Project Inspire 5 minutes to change the world : yurt to yurt

www.5MinutestoChangetheWorld.org
Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World


Project Name - Yurt to Yurt : Transforming Lives. One Home at a Time.

Women in Central Asia have it tougher than women in most countries. In Kyrgyzstan, the issue of women's rights is extremely challenging. Women here are often neglected and abused, and they form the most vulnerable group. For example, 'bride-kidnapping' as a form of marriage is practised here. Domestic violence is also prevalent in Kyrgyzstan. And women cannot leave abusive marriages because they are financially dependant on their husbands.

Furthermore, poverty in Kyrgyzstan is widespread. A third of the country's population lives on less than $2 a day, and female-headed households suffer the most. 75 percent of rural women are poor. Due to unemployment, many men migrate to Russia in search of work, and women have to find ways to survive. When men don't send remittances, they often have to work long hours to feed their children, their in-laws, and themselves on less than $50 a month.

How can we transform their lives?

Our passion for this project is driven by 3 key objectives:
1. We want to help alleviate poverty amongst the female-headed households
2. We want to help address the gender issue by empowering the women
3. We hope to help preserve the rich history and culture of rural Kyrgyzstan

The solution we propose is Eco-Tourism. We will create home-stay opportunities for tourists, hence bringing direct economic benefits to the women. In-direct beneficiaries will include drivers, small business owners servicing these tourists, guides and others in the village. Similar social enterprise initiatives in Mongolia have benefitted hundreds of families, proving that this is a viable model for poverty alleviation!

For more details on how we plan to do this, please check out the Un Women website

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Tags:

• yurt
• project
• inspire
• gender
• kyrgyzstan