- Can you tell us more about yourself?
A.1.
Of course, I can tell you many things about myself, but I will shortly introduce myself to you. I’m Rustamova Barno. I’ve been born in Tajikistan in Panjakent city. I’m a graduate of Tajik Politechnical University.
My profession is a building engineer. After graduating university till now I’ve been working in a sphere of building engineering. I participated in all processes of building Panjakent’s buildings.
I’ve grown up in a family of teachers. My father is a teacher of Physics and Math. At the same time, my father was a winner of some sport competitions and wanted us- his children, to do sport. Personally, I started to do sport science I was a student at school till now. Sport is a source of beauty and long life. Thanks God till now I didn’t take medicine and don’t complain about my health. My working process is good and I’m glad that I’m taking exercise.
- Can you tell us more about your past professional experiences?
A.2. As I said before, my profession is a building engineer. I can make satisfactory projects of high- rise buildings. I made a project of my sports hall myself and I had lots of students. My professional experience is very rich. I have prepared a project of my gym, which I want to build and to make it one of the best in my town. As a building engineer I have a big experience, a huge amount of Pajakent’s new buildings are built on the basis of my projects. Also some individuals ask me to develop a design of their houses, and I make this work with great relish. 3. Why did you want to open a gym? Why not a store or restaurant or anything else?
Because sports is a base of strong health, and also because everyone here is building shops, restaurants, sewing workshop. However, our people think that gym is not very essential and it takes second position. On the contrary, I think that gym is very important for the health of girls, women, and future mothers. It will bring benefit for their health, beauty. they need to be healthy in order to build healthy family. Because of I personally love sports I built this gym with great love.
- 4. What was your thought process when you decided to make it women-only?
When I heard from women that they want to have an opportunity to exercise in a gym, I decided to organise it for them.
- 5. What is your best-case-scenario dream for what this gym will accomplish?
I built this gym to implement wishes of the women I want to see my counterparts beautiful and healthy. I want all women, who do sport, to be an example of wholesome lifestyle and to accustom their family members to take exercise. It can help to increase a popularization of sport among our Pajikent’s population. As people say “A healthy mother is a healthy nation.” If number of people wishing to go in for sports increases, than I can say that I have contributed to the development of sport, that will advantageously influence on people’s health of my town.
- Are gyms common in Tajikistan? Do women usually go to them, or is it more of a male environment?
Since Tajikistan has been developing in a beautiful country, women also want to be attractive and healthy. In a capital of the country and other bigger cities there are lots of sport halls. However, in a small cities and towns which are far from the capital, like Panjikent, there is a small amount of gyms. When I started organizing gym there was one which had only two-three types of trainers. After building my gym a big amount of women came for exercising. Unfortunately, according to our traditions women shame of going to gym, but we want to change these stereotypes and to make doing sport hobby, a habit of each citizen.
- How did you put together the resources—and the emotional/moral support—necessary to make the gym happen?
Firstly, in order to realize my idea into life, my husband and my sons have helped and supported me a lot. After gaining a loan from micro landing organization, I have made some repairs in gym, which I rent, and have bought special simulators. My sons are coaches, they work with clients and look after equipments.
I got a loan from micro landing organization for buying trainers for the gym.
- 8. How has its performance so far compared to your hopes and expectations? Has anything been better than you expected? Worse?
For now, I’m delighted with the gym. Whenever I see women getting out of the gym with happy faces and then thanking me I become very pleased. I will try to increase the amount of coming to the gym women. women ask me to organize for them an individual gym, because today gym for women is only available from 8 – 10 a.m. the rest of the time only men exercise. In Panjikent women and men do sport separately. But, day by day the number of women who want make sport and who want to lose weight is increasing. Especially women ask the exercise to strengthen the muscles of the back, like yoga or Pilates.
- 9. What are your plans for the future? What do you hope you will be able to say about the gym in, say, 5 years?
I have a grande plan for the future. During 5 years I will try to build my own building for fitness centre, because now I’m spending money for the rent of building. I will try to organize lots of sport halls, which bring a benefit for the health. When I will organize my own gym my wishes will be wider and my plans will grow bigger. I hope Panjakent’s city administration will support me and will give me some land. With the support of my children I hope to build it.