Lori is the second poorest region of Armenia, and Lori Berd is its poorest community. Nearly 1,490 families (5,967 inhabitants) live in this community’s nine villages of Agarak, Bovadzor, Lejan, Koghes, Hovhanadzor, Yaghdan, Sverdlov, Urut and Lori Berd.

There is much fertile, yet uncultivated land in this area. Further, most of the agricultural machinery used by this community has not been replaced since the fall of the Soviet Union. As a result it is not sufficient for proper cultivation. While the soil in this area is very good for growing potatoes and grain, it mostly remains untouched.

This project will enable the Lori Berd community to purchase one tractor and one drill-ing machine, which will benefit 1,490 families who currently live in poverty. Equipment will be loaned out to families so they can use it to cultivate their land, harvest their own products, and then sell those products to earn income and/or consume themselves.

Lori Berd’s Community Council will manage the use of equipment, which will be rotat-ed between families on a consistent basis.

The support given through this particular project will also combat increasing emigration as many who live in Armenia’s rural regions, while they possess fertile land, may not have the means to capitalize from it. The result is that often they face the choice to re-main “unemployed” and sit at home with little to do, or leave their villages and their families to search for work in places like Russia. Combatting this type of unemploy-ment will help to mitigate the poverty faced by so many families in this area, ultimately alleviating their despair. It will also further deter people from leaving their homeland in search of a way to survive.

We at Ayo! believe we cannot remain indifferent to Armenia’s huge problem of emigra-tion. It drains our country of valuable human resources, not to mention hope and any likelihood for positive change. Our challenge now is to help Lori Berd rise to its feet and find a path to progress. There is great potential in this region. With Ayo!’s support, progress can become a reality.