YEREVAN, October 25, /ARKA/. Chambarak-based NGO “Astghatsolk” is implementing various social programs to provide childcare, as well as employment for vulnerable groups and women with disabilities, the press service of Acba Bank reported.
Beneficiaries of the organization prepare educational games with elements of national costumes using clay, which develop imagination and introduce the Armenian culture.
‘Clay House’, a social entrepreneurship program of the Astghatsolk NGO, has provided the women of Chambarak with jobs and the opportunity to start a new business. At first, they created souvenirs, jewelry, then, after studying children’s games, they noticed that there were few locally made ceramic games on the market.
The games use high quality Chambarak clay: it is the women who work with it and get environmentally friendly and safe products.
The ‘Clay House’ social business is the winner of the Stepan Gishyan charity foundation’s annual grant program. The grant funds created new jobs, and women from vulnerable groups are able to work and make a profit.
“First of all, it is important that new products using local raw materials are presented to the market, which stimulates the creation of jobs, and which includes women from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. We try to make this program work consistently: the program promotes the creation of a product or a job, which helps a lot of beneficiaries get involved in it, and the profit is directed to the implementation of the next social programs,” says Anna Gishyan, Director of the Stepan Gishyan charity foundation.
“There are two parts to the development of our production shop: before we applied to the Stepan Gishyan charity foundation and afterwards. If we compare what we started with and what we have achieved thanks to the Stepan Gishyan charity foundation, we can state with certainty that we have reached a qualitatively new level. We are happy that we can offer our clients a special product – an educational game, and we can think not only about ensuring current activities, but also development”, notes Irina Hovhannisyan, Chairman of “Astghatsolk” Charitable Foundation.
The Stepan Gishyan charitable foundation was established by Acba Bank, French Credit Agricole, the National Federation of Credit Agricole and Stepan Gishyan’s family. The programs of the foundation are aimed at strengthening the Armenian-French relations, improving the social-economic, scientific-educational, cultural and medical systems of Armenia. -0-
