Twelve Families in Tatev Community Awarded Grants to Bring Their Business Ideas to Life

The closing event of the “Wings4All” program, implemented by the “We are Our Mountains” Development Agency, took place at the Tatev Community Center. During the event, 12 beneficiary families were awarded grants ranging from 300,000 to 1,000,000 Armenian drams to realize their own business ideas.

The program, implemented in the enlarged Tatev community with a grant from the Hovnanian Family Foundation, support from the ACBA Federation, and in collaboration with Innobiz NGO and the Tatev Community Center, aims to promote entrepreneurial culture in Tatev, unite families displaced from Artsakh with local families, and establish a new model of community cooperation.

Throughout the six-month program, more than 50 beneficiary families participated in the “Business from Scratch” entrepreneurship course, developed their own projects with the support of experienced mentors, and competed in a business ideas competition. To test them, 30 families received scholarships of up to 330 US dollars, and 12 out of 29 projects presented in the competitive phase were awarded grants.

“The “Wings4All” program is a vivid example of how local initiatives can transform into practical development programs. Our goal is to continue supporting people who want to strengthen the Syunik region of Armenia through their work,” stated Grigori Martirosyan, Director of the “We are Our Mountains” Development Agency, emphasizing the importance of continuing key programs implemented by the agency in Tatev.

One of the program’s unique features was the involvement of teenagers who, together with their families, participated in the courses, developing leadership and practical skills.

Nineteen-year-old Syuzanna Mirzoyan, forcibly displaced from Artsakh, shares her story:

“Animal husbandry wasn’t my dream field – it was my father’s idea, which he had started in Artsakh. When I learned about the program, I realized this was our chance to continue. Starting from scratch in a new environment wasn’t easy, but this program gave us confidence and new strength.”

Syuzanna wants to implement her business project in Svarants village:

“Weak villages need to be strengthened so that people don’t leave their homeland, and Svarants is one of those villages that is already developing.”

As a result of the program, business projects in beekeeping, tourism, and agriculture will soon be launched.

According to Innobiz NGO Director Naira Margaryan, this was also a new experience for their organization:

“It wasn’t easy to gain the community’s trust, but step by step, we managed to unlock potential and transfer knowledge and skills. The result was inspiring—with visible changes in mindset and self-assessment. We succeeded in giving wings: now we eagerly await our participants’ successes.”