The isolated Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) is the isolated and deprived mountain province of Tajikistan, bordering directly to Afghanistan. The difficult terrains and the impact of the Civil War still affects the life of the people, as food still hard to come by and there’s almost no job and money available. But despite of the economic hardship, education level in Tajikistan and GBAO in particular is relatively high, thanks to the former Soviet Union system. The literacy rate is almost 100% even to the most isolated regions, and primary schools are available in all main villages.

Langar, GBAO, Tajikistan, 2006