The art of seamstresses and cooking are the most common quality of women and girls in Tajikistan. These two crafts, which mostly belong to women, are taught girls in Tajik families from an early age, and at least women and girls know one of these qualities well. Muhabbat Juraqulova is one of hundreds of seamstresses, who has been involved in this craft since school age, and she considers this craft her favorite occupation.
She has been involved in this business for more than 20 years. Previously, she sewed national children's and women's clothes only in the home. She was received orders from fellow villagers. Later, she rented a small room in the center of the Qubodiyon district in the south of Tajikistan and continued her activities.
Starting from the spring of 2016 she was involved in the National Association of Business Women of Tajikistan (PO NABWT) to improve her craft and thereby expanding her entrepreneurial activities in learning design, cutting and sewing of national, European clothes, machine embroidery (poppuriduzi) as well as participating in business trainings, improved her skills. She also received legal and economic advice to conduct her official business from the experts of the "Women's Entrepreneurship for empowerment" Project.
This project implemented though NABWT with the financial support of the US Agency for International Development in 2017, conducted an analysis to organize training centers in the target areas, and as a result came to the conclusion to organize an Education center for the study of skills seamstresses on the balance of the sewing workshop of Muhabbat Juraqulova in the center of the Qubodiyon district near the market. This project was finally implemented.
The training center on learning the skills of seamstresses was opened on April 19, 2017 with the goal of supporting entrepreneur - Mukabbat Juraqulova and attracting women and girls to study crafts free and thus their support for the organization and development of women's entrepreneurship. Women and girls studying here skills and subtleties of sewing, get the opportunity to become active with economy point of view, and thus improve the quality of their lives and their families. This can be judged by the examples of Munira and Orzugul, who are currently one of the masters in sewing of clothes in this direction.
After organization of the present center and the preparation of a favorable working environment, regular professional and commercial training, Ms. Muhabbat studied the sewing and design of various European and national clothes, and also started the business of the populist. She also arranged the sewing of wedding dresses, European women's clothes, children's festive clothes with national and modern design, she also engages in making a prayer rug, pillows and other clothes.
After that, Muhabbat Juraqulova together with other women artisans took part in the courses for teachers, and thus studied the skills of coaching.
She conducts her activity in several vocational schools, subsequently in one year she trained more than 150 girls of the Qubodiyon, Shahrituz and Nosiri Khusraw districts in her skills. Thus, Muhabbat Juraqulova, developing daily, increases her capital.
According to words of Muhabbat, if two years ago she was earned 500 somoni in a month, currently using existing opportunities and acquired skills she gets up to 2500 thousand somoni of net profit. Ms. Muhabbat Juraqulova attributes all these her achievements to the fruitful activity of the USAID NABWT project, and expresses her gratitude to them for the care and support of women.