Women Empowerment in Armenia
The Arev Society and theArmenian Fund for Sustainable Developmenthave worked with vulnerable women since 2020 in Armenia when a terrible war shattered families and destinies.
Thousands of women became widows or found themselves with disabled husbands who were not in a physical capacity to work anymore.
More than 70% of vulnerable women are unemployed and have only State allowance, which is insufficient for a decent life. They were always dependent on their husbands because of their inadequate knowledge of entrepreneurial skills and ignorance of job market requirements.
The absence of relevant skills and professional experience worsens women's vulnerability. Confined to the domestic sphere, relegating their talents and aspirations, they were excluded as candidates for employment and stable income.
Almost all the beneficiaries we met were in despair and dreadfully lost with a precarious present and an uncertain future.
While implementing humanitarian emergency aid projects in Armenia, we have identified a real need among women from war victim families seeking employment or creating small businesses. Small business creation is one of the best ways to achieve social and economic integration, which has several advantages.
This type of activity in the form of micro-business doesn’t require heavy investment, and running a small business with simplified administrative procedures and almost inexistent taxation is an opportunity to succeed.
Time management flexibility suits our beneficiaries, many of whom are not able to become salaried employees because their husbands are severely disabled and need permanent assistance, or they have small children, and most jobs require incompatible working hours.
For these reasons, in 2022, with the support of the Fisher family, together with theArmenian Fund for Sustainable Developmentwe launched a women's empowerment project and helped several women from war victim families to become self-sufficient.
Since then, more than 100 small businesses have been launched for vulnerable women.