Ala-Buka district, Jalal-Abad region, Kyrgyz Republic – On March 25, 2021, Ms. Pardakan Tomueva organized an official opening ceremony of the expansion of her Sedep Apparel Factory in Tengi village of Jalal-Abad region. The new shop was opened in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
USAID’s Enterprise Competitiveness Project’s support enabled Ms. Tomueva to hire more women from the local community. USAID provided new sewing machines and a special steam generator iron to help Sedep to double its production and reach new markets. Ms. Tomueva invested in construction of a new building to accommodate all the new equipment and create a safe and comfortable working environment for her staff.
“I found there were many people in need among my neighbors. Therefore, I decided to work not only for myself, but also create jobs for them. My main goal in life is to support rural women of Kyrgyzstan,” says Ms. Pardakan Tomueva, owner of Sedep sewing shop.
Currently, Sedep is one of the biggest employers in the remote Tengi village, which is about a six hour drive from Jalal-Abad city. The company’s employees, around 30 women, produce chapans, kuraks, beldemchi and blankets with traditional Kyrgyz designs. These products are sold in Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Bishkek via Sedep’s social media pages. Sedep plans to start exporting to neighboring countries in the future.
“We’re proud to support entrepreneurs like Pardakan Tomueva, who are the driving force of the Kyrgyz Republic’s economic development. Our goal is to create more than 19,000 new jobs by 2023 by working with local businesses,” said Joshua Templeton, director of USAID’s Economic Development Office. “It’s important to remember – U.S. assistance comes in the form of grants, so our partners do not have to pay this money back.”
The USAID Enterprise Competitiveness Project is a $23 million investment implemented over five years. The project works with small and medium businesses in the fields of textiles, food production, agriculture, IT, finance and others to help them expand their production and sales in order to create more jobs in Kyrgyzstan. The program has already provided support to 70 businesses across the country.
The program continues to accept applications for grant support from businesses in Kyrgyzstan. Please visit this website for more information about the grants.
For more information on this project, please contact Zhyldyz Niiazalieva, Communications Advisor of USAID Enterprise Competitiveness Project, zniiazalieva@ecp-kyrgyzstan.org, phone: +996 (770) 808 063.
