Mary, 24 June 2024: Fifty women and girls from the Afghan and local communities of Mary province have got better access to sustainable livelihoods by successfully completing a three-month vocational training program in sewing at the Vocational School of the city of Mary of the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan with the support of the non-governmental organization “Mashgala” as part of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) regional project "Comprehensive Action Plan for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries".

This target group was selected based on a professional development needs assessment of more than 216 Afghan and local women and girls conducted by IOM in the cities of Mary, Bayramali and Sakar Chaga in Mary province, which identified the most in-demand professions and skills that would help them to become employed in small businesses or self-employed to generate a sustainable source of income.

The vocational training took place in groups of 25 people. For three months, the participants deep dived into the theoretical and practical aspects of training with guidance of professional instructors from the Vocational School of the city of Mary of the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan. All participants were actively involved in the training process, some of whom even became participants of the national sewing competition in Ashgabat. The instructors of the the Vocational School repeatedly noted the enthusiasm, determination and zeal of all the participants, each of whom was able to sew her own version of clothes by the end of the training.

All graduates were provided with official certificates confirming their qualifications as seamstresses. They were also provided with an individual professional sewing machine procured by IOM to ensure the sustainability of training and enable the graduates to put their skills into practice to create sustainable sources of income.

The IOM regional project “Comprehensive Action Plan for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries” aims to provide comprehensive support to Afghan nationals living in Turkmenistan and local communities, especially women and girls, to ensure long-term sustainable development at the local level. One of the project components is the socio-economic empowerment of Afghan and local community women and girls with the direct involvement of local authorities and national non-governmental organizations.

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IOM Contact Person in Turkmenistan:

Dovlet Chariev, Project Associate

Tel: +99365708755, e-mail: dchariyev@iom.int