IATP News

Turkmenistan’s Small Businesses Modernize, Increasing Profits and Salaries

When the CEO of Melhem, a firm specializing in the shipment of building materials, decided to send his employees to ICT training, he had no idea how quickly it could improve their overall efficiency or that it would quadruple company sales.

In June of this year, Melhem employees attended ICT training at the IATP center in Turkmenabat, Turkmenistan. The employees learned basic computer and internet skills and achieved proficiency in various MS Office applications. Throughout the process, participants focused on how to apply their ICT skills in their jobs and realized how much it could improve business operations. Not long after the training, the company invested in three computers and connected them all to the internet.

Now the company keeps track of their clients through e-databases and finds and maintains new contacts online. Thanks to the modernized system, the company estimates it has improved its efficiency by almost 70 percent. The majority of employees’ time is now spent developing the company, which suits workers well, as their salaries are based on a percentage of the company’s profits. Melhem accountant Margarita Hemraeva explains, “Before learning IT skills, we spent most of our time doing paperwork and did not have as much time to seek out new clients. Our new IT skills are allowing us to spend our efforts in achieving our real goals—to expand our customer base and increase profits.”

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

ICT Knowledge Results in Professional Development for Two Young Moldovan Women

In less than a year, two young women in Moldova have jump-started their careers thanks to the ICT training they received at the Comrat IATP Center.

Natalia Doicu is the most recent IATP graduate to successfully land a job thanks to her new ICT skills. A 21-year-old graduate of ICT training in Comrat, Moldova, she secured a job as office manager at the NGO Public Movement of Women with Large Families and Women Entrepreneurs of Gagauzia.  Over ten applicants competed for the position of office manager, all of whom demonstrated good ICT skills. What gave Doicu the advantage, was her strong skills in Web design acquired from IATP training in Comrat.  The NGO recognized that they needed to do broader outreach work online and Doicu, they decided, was perfect for the job.

One of Doicu’s first tasks was to use her ICT skills to take information about the NGO’s mission from their website (http://msfmmci.md.iatp.net/) and develop a wiki page using the information. She then made the text on the Wiki page available in three languages: English, Romanian, and Russian (http://msfmmci.wikidot.com/).  This enabled the NGO to reach out not just to local partners, but also foreign partners and donors. Soon after Doicu was hired, the NGO was awarded a grant funded by the government of Japan and the UN Trust Fund for Human Security for a project that targets women vulnerable to human trafficking and domestic violence in the region of Gagauzia.

Doicu is the second young woman in the last year to find a job in her hometown thanks to skills she received at the local IATP center. Eighteen-year-old Xenia Terzi, a finalist of the Tech Age Girls project (TAG), was the first. It has been almost a year now since Terzi was offered the well-paying job at a salon in Comrat.  She continues to work as an expert hairstylist and manicurist using specialized software and a Web camera to provide her clients with options for hairstyles based on their face structure, hair length, and complexion.  With Terzi’s help, the salon became a popular and respected location in Comrat.  Terzi commented, "My success is directly connected to IATP."

TAG is a program implemented in Comrat designed to equip Moldovan girls from disadvantaged families and rural areas with technology skills, helping them secure a brighter future in Moldova. Quality employment reduces their risk of becoming victims of human trafficking.  Over 100 young women in Moldova have learned ICT skills for their educational and professional development through TAG.

TAG Finalists Carry Out Social Project to Prevent Family Violence

Assisted by IATP, a group of young women in Comrat, Moldova, united their efforts in the struggle against family violence, and raised awareness about this problem among local residents to receive their support. Student and Tech Age Girls (TAG) project finalist Tatiana Turcan initiated an anti-violence project after learning the results of an anonymous survey, which she and her friends conducted in the region from December 2008 through February 2009.

The TAG project is an IREX-founded initiative that aims to address challenges facing young women in a number of countries. TAG in Moldova works with young women designated by local civil services as being at-risk of being trafficked as they consider seeking better lives in Europe and Russia. Since March 2007, TAG has reached nearly 115 young women in Chisinau, Balti, Ungheni, Comrat, Căuşeni, Soroca and Tiraspol, providing in-depth ICT skills and leadership training. Participants learned everything from computer basics to Web design, database creation, and blogging. Four nationwide online discussions introduced the participants to prominent female role models in Moldova. Their newfound skills and confidence are applied in initiating social projects for their communities, and help them find gainful employment close to home, family, and security.

