I know my way, my destination

Women Empowerment

Before you arrive in Gandzaqar in the Tavush region, it takes you a two-hour journey. But, when you arrive, you find yourself in a picturesque landscape surrounded by mountains, and all is green.

Here, almost on the highest hill of the village, lives Taguhi, our “Women Empowerment” project beneficiary, who lost her husband during the 2020 war.

We met with her several times this year. When we came here in July 2023, she was building new premises for raising chickens, and to tell the truth, at the time, we felt the scale of the building project was overly ambitious. But she was confident. She said she would complete the work by September 2023 and kept her word.

In the meantime, we bought incubators and some chicken. Now, she has hundreds of chickens, several turkeys, pigs, and a small quantity of eggs for daily sale. Though still in the fledgling stages, this small production created a sustainable income stream, but she won’t stop here; it is just the beginning.

In addition to this activity, she works as a part-time administrative employee in the local municipality, and she accompanies her children daily during the 10-kilometer commute, which is not easy on these mountainous roads.

We sat in her beautiful yard, leaned on the stone table crafted by her husband before the war, and began talking to her about her plans. When you speak to her about the future, you feel an interior strength and resilience but especially a determination for the precise purpose: to ensure a prosperous future for her children.

After losing so much, Taguhi remains committed to honoring her husband’s dreams and keeping their family rooted in Gandzaqar village. “Financial independence for me is not just about earning money; it’s about gaining autonomy, self-reliance, dignity, stability, and the capacity to financially support me and my children without relying on others.”

And if her New Year’s projections prove accurate, 2024 could take her poultry farm to the next level. By 2025, Taguhi expects a surge in customer demand, allowing her to resign from administrative work and focus solely on her chickens and turkeys. Any profits beyond household necessities will be reinvested into expansion plans like additional coops, livestock, and staff to lighten her workload.

She has another dream. She pointed to the mountain opposite and said: "We have a lovely plot of land, and I want to organize an ecotourism activity dedicated to my husband, a war hero. I will certainly do it because I know my way, my destination."