RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM VISIT TO KARABAKH

19-02-2008 13:55:26 – KarabakhOpen

With St. Valentine’s Day just behind us and the Presidential elections
fast approaching, this week we are truly caught in the middle of the
two great powers – love and politics. Nevertheless, we will resist
the temptation to stray away and are determined to stick to our core
topics. So, this week’s topics are: the Rural Development Program
working trip to Karabakh (with a little something extra) and yet
another small project coming to life. In the spotlight of the meet
the people section is Sevan Varteressian, who made the latest small
project possible.

On February 11, the Armenia Fund Rural Development Program staff made
a three day working trip to Karabakh. The aim of the visit was on
the ground assessment of the situation in some of the border villages.

The revitalization of the border villages of Karabakh is very much in
the focus of the Rural Development Program and while the challenges
we face are comparable to the ones we have in Armenia, the magnitude
of the work to be done is significantly larger. Where in Armenia
we are working on reviving the infrastructure damaged by the lack
of maintenance and a turbulent transition period, in Karabakh we
are dealing with places directly and painfully affected by an armed
conflict.

While the capital Stepanakert is a rapidly developing, vibrant city,
the rural areas still very much bear the heavy marks of war. The road
through these villages is a powerful testament to the extent of the
devastation. A lot has been done both by the governments of Armenia
and Karabakh and organizations like the Armenia Fund yet the signs
of war are not easy to

15 FEBRUARY, 2008 RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION OFFICE
WEEKLY UPDATE OF THE ARMENIA FUND RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM