Final Update: Employing Artsakhtsi Women
Back in February, we told you about Sose’s Women NGO, which has been using your donations to support families displaced by the Second Artsakh War. Thanks to you, they’ve also established a sewing workshop for displaced women to make sustainable incomes under the Harmony Home brand. In our final project update, we take a closer look at the exciting work being done at Harmony Home and its plans moving forward.
Sose’s Women NGO was established in 2003 to provide women in and around Goris, Syunik Province, with a space to feel empowered. When war struck Artsakh and Armenia last year, Sose’s offered support to displaced Arstakhtsis seeking refuge in Goris. With the $50,070 raised by you, they provided some 100 families with warm bedding and hygiene supplies from February through the end of June while running a sewing workshop for displaced Artsakhtsi women.
What is Harmony Home?
The abovementioned workshop is part of a larger social enterprise, Harmony Home. With the help of your donations, its workshop in Goris was set up in February to train displaced women from Artsakh to make quality household linens like towels, bathrobes, and bedding with the intention of then hiring these women for full-time employment so that they can provide for themselves and for their families.
The NGO’s first task was to hire two experienced seamstresses, one from Goris and another from Artsakh, to train the women. Then, in March, a large shipment of raw material was purchased from an Armenian textile company. Now, the 4 women who have already completed their training have begun sewing full-time with those materials. 5 others currently undergoing training will officially join the team at the beginning of July.
Building a Brand
Since the war’s end, Harmony Home has been distributing their towels to displaced Artsakhtsis and selling them to local restaurants and hotels. Just last month, they participated in the Yerevan Wedding Expo, and have been offered a space on the expo’s online platform for the next 6 months to increase their visibility in the local market. Additionally, they signed a contract this month with popular Armenian brand Melante Sewing, which will expand production and boost sales while offering the women the opportunity to create linens specially designed for the children’s market.
Moving Forward
With affordable, high-quality products, Harmony Home is also looking to enter the international market. Liana Sahakyan, co-founder of Sose’s, is not alone in this endeavor; she has enlisted the help of friends abroad in Los Angeles and London, as well as the wider Diaspora community. However, she recognizes the brand’s need for a more robust marketing strategy to effectively launch its products internationally.
As Harmony Home expands its operations, Sahakyan says that the biggest priority now is to find a new, bigger space to house its facilities, raw materials, and finished products. She also wants to invest in an embroidery machine so that the company can start offering more towel, bedding, and bathrobe designs.
A Working Community
Harmony Home’s combined workshop and factory is more than just a workplace; it’s a community. As these women generate income to provide for themselves and their families, they also receive support from the NGO’s social workers, psychologists, and from each other. Some of the women working at Harmony Home are also members of the families that have been receiving hygiene packs since January.
Though they have suffered much, these women are healing and adapting. In our last update, we introduced you to Nina Abgaryan, an Artsakhtsi who was forced to move her family from Berdzor, Artsakh to Shinuhayr, near Goris. One of the workshop’s two sewing teachers, Nina is pleased with the progress her students have made. “Everyone is ready and willing to learn.” When asked about the future of Harmony Home, Nina says she believes that they will grow because their foundation is solid and they work as a team.
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Though our project with Sose’s has come to an end, the NGO will continue to provide displaced people with basic necessities and empower women with income generated from Harmony Home’s sales.
For a more detailed description of what exactly YOUR donations have accomplished, check out this detailed timeline of this project!
January:
- Hired social worker from Artsakh (Shushi) to work with displaced Artsakhtsis
- Identified/confirmed 100 families for aid distribution
- Made agreements with local bedding company and pharmacy to purchase basic necessities for distribution
February:
- Opened Harmony Home sewing workshop in Goris
- Hired 2 experienced seamstresses to conduct sewing workshops
- Started training 4 women to make bedding and towels
- Distributed hygiene packs to the 100 displaced families
- Distributed 200 blankets to the 100 displaced families
March:
- Finished training initial 4 women
- Initiated full-time employment for initial 4 women
- Purchased raw materials
- Established work hours, lunch break, and overall work flow among the working women
- Distributed hygiene packs to the 100 displaced families.
- Distributed bedding made at Harmony Home to the 100 displaced families
April:
- Visited 2 Armenian sewing factories, Kosy and Anitex, to observe operations and buy raw materials
- Accepted invitation to Yerevan Wedding Expo in May
- Distributed hygiene and bedding packs to the 100 displaced families
- Women learned how to sew bathrobes, making 70
May:
- Harmony Home participated in Yerevan Wedding Expo
- Began training 3 new women
- Distributed hygiene packs to the 100 displaced families
- Sose’s visited a textile company to build better relationships with their enterprise. Connection made through Melante
June:
- Harmony Home signed contract with Melante Sewing company to expand sales
- Distributed towels to the 100 displaced families
- Distributed hygiene packs to the 100 displaced families
- Began marketing and selling products to public
- Visited Jermuk to establish sales network in the city