The survey revealed that the main causes of family violence in Moldova are poverty, heavy drinking, divorce, and when children are left behind with relatives while parents seek work abroad. To present their findings to the public, the students created an MS PowerPoint presentation on family violence, which they presented at a conference attended by all of the schools in Gagauzia. Turcan and her peers also distributed pamphlets on the problem among conference attendees. The pamphlets encourage youth to use anonymous hotlines to seek help in facing domestic violence problems.

In order to further develop the project, reach wider readers, and, possibly, to generate more volunteers for anti-violence activities, the group decided to publish information about their work on their wiki page created in the IATP center. As a result of their outreach efforts, the young women received anonymous messages about at-risk families. In response, the TAG finalist and her friends disseminated materials and information on obtaining psychological help to the families.

Other TAG finalists are having success in their social projects and employment searches as well. Nina Ivanova trained ten girls from her community on the same topics as she studied herself, and also assisted trainers of the ICT4Librarians project in Chisinau from March to May 2009. Xenia Terzi landed a well-paid job in at the Classic Salon in Comrat, and uses her ICT skills to create promotional materials for the salon and to show her clients the expected results of various hair and skin treatments. Other young women, currently finishing school, are planning their projects for the summer months.

Tatiana Turcan described the attitude and approach to service of TAG finalists. “The most important thing is to be stay active, not to be silent, and not to become helpless.”

Woman with Disabilities from Tajikistan Uses ICT to Improve Her Life

A woman suffering from paraplegia Sitora Kurbanova credits staff from IATP’s Independent Internet Center (IIC) in Kanibadam, Tajikistan, for teaching her the ICT skills that brought positive change to her life. Kurbanova is one of thousands of disabled citizens in Eurasia who have grown personally and professionally thanks to information communication technology. Once lacking a career in Kandibadam, where economic conditions are poor, Kurbanova now leads a more fulfilling life today in Russia, working as an internet-based sales manager, teaching the children of Tajik migrant workers to use computers, and supporting her extended family in Tajikistan.

In November 2003, Kurbanova completed IATP’s step-by-step training, and a few months later, developed her own website, as well as a resource on the 80th anniversary of Dushanbe. Her ICT skills brought Kurbanova to the People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan, where she landed a job as an administrative secretary in June 2004.

While a student at the Kanibadam Pedagogical College, Kurbanova applied for Russian distance learning courses. In January 2006, she was admitted to the psychology department of an accredited Russian online institute. Upon graduation from the institute, Kurbanova worked as a trainer at the NGO Civil Bridges – IATP’s partner in Kandibadam – and taught computer literacy to children with physical and mental disabilities.

Now Sitora Kurbanova and her family live in St. Petersburg, Russia, for half of the year, where she found a position as a sales manager at an engineering company. Kurbanova also makes a living by teaching computer literacy to children of Tajik labor migrants using her home computer. Kurbanova recently contacted IATP staff to report on her transition to Russia, “I am very thankful to the NGO Civil Bridges and to IATP, which provided me with the opportunity to learn information technologies. Without ICT skills, it would have been difficult for me to achieve anything in my life.”

Comrat NGO Communicates More Effectively with ICT

IATP trainee Andrei Borshevski launched a website for the NGO Equality in April 2009. Equality, located in Comrat, Moldova, seeks to defend women’s legal rights, particularly those of young women, promote greater female representation in government, increase women’s access to education, and combat female human trafficking. Borshevski learned about IATP in 2000 from his friends. Together, they attended IATP training sessions for over three years. Although he had no prior ICT experience before visiting IATP, his work in Web design and Adobe Photoshop helped him become a capable website creator.

Despite their attempts to meet the many needs of local women, Equality staff had difficulty publicizing specific services to target groups in a clear manner. They knew the internet could help them reach these groups, but their original website had problems with unwanted commercial advertising, pop-up windows, and reliability. With Equality’s new, easy-to-use website, however, individuals and groups can find relevant information pertaining to their issues and concerns. They can also contact Equality’s staff and board of directors, whether seeking direct help or partnership opportunities. Borshevski’s IATP-taught skills thus opened up new avenues of communication among the NGO’s clients and partners. Borshevski noted, “As a volunteer at this NGO, I had the chance to develop this site, but it would have been impossible without all the skills and knowledge that I obtained during the courses I took at IATP. When I first came to IATP, I didn’t know anything about working with the computer.”

Borshevski one of several Moldovan citizens who have developed new technical skills and created locally-focused online resources with IATP’s assistance. Today, the IATP server in Moldova hosts 118 websites. Nine of these were created during the last three months.

Young People Improve Academic Performance and Public Activism Skills

State University of Moldova students Elena Balatel, Olesea Miriuta, and Zinaida Covalji are now better students and more active public citizens. They told IATP that these new successes resulted from the training and services offered by the Chisinau IATP center.

