Let's Build a Kitchen

We have been absolutely blown away by the hospitality in Tajikistan and have found a way to intentionally give back. A humble local family from the Bartang Valley have a small business dream and we can help them in realising this vision.

It’s hard to travel and not be touched by the people you meet; their stories, kindness, families, culture, similarities and differences. This was none truer than when we cycled through the Bartang Valley and met Pari and Punj (pronounced ‘Punch’) in their remote village of Basid in Tajikistan.

Pari and Punj run a simple but beautiful traditional homestay on their small piece of land in the village they both grew up in. We stayed with Pari, Punj and their two gorgeous girls for a few nights and we were treated to the best home cooked meals we’d had during our entire trip. They don’t have much, but Pari was able to create the most delicious traditional foods for every meal. While we ate, we spoke for hours with them about their lives, their village and their dreams for the future.

They shared that building their homestay was a dream 10 years in the making. Pari works at the school and has a monthly income of USD$100. Punj is unemployed but works in whatever way he can; helping with herding goats, singing at weddings and doing labour. This is not an easy part of the world to live in, it’s exponentially challenging to get materials to their remote village. After a decade of passion and dedication, they were finally able to complete the first stage of the homestay accommodation last year.

Pari shared with us that the continuation of her dream is to upgrade her kitchen space to cook the meals for her guests. She showed us inside her little house and the space she uses to cook. We were absolutely amazed that she could create what she did for us with her basic kitchen.

Immediately we wanted to help.

We asked how much it will cost to upgrade her kitchen and said we would love to see if we could help to raise this money to support such a welcoming and kind family reach their dreams and build a beautiful place for foreigners to enjoy authentic Tajik food in this remote village. They have access to the labour and materials but need AUD$3000 in funds to achieve their goal.

Tourism is growing in the Bartang Valley off the Pamir Highway, and we see this as an opportunity to not only help a local family, but an opportunity to increase the visibility of this homestay to other travellers which helps the whole village as more tourists spend time there.

So now it’s over to us. It’s not often we get the opportunity to impact people’s lives so directly. We are incredibly fortunate to live the lives we do and we think it’s just as important to reach out and lend a hand with the privilege we have.

We are very clear in our intention to help Pari, and assure you any support is going to the most deserving family and community of the eighty families of Basid.