I have now made my way over to the 2 year old Gulazyk bakery group. These incredibly active women make some of the best bread I’ve had in country. They are out in the farthest corner of nowhere, and finding a market for their goods is a challenge. They tell me they sell at the famous At Bashy Mal Bazaar on Sunday, as well as through some of the little shops in local stores. They’d like to sell in Naryn city, they say, but transportation is, at this time, prohibitively expensive.
One of the most common questions by the Noble Kiwis is: “How has the income from this cooperative improved your living standards?”
these ladies, making around 4,00o som a month, have given an answer consistent with other successful groups: “our flocks of animals are growing.”
Normally, they try to keep the size of their flock the same, from year to year, they say. Between sales for basic needs, they also slaughter a certain number of animals for food in the winter. These women report that with the income from their group, they are able to keep form slaughtering their animals, allowing their flocks to grow. In an area of poor agricultural yield that relies heavily on livestock for wealth, this is a huge deal.
It’s half past noon now, and preparations are growing for lunch. I can only imagine the feast that awaits us.