Balatel and Miriuta used their new skills to participate in a grant proposal competition conducted by the International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF) Moldova – but they did more than participate. These young women won a grant to support creation of a youth newspaper called "Megaphone." Another training, jointly organized by IATP and the International Republican Institute (IRI), equipped them with the necessary knowledge to become politically active.

The two young women are members of Moldova’s Liberal Party and used the IATP training opportunities to learn about creating a political organization, registering it, and conveying ideas to a public audience. Balatel commented, "Participating in this program is still showing us the way to new opportunities. At present, in addition to this [political activity] and our social life, we are working towards degrees in plant and animal physiology using the resources of the IATP center."

Foreign languages student Zinaida Covalji organized a week of language training sessions using resources and equipment from IATP to teach her skills to others. Language skills are an important need for young Moldovans, many of whom seek to market their skills outside the small domestic market.

Nearly 1,300 visits were logged at the center in February alone, including nearly 50 new users.

ICT Key to Turkmenistan Woman’s New Job

Turkmenabat, Turkmenistan, resident Yulia Rashitova was, until recently, unemployed. Now, however, she has started her professional career with an international resources surveying company thanks to the ICT training she received at IATP.

After graduating high school, Rashitova briefly earned a living as a waitress but hoped for a more skilled position. She left the restaurant in pursuit of educational opportunity, and in May 2008, began intensive training at the IATP Center in Turkmenabat. Her coursework included computing, internet searching, and graphic editing. She attended the IATP-sponsored seminar on job searching and resume writing, and continually visited the center to practice her new skills.

By November, Rashitova was applying for positions that required computer competency. After a series of interviews she was offered an administrative assistant position, beginning work in February 2009. After settling into her new job, Yulia remarked, “It was not easy to achieve my career goals without a degree or professional experience, but IATP helped me with essential ICT skills valuable for any office work. My trump cards during the interview were strong computer and internet usage skills, as the lion’s share of my future work would consist of online research and networking. So I was hired thanks to the advanced ICT skills I gained with IATP assistance. This is a new stage of my life and my career development.”

Yulia Rashitova is one of 36 unemployed citizens trained at the IATP center in Turkmenabat since 2008.

IATP Users in Azerbaijan Receive Jobs at National Mobile Phone Company

Two young women in Shirvan were hired at the one of Azerbaijan’s national mobile phone companies Narmobile (http://narmobile.az/) as a result of IATP training.  Before they came to IATP last fall, Emilia Fataliyeva and Flora Abilova had difficulty finding jobs since the majority of companies required employees to have computer skills.  After requesting help from IATP, the young women learned MS Office applications and internet basics.  Alongside ICT training, the pair also completed management courses, learned how to create resumes, and apply for jobs online.

As a result of their efforts, they recieved jobs at Narmobile’s newly opened branch in Shirvan.  Today, Fataliyeva and Abilova manage daily office tasks, such as registering subscribers and preparing reports, using their computer skills.  Abilova commented, "Thanks to IATP training, we achieved success.  After attending IATP training on computer skills, resume writing, and more, we were hired by a well known company.  We express our gratitude to IATP and to USAID for financing it."  Professional ICT courses provided by IATP raise the qualifications of citizens, as well as the economic potential of their communities. IATP centers continue to provide these skills in nearly 50 cities throughout Eurasia.

TAG Finalists Uses ICT to Find Success in the Beauty Industry

In November 2008, Tech Age Girls (TAG) project finalist Xenia Terzi was offered a well-paying job at a salon in her hometown.  TAG, which is implemented by the IATP center in Comrat, is designed to equip Moldovan girls from disadvantaged families and rural areas with technology skills, helping them secure a brighter future in Moldova.  As a result of the TAG training, Terzi created and published a website (http://crasota.md.iatp.net) and a wiki page (http://kseniaterzi.wikidot.com) to share her knowledge as a beautician with wider audiences.

Originally a manicurist, Terzi is now known in Comrat as an expert hairstylist.  Using specialized software and a Web camera, she can provide clients with options for hairstyles based on their face structure, hair length, and complexion.  While waiting in line—and there usually is one—clients can view Terzi’s website and wiki.  With Terzi’s help, the salon has become a popular and respected location in Comrat.  Terzi commented, "My success is directly connected to IATP." Thanks to the knowledge and skills they gain at IATP,

TAG participants are better prepared to find work in their hometowns.  Such quality employment reduces their risk of becoming victims of human trafficking. Over 100 young women in Moldova have learned ICT skills for their educational and professional development through TAG.