Children's Home Run on a Shoestring

The state boarding school in Vakhsh district was originally set up to house the many orphans left by Tajikistan’s 1992-97 civil war. These days, many of the 260 residents have parents or other relatives, who are poor to look after them.



Of ten similar schools in the Khatlon region, four are run by the national ministry of education, one by a charity, and the other five – including this one – funded by local government.



As reporter Jamoliddin Saifiddinov found during a visit to the school, the budget allocated by the local authorities is enough to provide only the most basic food. Any children with relatives living nearby go to them for meals.



School director Saifiddin Valiev wants the authorities to provide a plot of land where teachers could grow food and improve nutrition for the children.