Leaving her career as a computer science teacher to raise her four children, Benazir from the remote Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) of Tajikistan felt the growing need to support her family in the face of economic hardship. Inspired by the lack of basic amenities in her neighborhood, she and her husband, who was also unemployed at that time, took a bold step and opened a small grocery shop in 2020. This venture not only provided essential goods but also became a lifeline for their family during tough times.
“Living in a remote town like Khorugh, GBAO does not provide many opportunities in terms of employment, so people tend to leave their home country and migrate. We wanted to stay and were pushing to find ways to grow.”
Driven by a newfound entrepreneurial spirit after opening a small grocery shop, Benazir heard about an opportunity with the YES program and applied.