THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS IN RESOLVING ISSUES LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS FACE WITH

THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS IN RESOLVING ISSUES LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS FACE WITH 

Violence, unemployment, poverty, divorce, violation of rights, lack of competitiveness in the labor market, lack of attention to self-development - these are just a small part of the problems that the local community faces. Employees of community learning centers in the cities of Nurek, Vahdat, Guliston and in the Danghara District help to identify community problems and solve them comprehensively together with representatives of various government agencies.

CLCs were established on the initiative of public organizations Cultural and Educational Center "Tomiris" and “Saodat” on the basis of State Institution “Adult Training Center of Tajikistan” (ATC) in the mentioned cities and districts with the support of DVV International Country office in the Republic of Tajikistan and financed by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The local community needs oriented centers provide opportunities for trainings on professional and life skills, free legal advice, professional guidance, which will further help in ensuring employment of the population, protecting rights and interests, increasing self-esteem, personal development and civic engagement, and, ultimately, will help improve the quality of life.

provide with opportunities for vocational and life skills development trainings, offer free professional and legal consultations, carrier guidance which will contribute to the employment of the population, protect their rights and interests, increase self-esteem and activate civic engagement. All these assist in formation of personality and ultimately raising the level and quality of life.

In addition, CLCs have become a place for the officials of Khukumat, urban and rural communities and representatives of public organizations to discuss the problems of residents, the result of which can be observed in the process of holding round tables.

Recently, on the initiative of the residents of Sebiston Jamoat of Danghara district together with Khukumat, a round table discussion was held in CLC on domestic violence and its consequences. At this meeting, the participants discussed the problems of victims of violence and expressed their thoughts on how to avoid negative consequences.

According to the head of PO "Tomiris", Rano Jumaeva, only during the first half of 2023, CLCs in Vahdat and Sebiston Jamoat of Danghara provided social and legal assistance for 186 people, the majority of whom were women.  “The effective activities of CLCs allow local community members to acquire vocational skills, to improve their life skills, and to improve their level and quality of life by engaging in income generation activities” - she stated. 

Rano Jumaeva added that social workers and lawyers are always in contact with the local population in these centers and help visitors to solve their various problems for free.

Shohsanam Karaboeva, a social worker of CLC in Sebiston, Dangara district, mentioned that the resident constantly turn to them for advice and tell about their problems and successes. According to her, they have helped to solve dozens of problems of local residents by providing free social and legal services. This is why people's trust is increasing day by day, and the number of visitors is also increasing.

“Not long ago, a woman turned to us for counseling due to the conflict arose in her daughter's family because of her son-in-law which could cause the family breakup” - said Shohsanam. “When we studied the existing problems, it became clear that there were no serious reasons for the separation of this young family. A misunderstanding between a husband and a wife and the intervention of parents became the reason for family discord. In order to avoid family breakup, CLC staff involved specialists in the field of work with women and family issues of the Khukumat, local community activists and religious leaders. After clarifying the social and legal aspects of this issue, which had bad consequences for both parties, the problem was resolved. Fortunately, today the mentioned family live a good and peaceful life” - she continued. 

“Visitors mainly address with family issues such as alimony payment, establishing paternity, obtaining birth certificates, adoption, resettlement, division of paternal inheritance, land disputes, early marriages, receiving social benefits, registering entrepreneurial activities and others” - said Gulsara Mirzoyeva, a lawyer of CLC in Vahdat city. According to the lawyer, Gulsara Mirzoeva, during the last two months they assist in obtaining of five court decisions on the recovery of alimony. “Recently, a mother of two children, one of whom is disabled, asked assistance in obtaining of an alimony from the father of her children. After legal assistance and collection of the necessary documents, the amount of alimony that the husband refused to pay was  withdrawn through the court” - told Gulsara.

In addition to technical support for improving conditions to offer educational services for local population, teacher of CLCs in Norak, Danghara, Vahdat and Guliston had capacity building trainings on of life skills development, adult interactive teaching methods and have been using the knowledge and skills they have obtained in their daily work.

Rahima Asrorzoda, the representative of CLC in Norak, mentioned that the demand for vocational training is increasing. They are constantly organizing short-term courses on computer literacy, dressmaking, confectionery, handicrafts and accounting. In addition to VET courses, CLC teachers  allocate 8 hours for teaching  life skills, including digital skills, data protection, and others, which has a positive effect on their personal development.

As it was reported, Steering Committees were established in each of these centers, which included representatives of Khukumats and other state institutions, CLCs, PO "Tomiris" and representatives of DVV International Country office in Tajikistan. The activities of CLCs, its achievements and problems are analyzed, discussed and its further activities are planned taking into account the needs of local community members.