Our Lives: Our Future. Supporting Self Recovery and Resilience of Conflict Affected Communities in Armenia

What we do

The project “Our Lives: Our Future. Supporting Self Recovery and Resilience of Conflict Affected Communities in Armenia” seeks to support the displaced in Gegharkunik and Syunik regions in re-establishing their livelihood systems and decrease their dependence on humanitarian assistance while improving the security of the settlements that host them thus increasing overall protection levels, of women and girls especially.

The project focuses on rehabilitating the livelihood systems of the most vulnerable groups, primarily among the IDPs, through on-the-job training, cash or in-kind assistance and increasing community protection levels through the provision of energy efficient street lighting.

Project Objectives

The overall goal of the project is to support the displaced in re-establishing their livelihood systems and decrease their dependence on humanitarian assistance while improving the security of the settlements that host them thus increasing overall protection levels, of women and girls especially.

 

OBJECTIVE 1: Contribute to reinstating the livelihood systems of the IDPs within the most affected border communities of Armenia

Component 1.1: The most vulnerable groups have access to livelihoods, employment or self-employment opportunities.

·         Up-skilling or reskilling of the most vulnerable households to reinstate their livelihoods systems

·         Support to non-agricultural livelihoods rehabilitation through grants to MSMEs and individuals

·         Support to agricultural livelihoods rehabilitation through grants and/or in-kind distributions for small scale agricultural production and processing

OBJECTIVE 2: Support border settlements to become safer and more resilient

Component 2.1: Protection levels are increased in the border settlements, particularly for women and girls

·         Provide energy efficient street lighting for border settlements to increase overall protection levels especially for women and girls

Some Results so far

Objective 1:

-          Project selected an implementing partner: the “Youth for Change” local NGO. Through this partner 45 beneficiaries (from internally displaced persons) in Goris and Vardenis areas were selected for on job training. Relevant employees were identified, and all the selected beneficiaries were smoothly engaged in the “on-the-job” training.

-          Project has just announced a call for a small non-agricultural grant for Gegharkunik and Syunik regions aiming to select up to thirty beneficiaries for non-agricultural micro-grants.

-          Procurement was initiated along with other logistical issues to acquire and distribute fodder to about 90 most vulnerable and displaced households in Syunik and Gegharkunik areas. Thanks to this endeavour those families will be able to preserve their livestock through more than 3 months of harsh winter season.  

-          For informative decision making for the agricultural small grants provision component, the project staff initiated several consultations with local municipal and regional authorities (through field visits as well), active regional NGOs and organizations, other counterparts, projects, experts.

-          Project will select local partners to effectively run the process of providing agricultural small grants and assistance to IDPs. Through this activity up to 60 micro and small businesses and households will get agricultural assistance to preserve and develop their agricultural livelihoods and enterprises.

-         The project reached an initial agreement with the local authorities in Syunik region to support identifying relevant communities with their specific needs for street lighting. Project aims to provide about 40 settlements of the border communities with energy efficient street lighting.