Schools are designed to teach skills and subjects that prepare children for adult life and the working world. For many students what they need to know to prepare for their future is more easily understood through peer to peer meetings and discussions. Therefore, Mekhrona Akimbekova, at just 16 years old, took the initiative to work with her grade 8-10 peers in a week long training on ‘business modelling’ during the winter holidays, successfully completing her business training with the Accelerate Prosperity last summer. “I now have a much deeper knowledge about entrepreneurship and how to conduct a market analysis”, she said. “My friends and I developed and presented our plan for a small business selling balloons and hot chocolate to little kids in the central park of Khorog town. Amongst other things we needed to thoroughly research their preferences if we were to make a profit.” 

Students who participated in the business modelling programme were enthusiastic about what they had learnt and, importantly, underlined the value a knowledge of business brings in extending their horizons and giving them the tools to pragmatically analyse their future career choices.