Good quality education as poverty reduction and economic growth instrument

“I dream for a day, when there’ll be no more misery. When there’s no more hunger, no need for shelter, isn’t there enough to share or is that we just don’t care?” (S. Yusuf)
When I heard these words the first time, I thought to myself, “seriously what is stopping us to reduce the hunger or its elimination? We see that food is wasted in some places, and some people overuse when they could share, as sharing is caring. Maybe it’s really that some don’t care?”.
l believe that it’s possible to totally eliminate poverty in this world. Therefore, the world needs us – the people who act and dream for a day with no misery. I was born and raised in the country torn by civil war as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union and have experienced what it means to be at the bottom of the food chain. Surrounded by poverty, sharp social challenges and lack of education, I have always been motivated to study hard, and further support the development and helping the ones in need.
My life took a turning point when I became a finalist of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program and a whole new world opened in front of my eyes – not perfect of course but it enabled me to learn necessary skills and widen my worldview. Active participation in the social and economic development life of Tajikistan made me one of the young activists who strives to support the achievement of the SDGs 2030. I dream of a world where every child would get access to an excellent and affordable education. I dream that there won’t be any poverty and everyone would have enough food to feed their family. I dream that a child would grow as a well-educated person and help economically develop the country that would further decrease the poverty. Every SDGs are interconnected and by achieving one – it’s possible to achieve others.
I work at the Office of the Co-ordinator of Economic and Environmental Activities at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, where we work to enhance stability, peace and security in the region. Our work is already taking us forward on making my dream come true but I want to ask you, the reader of this book to join the movement and not just dream, but also act with us! Dreams come true, right?