UMCOR Armenia delegation in Shirak Marz
With the funding of our donor UMCOR Armenia we started the "Assisting the Rural Community Development" projects in Meghrashat and Meghrashen villages of Shirak marz, Armenia, in 2020.
In Meghrashen, a cooperative carried out a large-scale production of grain. Thanks to the modern equipment provided in the scope of the project, the cooperative consisting of men and women also provided services to the neighbouring villages․ While in Meghrashat, eight women created a cooperative to produce specific national cheese, locally called chechil. We support them not only with purchasing the equipment, which they also contributed significantly, but also with the technical training on the production processes.
On November 29, the delegation of UMCOR Armenia visited both cooperatives. In Meghrashat, the guests were pleasantly surprised with 2 Diaspora Armenian volunteers involved in the work of the cooperative. Ariel Amarkaryan and Taylor Hodge help the cooperative not only to collect milk but also participate in the production of chechil cheese.
According to the delegation, the cooperatives have done a huge job, but efforts are still required from the members to achieve the necessary level of sustainability.
