Road projects empower Tajik women

In the mountain communities along the Obigarm-Nurobod corridor in Tajikistan, an ongoing road project is doing more than improving transport. It is, as Jurayeva Safiya sees it, the first link in a chain that can transform a woman's life.

The early implementation of some parts of the project has brought significant changes to residents' lives, said Jurayeva, director of the Center for the Development of Crafts and Modern Professional Skills in Roghun, Tajikistan.

"Travel times have fallen noticeably, and connections between village and district centers have become far easier and safer," she said, adding that it also opens up access to markets, health services, and employment opportunities that were previously out of reach, particularly for women.

The Obigarm-Nurobod Road Project, a key infrastructure initiative in central Tajikistan financed by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, or AIIB, involves the construction of a long bridge and associated road sections to improve connectivity and transport resilience in the region.

Yet, as Jurayeva emphasized, the most significant contribution of the project extends beyond infrastructure development by also creating economic opportunities for the population, especially women.

Under the Obigarm-Nurobod Road Project, the AIIB and the China International Development Cooperation Agency have jointly launched a complementary program that supports vocational training and women's development.

Jurayeva's center is one of the key local platforms delivering these programs. Equipped with 12 classrooms, it provides short-term training in tailoring, baking, handicrafts and food processing, alongside courses in financial literacy and business planning.

The goal, she said, is to transform women from passive recipients of assistance into independent economic actors.

Jurayeva shared the story of a single mother of four who joined the program with no skills and no income. After completing a short-term sewing course, she started her own business.

"Today she runs her business alongside her daughters, generating her own income and no longer dependent on anyone else," Jurayeva said. "This is not charity, but a genuine turning point."

"This experience taught us an important lesson: if a woman is given the opportunity, she can change her own life and the future of her children."

Moreover, she noted, when mothers become more active, skilled, and independent, the home environment transforms. Children grow up watching them build, decide, and succeed, which is an education in itself.

"I believe that when we teach a woman a profession, we are not only supporting one individual, we are developing a family and a community," Jurayeva said.

Looking ahead, the project plans to scale up its impact. A women's entrepreneurship support program will train at least 340 women from roadside communities, provide grants and equipment to around 60 women-led microbusinesses, and establish a new training center in Nurobod with childcare facilities, according to her.

To achieve this, Jurayeva said the center will need more modern equipment and stronger support from partners.

Hun Kim, chief partnerships officer and director general of the Sectors, Themes and Financial Solutions Department of AIIB, said that when development partners align finance, concessional resources, technical assistance, and development expertise, infrastructure becomes more inclusive, resilient, and impactful.

"This project is not a one-off experience. It is a model we believe can be replicated and scaled with the right partnerships," he said at a sub-forum of the Third High-Level Conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development on Wednesday.

Yao Shuai, deputy director of the Institute of International Development Cooperation at the China Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce, emphasized that putting women at the center goes to the core of social development.

"When women shift from recipients of development benefits to participants in community governance and development, the sustainability and social stability of an aid project can be fundamentally enhanced," Yao said.

Inclusive model

At a deeper level, this approach helps promote more inclusive and resilient social structures in developing countries, she said.

Yao noted that the project reflects China's long-standing approach of combining major landmark infrastructure projects with "small yet beautiful" livelihood programs through trilateral cooperation.

The integration of "large and small" as well as "hard and soft" measures allows major projects to address critical connectivity bottlenecks, while ensuring that the benefits of infrastructure reach a broader population, Yao said.

"This not only creates more employment opportunities, but also generates long-term development dividends, particularly for women."

She noted that embedding vocational training and women's development from the outset enables local communities to participate throughout the project cycle, strengthening their sense of ownership.

"By enhancing women's economic independence during infrastructure development, such approaches integrate gender equality into the process and help elevate women's role in local governance and social development," Yao said.

zhoujin@chinadaily.com.cn