Meet Shirin Tolubaeva. She works as the head of the district statistics department in the Kara-Suu district of Osh province. She has devoted 40 years of her life to statistics and working with data.

Shirin Tolubaeva came to work at the department of statistics back in 1982 after graduating from a technical school. She actively participated in organizing and conducting 4 Censuses in 1989, 1999, 2009 and 2022.

Currently, Shirin Tolubaeva is coordinating the Census work in one of Kyrgyzstan's largest districts with a population of more than 450,000 people. There are currently 33 coordinators, 172 trainers and 1,706 enumerators in the area. During the pandemic, all enumerators were equipped with protective equipment with technical support from UNFPA.

According to Shirin Tolubaeva, the Census is an opportunity to become involved in a big state event. “I have often had to explain to people why the Census is taking place in the first place: the state needs the information collected for a more accurate distribution of financial flows, to understand how to improve life in the country”, she said.

Shirin Tolubaeva had a great responsibility on her fragile shoulders and despite all the difficulties and COVID-19, she continues to perform her duties responsibly and with great enthusiasm helps to collect data and information from the population, which will help the country to develop in the right direction.