Everyday Is Women’s Day

There’s no doubt about it: Armenian women, and all women for that matter, can do anything. Yet, they continue to be systematically excluded from developments in much of the world. That’s why creating economic opportunities for women so that they can take control of their destinies has always been a key part of all the projects you’ve supported.

Sunday was International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate women everywhere, reflect on the challenges they continue to face and how we, collectively, are working to eliminate those challenges. Here’s a roundup of projects YOU made possible that continue to empower women in Armenia.

Build Sustainable Opportunities For Women Farmers In Tavush
Year: May 2015
Fundraised: $32,970
Result: You built 3 greenhouses for farming families

In order to activate the role of women in the Tavush Province and decrease their dependence on remittances sent from family abroad, we teamed up with Oxfam to increase access to economic opportunities for small-scale farming families, and their resilience to natural disasters related to climate change. You gave $32,970 to build 3 greenhouses for families where women were the main providers, plus provide additional tools for maintaining the greenhouses.

Support A Safe House In Armenia
Year: 2013
Fundraised: $24,363
Result: You kept a safe house for domestic violence victims open in Yerevan, which accommodated up to 5 women and their children

We partnered with the Tufenkian Foundation to close the gap in the operating budget of one of only two safe houses for domestic violence victims in Yerevan, run by the Women’s Support Center. The safe house serves an average of 30 women and 60 children annually.

Remove Landmines from Artsakh & Jobs Not Mines
Years: 2017 and 2018
Fundraised: $196,014
Result: 21,193 square meters of land cleared in Artsakh

We partnered with The HALO Trust in 2017 and 2018 to support their demining efforts in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), one of the most heavily mined regions in the world. How did these campaigns empower local women? HALO is the largest private employer in Artsakh and hires deminers with a strict gender nondiscrimination policy. HALO’s higher-than-average pay and benefits to its employees give many of the women it employs in Artsakh the opportunity to come out of poverty. Check out our mini-doc about female deminers in Artsakh above, and what they think about their life-saving, and stereotype-breaking, work.

LeverEdge
Date: 2018 and 2019
Fundraised: $87,862
Result: 35 local small businesses in communities located on Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan, in the Tavush Province

We partnered with Sahman NGO in 2018 and 2019 to support the establishment or expansion of small businesses in communities located on Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan in the Tavush Province. The LeverEdge Program was created to provide families with the physical tools and equipment they need to jumpstart economic activity. Out of the 35 businesses you supported, 11 were owned or co-owned by women like Gayane Makhsudyan, who opened a greenhouse in Voskepar, or Vergine Aghabekyan, who was able to expand her beauty salon, thanks to your support.