Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

Maftuna, 18, landed a job as a teacher's aide after participating in a Mercy Corps skills-building institute for youth in Uzbekistan. Photo: Mercy Corps

After graduating from secondary school, 18-year-old Maftuna found herself like many of her peers in the 4,500-person Galatoy community near Margilan, Uzbekistan: jobless with few prospects for employment.

In the Ferghana Valley, one of Central Asia’s poorest and most densely populated regions, it's estimated that only 30 to 40 percent of young adults have stable jobs or reliable incoming-generating activities. The social effects reverberate throughout the region’s rural communities: extremist groups prey on disenfranchised young males lacking viable job opportunities, and young women enter into marriage without skills to provide for their new families. As a result, the cycle of poverty and conflict continues.

Last August, Maftuna took steps to break the cycle by attending a skill-building institute sponsored by Mercy Corps. The five-day Youth Professional Development Institute focused on equipping young people with employable skill sets. Topics included basic business skills, how to research and land a job, tools for mitigating conflict and information about disease prevention and health. More than 115 young adults from 30 different communities attended.

The “Basic Business Education” course provided tips on how to present yourself to potential employers and taught participants practical on-the-job skills. Subjects included job interviewing, skills assessment, time management and collaborative problem-solving. Upon returning to their communities after the institute, 19 participants found employment, including Maftuna.

]In a display of her newfound job-hunting skills, Maftuna boldly approached the director of the local primary school and declared, “I have skills. I know how to organize people and thoughts. I would like to work at the school.”

She got a job as a teacher’s aide, helping administer lessons and resolving disputes between students. She is the school’s youngest employee.

“I like the job,” she says, “The students ask me for advice and direction, which I enjoy.”

Maftuna hopes her first job is a stepping-stone to her next. She hopes to study psychology at the local university and become a full-fledged teacher. With the help of Mercy Corps, young adults like Maftuna can create a new cycle in the Ferghana Valley that will lead to better living standards for her and her peers.