R. Zafar is 23 years old. He is married and has one child. Zafar is the main breadwinner in the family.

For more than 8 years, Zafar has been baking the national bread “lepeshka”. He believes that this business is profitable and is not subject to seasonality. He gets up early and bakes lepeshka and bread so that people have fresh bread on their tables for breakfast. All the input materials like the flour, salt, yeast he is purchasing in the local market.

Now Zafar requests 4000 Somoni that he will spend to purchase the flour and coal for baking the “lepeshka”. Zafar deeply appreciates the trust and support you are giving him.

More about Tajikistan and IMON International

Tajikistan is known for its rich history, which includes a key post along the Silk Road and the end of Alexander the Great's rule. It has also produced great thinkers, philosophers, scientists and poets, including Rudaki, Avicenna, Ferdowsi, Omar Khayyam, Jomi, and Rumi. The country is home to communities that still speak the ancient Sogdian language, epic mountain passes, and a civilization that dates back to the 4th millennium BC. And, even today, it is a complex mixture of the Islamic faith, Soviet culture, New West culture and Central Asian traditions.

But Tajikistan is also the poorest of the former Soviet republics. The civil war, which ignited soon after its independence from the U.S.S.R., further damaged the already weak economy. In addition, 93% of the country is mountainous and only 7% of the land is arable. These conditions have resulted in high levels of unemployment and have forced hundreds of thousands to seek work in other countries, mainly Russia. While the people of Tajikistan are working to improve its agricultural production and manufacturing sector, nearly two-thirds of the population still live in abject poverty.

IMON's History

Since December 2007, IMON International has worked closely with Kiva and Kiva lenders to ensure that poor and low income clients represent a viable business proposition. Funds raised through Kiva have already been distributed to thousands of IMON International's clients and will continue to provide thousands more with permanent access to the varied financial services they need. To learn more about IMON International's work, please visit: www.imon.tj