What's the context and purpose of the role?

Tajikistan is a poor country, where most of the people live below the poverty line, particularly in rural areas. In the past 66% of the population relied on remittances from casual labour in Russia. With the economic downturn, these have fallen by more than 30%, resulting in increased poverty and hunger. With a very moutainous landscape and extreme temperatures, much of Tajikistan's landscape is unsuitable for standard crops. However the Association for Scientific and Technical Intelligentsia (ASTI) have identified a market for medicinal herbs which grow in mountainous areas. You'll work with small local producers to collect, process, store and market medicinal herbs both nationally and potentially abroad. Marketing medicinal plants has worked successfully in other former Soviet Union counries such as Moldova and ASTI hopes that Tajik producers will be able to tap into the significant market for alternative medicines. By sharing your skills and expertise in the area of medicinal plant processing, you'll allow producers to diversify their output and generate additional income for themselves and their families.

What does the role involve?

• Training local producers and ASTI staff in the technical aspects of processing medicinal herbs.
• Supporting ASTI in studying the scope for processing and marketing medicinal plants.
• Providing training on the storage and shelf life of raw materials and finished products.
• Exploring areas for producers to market their products in Tajikistan and abroad.
• Enabling producers and ASTI to develop a market analysis and business strategy for medicinal herbs.

What skills, experience and personal qualities are needed for the role?

You'll have a background in plant processing and are experienced in low-tech processing or medicinal herbs. For many people living in post-Soviet countries, traditional medicines are unaffordable; hence the demand for alternative medicines is high. With this in mind, you'll need a good understanding of the medicinal properties of plants for human use and consumption. You'll have conducted market analysis projects and have good marketing and business expertise. Through your understanding of the pharmaceutical industry and its market, you'll be able to advise ASTI on the development of the medicinal herb market in Tajikistan. You'll be able to show initiative and work with little supervision. Finally the ability to work effectively with limited resources and retain a positive and flexible approach is a must for VSO volunteers, as is a good sense of humour!

And the rest...

You'll be living and working in Khojand, the second largest town in Tajikistan and the capital of Sugd oblast' in the North of the country. The town sits on the banks of the river Syr Darya surrounded by mountains in the green Ferghana Valley. Khojand is home to one of the ancient civilizations of central Asia and beside Samarqand and Buchara is one of the major culture centers of Tajik people. The climate is very hot in summer, cold in winter with temperate spring and summer months. There are several VSO volunteers being placed in Khojand, which will provide a social network for new arrivals. The city is very open to foreign guests and you'll find Tajik people welcoming and sociable on the whole. The city has plenty of teahouses, cafes and bars and is home to one of the most celebrated bazaars in the region where affordable and fresh produced can be found.

This is a short-term volunteering position for 4 weeks. In return, well provide you with invaluable training before your placement, a local salary, return flights, accommodation and insurance. When you return to your home country, we'll help you to resettle and we'll invite you to stay involved with us through campaigning, development awareness raising and fundraising.

Candidates should apply online at http://www.vso.org.uk/volunteer/ or call 020 8780 7500 for more information.