On June 24, Executive Director of the “My Step” Charitable Foundation Anna Hakobyan handed over certificates of participation in a business management course to 20 beneficiaries of the Program for Discovering the Professional Potential of War Participants from Armavir Province during an event held at the Development Center in Armavir.
Executive Director of the “My Step” Charitable Foundation Anna Hakobyan talked to all the beneficiaries, learned about their business plans, expressed gratitude for their participation in the Program and wished everyone success in their new businesses.
“I thank you for responding to the Program because implementation of this Program would be impossible, if it wasn’t for your response, your desire to participate and your diligence. It is important that your experience becomes ‘contagious’ for all our boys and men who participated in the war and acquired disabilities and especially for those who broke down and think that life is over, or that they don’t have chances or are not equal to others. On the contrary, I believe you are more than all of us, not equal. By participating in this Program, you are not only doing something useful for you and your families, but you are also doing a great task that is of public importance, and I thank you for that,” Anna Hakobyan remarked after handing over the certificates.
After successfully holding the Program for Discovering the Professional Potential of War Participants in Shirak Province, the “My Step” Foundation held the second stage of the Program in Armavir and Lori Provinces where the Program was also held successfully; the handover of the certificates is the final process of this stage of the Program.
“The aim of the Program is to help the war participants living in provinces and having received injuries get back to normalcy by working. The Program starts with a professional orientation summer camp where personal growth plans are developed for the beneficiaries. Based on those plans, professional orientation courses are organized for them, including courses devoted to IT, foreign language courses, accounting courses, etc. Some participants take part in business planning and administration courses, after which they develop their respective personal growth plans. It is in this period when the Foundation and its partners work on procuring funds and implement the business plans,” Deputy Director of the “My Step” Foundation for Programs and External Relations Talin Topalakian.
Karo Hambardzumyan, one of the beneficiaries of the Program, participated in the professional training course and the business administration course. With the first component of the Program, he studies 3D jewelry modeling, and at the end of the business administration course, he presented a business plan for the establishment of thornless blackberry greenhouse which the Foundation approved.
“It is not that easy to describe the importance of this Program in words since there are not many words to describe it. If you have different problems, including health-related and problems with movement, this Program serves as motivation to be able to feel that you are not alone. When you think something might not work out, this Program helps get you out of that situation, and we look at the problem with a smile and think that it will be solved, not with sadness and with the thought that there is a problem that we can’t solve. Thank God there are such programs that help us not sense the difficulties that we have,” the Program’s beneficiary Karo Hambardzumyan said.
Hayk Nalbandyan has decided to expand his dried fruits business with the help of the Program. He had one piece of equipment for drying fruits. The Foundation provided the second one, and Hayk decided to become actively involved in drying fruits starting this year. He has also participated in the foreign language courses and the SMM training course.
“People’s lives change after a war — before and after. These kinds of programs just help us because it takes time to recover. It is also hard to find a job, and this Program really helps us find jobs, learn a new profession and find new paths,” the Program’s beneficiary Hayk Nalbandyan remarked.
Through the “My Step” Foundation’s Program for Discovering the Professional Potential of War Participants, 27 business plans have been approved in the Lori and Armavir Provinces. After Armavir, the Foundation will distribute certificates to the beneficiaries of the Lori Province as well, after which it will launch the third stage of the Program in the Kotayk, Ararat and Vayots Dzor Provinces.
