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Traditional Sweets and Dairies: Women as Microentrepreneurs

Region: Central Asia, Uzbekistan
Author: Women's center "Dilbarim", Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Consortium Member: Isar Central Asia
Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1089 Collected: $1089 Needs: $0
Result: To assist Uzbek women to organize small food processing micro-businesses.
Donors: Upper Mohawk Valley Model United Nations at Hamilton College, New York State, [December 2000], with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds
Comment: A group of 60 women is learning how to organize and run their own small businesses, preparing and selling traditional food products. This donation is making a real difference in a region where women lack access to training and credit.

Project background: Women are the most vulnerable and the poorest part of the population during this transitional period for the Uzbek economy. Women are the first to lose their jobs, and its more difficult for them to find a new job due to restrictions which are stricter for a woman then for a man. The opinion that a woman is a less useful worker than a man is strong in Uzbekistan as it has never been before. In addition, the majority of women do not have skills that are demanded in the market. Computerization began after almost all middle-aged women already graduated from school or university. Many do not know any foreign language, which is so important while applying for a job. There is no infrastructure for gaining these skills.

Nevertheless, there is another way for women to achieve financial stability. It is to organize their own small businesses. However, a woman entering the market is faced with harsh men's ways of doing business. She is not considered as a serious or equal rival. What is more, she is not considered as serious client neither in the bank nor while concluding a contract. Despite these facts women manage to survive being the main constituent of the newly formed class known as "microentrepreneurs". For example, women who do business at home. They make pastries, biscuits, traditional sweets and dairy products and sell them right on the streets. Some succeeded, and they managed to organize their own enterprises, which can be considered as small businesses. It can be concluded from this situation that a project that can assist women to gain food processing skills in home conditions and some knowledge of business would be very valuable.

Each Uzbek family on average has 4-5 children. Besides weddings Uzbeks also celebrate different family holidays. None of the holidays are celebrated without traditional Uzbek sweets and confectionery. Four out of ten Uzbek families live in rural areas. Milk is the simplest and the cheapest product in the rural area. Taking into account the demand for such dairy products as cheese, brynza, kefir, etc. we are planning to prepare one trainer from each of the six areas in the Tashkent region. Each trainer is going to train 10 unemployed women in her region. The main aims of the project are: To assist Tashkent area women to organize small food processing businesses. Particularly, they need instruction on production of traditional sweets and dairy products at home, which will be the first stage of the project, and training sessions on small business organization at the second stage of the project.

Methods of implementing the project goals:
The work will be divided in two stages:
First stage: trainers from Tashkent, Zangiat, Kibrai, Yangiul regions and towns of Yangiul and Chirchik will be prepared, and candidates for the training sessions will be chosen. In order to make the right choice the candidates will be approved by the local labor registry office and women's committee representatives. In approving a candidate, the committee will take into consideration her education, previous work experience and personal qualities.
Second stage: the 60 unemployed women will receive the training on cooking traditional sweets and small business organization. The courses will be conducted for 30 hours a week, i.e. 120 hours for 4 weeks, and will include the following:

  1. Small business organization 24 hours.
  2. Theoretical and practical sessions on cooking for 72 hours.
  3. Determining the cost of production and making calculations for 12 hours.
  4. Packaging for 6 hours.
  5. Advertising for 6 hours.

Food processing technologists and lecturers from Tashkent State University will be involved in the project. The preparation courses for trainers will take place in the premises of Women's center "Dilbarim". For conducting the training sessions, we have a room that can place 20 people which has all the necessary conditions meeting the sanitation requirements. The entire project will last for 4 months.

Expected outcomes: After the project is implemented, 66 unemployed women (6 trainers and 60 trainees) receive support for organizing their own small business. If 50 % of trainees organize their own small business and employ two more unemployed women, about 100 women will have an opportunity to find a job. Also, this project will assist rural women to strengthen their independence and increase the volume of the food products in the market.

Budget
Salaries to trainers: Confectioner-technologist $100
Dairy products-technologist $100
Introduction to business $150
Food, crocks for workshops(flour, sugar, milk, other ingredients, gauze) $400
Trip of five trainers and teachers to Zangiat region and back $240
Virtual Foundation administrative fee (10%): $99
Total cost of the project: $1089