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Success Story
USAID study tour alum
returns to Tajikistan
with a new view on his
country and his future
Visit to the U.S. Alters Man’s Worldview
Photo: Jamshed Bafaev
Jamshed Bafaev
“We need to work and make
Tajikistan a better place,”
said Jamshed Bafaev, USAID
study tour alum.
Today, Jamshed Bafaev sees his future in helping his country.
“We need to work and make Tajikistan a better place,” he said. His
outlook changed dramatically during a USAID-sponsored internship
in the United States, where he was inspired to stay in his native
Tajikistan and work to better it.
Only a year ago Bafaev was ready to give up on Tajikistan and
planned to move to Germany, where he’d been invited to work for a
car-servicing company. Bafaev saw no future in Tajikistan for himself
or his family.
As he was weighing the invitation to move to Germany, Bafaev
applied for a business internship in the United States that the
USAID Community Connections program offered for small and
medium-sized business owners. Because he owned an autorepair
shop, Bafaev was selected to participate in the program and
spend several weeks studying practical business approaches in
Kalamazoo, Michigan.
While he learned a great deal about the American auto industry
during the trip, his most transformative experience came from the
home stay with an American family – a standard practice this USAID
program uses to familiarize visitors with the American culture.
“It was amazing to see how American people appreciate their
country, heritage, friends, and neighbors. They work hard and try
hard to improve America,” said Bafaev. The experience changed
his attitude toward Tajikistan, and he decided to stay and work
in Tajikistan. “My roots are here. Maybe in four years we won’t
have the problems of electricity cuts ... but for now we just need to
commit our time and efforts to this country,” says Bafaev.
After his return to Tajikistan, Bafaev purchased new equipment
and opened a new unit for American cars in his auto-shop. He has
marketed his new line of services to owners of American cars, such
as U.S. Embassy personnel, and many of them now use his shop
for car repairs.
“My business is growing,” Bafaev notes, “and the Community
Connections program contributed to this growth. However, the
biggest contribution of the program is the new friends in Tajikistan
who I meet with and do business with, and friends in the United
States.”
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