bringing internet access and IT skills to more individuals in Tajikistan, where still less than five percent of the population uses the internet. Upon graduation, Tajikistan will have a total of six IICs in cities and regions across the country: Kulyab, at a branch of the Technological University; Khujand, at the Pulatov Private School; Kanibadam, at the headquarters of the local NGO Civil Bridges; Dushanbe, at the Science Academy Library; Garm, at the NGO Rasht; and Khorog, at Khorog State University. Director of the Science Academy Library and soon-to-be head of the Dushanbe IIC Alla Aslitdinova remains deeply committed to the program, “The IATP program made a considerable impact on a wide range of individuals in Tajikistan by providing opportunities for all levels of human development—from as lofty as broadening an individual’s worldview, to as concrete as helping them find a job. Our goal is to help these centers continue to do just as well in the future.”

IATP activity begins in Tajikistan: 1999
Centers offering free services: Dushanbe, Garm, Khorog, Kulyab, Khujand, Kanibadam
# users (since June 2007): 12,127
# trained (since June 2007): 3,465
# of visits to IATP centers (since June 2007): 82,693
# of training sessions (since June 2007): 624

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