World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

Tajikistan 1 In Tajikistan the burden of rural poverty is shouldered mostly by women, who raise the children alone after their husbands disappear into Russia’s remittance labour pool, move away to take a second wife, or die.

Tajikistan 2 WFP distributes a two-month food ration to the most vulnerable families in Tajikistan at two times of the year – in the pre-harvest “lean season” and before the winter sets in.

Tajikistan 3 In 2009 WFP gave food to some 250,000 vulnerable people in November and December, the biggest such distribution in four years. Among the beneficiaries were many widows and abandoned wives.

Tajikistan 4 Rajabgul Rasulova has just had a rare taste of happiness in her life of hardscrabble survival. Thanks to a WFP food distribution, she now has something to put on the table for the family New Year celebration. Read story

Tajikistan 5 For many villagers the daily diet is unchanging: tea and bread in the morning, soup made of peas, onions and water for lunch and tea with what remains of the soup for supper.

Tajikistan 6 This food distribution took place in the Essanboy district, one of the poorest parts of what is already the poorest country in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Tajikistan 7 The wheat flour, vegetable oil, dried peas and salt that WFP distributes give beneficiaries a small measure of freedom from penury and desperation