A seamstress and businesswoman from Uzbekistan Dilorom Yuldosheva was included in the BBC’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women for 2024.
“Two years ago, Dilorom Yuldosheva lost both legs in a harvesting accident. But that did not stop her from dreaming big. She wanted to learn new skills while also helping young Uzbek women make a living, so she decided to set up her own sewing business,” BBC noted.
She learnt the basics of entrepreneurship and resource management and went on to train more than 40 apprentices.
“Her business has since become a source of income for her and dozens of other women,” BBC emphasized.
From Central Asia, the list also includes director of an ethnocomplex in Kyrgyzstan Zhanylsynzat Turganbaeva, who is dedicated to preserving and revitalising the country’s cultural heritage.
Among other women on the list are Nobel Peace Prize laureate of Iraq Nadia Murad, actress Sharon Stone, leader of the British Conservative Party Kemi Badenoch, American astronaut Sunita Williams, rape survivor and French activist Gisèle Pelicot, taekwondo paralympian Zakia Khudadadi from Afghanistan and others.
100 Women project
BBC 100 Women names 100 influential and inspiring women around the world every year.
The project’s team drew up a shortlist based on names gathered through research and suggested by the BBC’s network of 41 World Service Languages teams, as well as BBC Media Action.
“We were looking for candidates who had made headlines or influenced important stories over the past 12 months, as well as those who have inspiring stories to tell or have achieved something significant and influenced their societies in ways that wouldn’t necessarily make the news,” BBC explained.
The BBC highlighted that 2024 had been a challenging year for women in many countries due to ongoing armed conflicts and humanitarian crises in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan, as well as societal polarization. For this reason, the keyword chosen during the selection process was “resilience”.
