TİKA Built a Workshop in the Norak Women’s Prison in Tajikistan

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) implemented a project for the construction of a pasta production workshop and a sewing workshop for production, vocational training, and rehabilitation in the Norak Women’s Prison, which is affiliated with the Main Department for the Execution of Criminal Punishments of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan and is the only women’s prison in the country.

The Norak Women’s Prison is the only women’s prison in the country and houses more than 300 prisoners. The Government of Tajikistan decided to reform the penal execution system by 2030 with the newly-introduced “Strategic Action Plan.” As part of the project implemented by TİKA in line with this strategy, a sewing workshop and a pasta production workshop were built in the Norak Women’s Prison to help female prisoners engage in production and enter a profession, and to improve their employability after release.

The project included the construction of a modern pasta production workshop, which has a daily capacity of 400 kilograms of pasta and where all the processes from production to packaging can be carried out in the prison. The pasta to be produced will meet the needs of prisons and will be sold to restaurants and cafés when demanded. Currently, 14 female prisoners work in rotation at the pasta workshop.

A sewing workshop was also built in the prison as part of the project to help women enter a profession. It is aimed to carry out production activities at the workshop, as well as providing vocational training for up to 20 people. Production activities can be carried out at the sewing workshop in line with the demands of public institutions and organizations, especially the Ministry of Justice.

Production activities began at the sewing workshop and the pasta workshop built.