Tajikistan is a former Soviet Republic located in central Asia. When I was young my family had close friends from Dushanbe and I was always captivated by their language and their culture. To me it was a thing of beauty.

Real life in Tajikistan however is nothing like my girlhood fantasies of beautiful mountains and deserts, women wearing richly colored veils. Life in Tajikistan is a struggle.

60% of the people live below the poverty line, many earn only $0.20 a day. This forces Tajiks to seek opportunities abroad where  they are often exploited and face discrimionation.

Aside from human trafficking many other problems plague Tajikistan. The nation is a major center for those who traffic opiates. Over 80% of all drugs seized in central Asia are seized in Tajikistan!

Fifty thousand perished during the 1997 civil war between Secular Russian forces and Islamic extremists. It was one of the bloodiest wars in the former Soviet Union. Terrorism is still something which affects the people of Tajikistan today, many times ethnic skirmishes between Tajiks and Uzbeks become deadly. The border between the two nations is littered with land mines.

Things are becoming better for the Tajikistani people with time however. Russia is investing more money, reopening Nurek and opening a military base in Dushanbe. The country is also becoming slightly friendlier towards tourists which is magnificent because Tajikistan truly is one of the most beautiful nations in the world.