Eliza has a beautiful smile and an open nature, despite the difficulties in her life. She is the mother of two children and is married to Usubakunov Bakyt. Bakyt graduated from Issyk-Kul University with a major in “tourism and environmental management”. Eliza began studies at a music college, but she did not complete her studies because she could not pay for tuition.

She and her husband were unable to find work in the city. They moved to Inilchek, where they found work caring for cattle. They had no experience in this, and it was very difficult for them to make a living. Eliza told us, “At that time, the whole village was without any jobs. You can imagine how very difficult our lives were. One of the difficulties is that Inilchek is situated in high altitude, and no potato or wheat grows in Ichilchek. To tell the truth, we hunted ibex for our food then.”

After Eliza attended the first meeting that the Snow Leopard Trust held in her village, she heard about the possibility of working with Snow Leopard Enterprises. “We didn’t believe it would help us,” she said.  But Eliza began making souvenirs with the program nevertheless, and she participated with many other women in her community to form an NGO. “We tried it, and when we got the first payment, we saw the benefits.”

Today, after four years of working with the program, Eliza earns more money and is proud that she can provide for her family.  Bakyt, her husband, has also became active in the program.  It’s success has fostered interest in community programs of all kinds: Bakyt has founded a youth organization for the many young people who live in Inilchek, and he recently received a grant from Bashat SGP to build a youth sports center.

“We have different concerns now,” says Eliza.  “Before, I worried about having no money.  Now I worry about how we can stop poachers.  We didn’t know about the snow leopard before, but now we do, and we see the importance.”

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