Countries
Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan 

Local project partner
To be identified during the orientation phase 

German project partner
Ostdeutscher Sparkassenverband und diverse ostdeutsche Sparkassen 

Donor
BMZ 

Dauer
01.07.2020 - 30.06.2022

Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are still among the economically weakest countries of the former Soviet republics. All three countries have a very young population; the average age is between 23 and 27 years. One of the biggest challenges is the very different standard of living between urban and rural areas. Half to three quarters of the population live in rural areas. Economic stability is also affected by the fact that Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are particularly vulnerable to external factors such as the consequences of climate change due to their geographical location. In order to increase the resilience of the countries and rural population, extensive investments in both infrastructure and education are necessary. If the financial inclusion of the rural regions succeeds, it can contribute sustainably to secure and increase yields and thus to improve the income situation. 

The overall objective of the project is to create employment opportunities in order to improve the living conditions and prospects for people in rural areas in line with the protection of natural resources. Access to and use of demand-oriented financial services for the rural population and MSMEs is to be improved while at the same time increasing financial and entrepreneurial education in order to increase income opportunities and contribute to the target group's resilience to external influences, especially the burdens from the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis.

The project objective is achieved through coordinated project measures on the supply and demand side. Digital solutions will play a major role in this process. Special attention will be paid to a high-quality transformation of analog consulting and training offers into digital processes in order to strengthen trust and achieve comparable results even without direct personal contact.