CASE STUDY WITH MR. ALEXANDER 26.11.2020

As part of our unit on Development, grade 12 IBDP Global Politics students had the opportunity to hear a presentation from entrepreneur Mr. Chris Aslan Alexander. He is a published writer based in the UK. Mr. Alexander spent several years in Uzbekistan. He set up a silk carpet workshop and wrote the book 'A Carpet Ride to Khiva'. The purpose of the workshop was to provide jobs for the widows, orphans, and disabled people in the region. The students learnt about how this development project was intentionally run as an ethical business, where the workers were paid good wages, and conditions in the workshop were continuously monitored. As a result, the workshop became the largest non-government employer in the town and had a tremendously positive effect on the lives of those who worked there, particularly the women who often lack independence because they usually don't have the opportunity to earn their own money. Having studied the theory of Development for the past two months, it was great for the students to actually talk to someone who has been involved in a successful development project which made a difference to people's lives. The students found the presentation inspiring and will be able to use it as a relevant case study in their DP exams.