Armenia Fund USA, Inc.
152 Madison Ave, S-803
New York, NY 10016, U.S.A.
T/1-212-689-5307
F/1-212-689-5317
E-mail: info@armeniafundusa.org

Armenia Fund USA’s Agricultural Initiative
Creates Jobs in War-Torn Villages of Karabakh

NEW YORK, New York – 18 villages that make up the Mardakert region of
Nagorno-Karabakh are among the first communities to benefit from the opening
of an agricultural cooperative for subsistence farmers established this
summer within Armenia Fund USA’s Agricultural Initiative. The official
opening of the facilities was on September 23, 2006. About 900 farming
households will have access to badly needed mechanized services and
technical advice from US agricultural experts. This would represent a
significant portion of Mardakert’s population. The project, which is part of
the Regional Development of Nagorno-Karabakh, aims at combating rural
poverty by raising the average family income through improved agricultural
practices and technical assistance. More than this, 30 families are
currently benefiting from a pilot 3-year community development program
co-managed by Armenia Fund USA and Heifer International. The pilot program
will provide seeds, fertilizers, cows and technical assistance in animal
husbandry. Armenia Fund USA and its international affiliates are also
constructing 8 schools, a hospital, and a major water-pipeline in the
Mardakert region.

Armenia Fund USA’s Regional Development Program, launched last year, is an
integrated approach to rural poverty eradication in the war-torn villages.

It focuses on sustainability and continuity of development, combining local
expertise and need assessment of rural communities. The project encompasses
all key aspects of socio-economic development – access to education, proper
healthcare, and clean water, as well as sustainable infrastructure to
support irrigation water systems, roads and agricultural development.

Armenia Fund USA, with its international affiliates, has had a strong and
measurable impact on the development of Karabakh and Armenia since
independence. The organization remains the largest contributor to
socio-economic infrastructure projects there since 1992, having invested
more than $150 million in large-scale infrastructure.

ABOUT ARMENIA FUND USA, founded in 1992, was one of the first of Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund’s 19 international affiliates and serves constituents in
all states east of the Mississippi. As a non-profit, non-governmental,
nonsectarian organization, the Fund represents all Armenian constituents.

Armenia Fund USA is the largest contributor among the 19 international
affiliates – supporting strategic infrastructure projects in Armenia and
Karabakh. The Fund has adopted a policy to go "Beyond Bricks and Mortar" to
provide sustainability for projects it sponsors.