GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN AND UN WILL EXTEND 2,484,900.00 US DOLLARS TO PROJECT IN ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
02.03.2009 23:24 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On 2 March, the Government of Japan and the United
Nations (UN) decided to extend assistance totalling 2,484,900.00 US
dollars (approximately 255.94 million yen) through the United Nations
Trust Fund for Human Security to a project entitled "Sustainable
Livelihood for Socially Vulnerable Refugees, Internally Displaced
and Local Families" in Armenia, which is going to be implemented
by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the
United Nations Develop Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Due to rapidly increasing income inequalities and social uncertainties,
socially vulnerable people including groups such as refugees and
internally displaced people have been suffering from poverty and
lack of access to social services in Armenia. Through the following
activities, this project aims to reduce poverty and improve access
to social services in order to support vulnerable people, especially
women and the youth, to attain sustainable livelihood:
– Renovate old buildings to provide housing units for vulnerable
households;
– Encourage beneficiaries to get involved in community-based
organizations such as women’s group;
– Conduct trainings on entrepreneurship and business skills
development;
– Establishing Small and Medium Entrepreneurship (SME)-supporting
Fund and provide start up loans to 100 businesses and support
community-owned programmes;
– Organize trainings on operation and maintenance of renewable energy
(RE) systems;
– Train health care providers to build their capacity.
This project is expected to assist vulnerable people in reducing
poverty and secure their lives, livelihoods and dignity, ReliefWeb
reports.