Conflict in Georgia

August 12th, 2008

If anyone is interested in getting some background on what’s going on in Georgia right now, I really encourage you to read the book, “Engaging Eurasia’s Separatist States: Unresolved Conflicts and De Facto States,” by Dov Lynch.  It deals with the PMR, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia specifically. 

Effects of the war on Armenia haven’t manifested themselves acutely, as of yet.  I will update you on what things are like here as I’m able.

July Update

July 15th, 2008

Hello Friends!

It’s been a little while since my last update, so I’ll jump right into it.  Things have been moving fast on-site; with the heat comes activity.  I recently participated and represented Peace Corps Armenia (right before my week-long vacation) in the South Caucasus Workshop: Promoting Best Practices in ICT, Tourism and Business Services Delivery and Prospects for Regional Integration and Cooperation.  The workshop was organized by USAID, and the line-up was impressive:  Robin Phillips, Mission Director, USAID/Armenia; Maureen Dugan, Director, Office of Economic Growth, USAID/Europe & Eurasia Bureau; Filip Stoyanovich, Regional Director, USAID/Europe & Eurasia Bureau’s Regional Competitiveness Initiative; Hayley Alexander, Chief of Party, USAID/Armenia’s Competitive Armenian Private Sector project; Olin McGill, Chief of Party, USAID/Georgia’s Business Climate Reform project; Steve Eastham, Project Director for the Regional Competitiveness Initiative, USAID/Europe & Eurasia Bureau; Steve Silcox, Project Director, Business Growth Initiative, USAID/Europe & Eurasia and EGAT Bureaus – and on and on and on.  What an opportunity it was.  The people in attendance at this workshop were people leading the field in international development – the experience and insight floating around was amazing!  When looking at things at a macro-level, there are so many opportunities for regional integration and collaboration to increase and enhance opportunities for just about all stakeholder groups within the Caucasus.  Just the networking opportunities alone this conference facilitated and enabled were worth all the time and effort it took to pull this workshop together.  That was the most valuable deliverable, I feel, this workshop facilitated.  Beyond facilitating interactive dialogue on the subject of national competitiveness, regional competitiveness, ICT, tourism, business services delivery and a hard look at case studies of successful developmental implementations within each of these delineated focus areas, the workshop helped build bridges between individuals who stand to benefit through collaboration and information sharing at a high-level – it also opened a lot of eyes, I believe, on possibilities in ICT, tourism and business services delivery.  The opportunities right now are enormous; it just takes some sound strategic planning, momentum and action to get things rolling in the right direction.  As a takeaway, I received almost a gigabyte of World Economic Forum data, Caucasus country-specific economic information, case studies, presentations, etc. that I’ve been networking like mad.  If anyone is interested in this information, contact me!

Specific to Armenia, there were some outcomes and information that I’ll briefly touch on.  At a governmental level, it was exciting to find out that a National Competitiveness Council of Armenia (NCCA) has been organized, which Gayane Afrikyan is now the Executive Director of.  She spoke briefly on their plans, goals and objectives and their institutional approach for enhancing Armenia’s global competitiveness.  NCCA will be the engine for developing the five identified priority areas for development according to the most recent government strategic plan (2008-2012):  regional center for business excellence, regional resort center, regional financial center, regional health center, regional center for education.  The Council will also tackle the challenge of upgrading the country’s global position in two main categorical areas:  reaching the level of medium income countries, and raising the ranking of Armenia within the WEF (World Economic Forum) global rankings (specifically within the Global Competitiveness category); currently (2007-2008) Armenia ranks 93 out of 131 countries.  By 2010-2012, the Council aims to have Armenia in the top 60 or 70 in the WEF rankings for global competitiveness. 

Another outcome was a call to focus on “ruthless transactional efficiency,” by Olin McGill, Chief of Party for USAID/Georgia’s Business Climate Reform project.  This was one of those ‘bottom lines’ that we need to constantly return to in measuring success and progress, and I think it registered with some of the participants working in this region. 

Susan Warren, a tourism consultant for USAID/Europe & Eurasia’s Regional Competitiveness Initiative presented on some of her work and experience, as well as highlighting the need for tourism destinations to promote and foster authentic experiences categorically (in hospitality, cuisine, ambience, activities, etc.).  There was a general consensus that Armenia is a fragmented tourism destination that doesn’t have a well formed brand identity, and isn’t organized in a way that is conducive toward marketing the destination to its multifarious consumer market segments.   She also presented on the need to bring quality to services here, and understand the impetus that drives the various consumer market segments to come here.  Often times, tourists come to Armenia to have a culturally authentic experience, and the tourism industry should focus on organizing an offering that satiates that cultural palette rather than starving it by divorcing tourists from what they came here to experience.  There’s a lot to do in tourism.  Susan will be delivering a concept note to the CAPS project here that will be added into a strategic plan, which will be presented in the near future to the ATDA and the Armenian govt.  I’ll look forward to posting that for all of you when it becomes available.

Steven Eastham, Project Director for RCI, then built on the tourism discussion by discussing the “Total Experience” that must be focused on in analyzing a tourism experience.  The pre-trip phase is one of the most important stages, as expectations are being set, and there is a very real need to provided focused, relevant and branded information to tourists that are in-sync with their desires as a part of a distinct market segment.  He discussed how it’s important to growth the overall “product offering,” through providing new routes out of the usual roosts, responsible tourism and knowing your “clients” expectations.  He highlighted some problematic areas for Armenia that need to be ameliorated before the country can flourish as a high-yielding tourism destination. 

Mike Ducker from J.E. Austin & Associates presented on ICT and Armenia’s opportunities for engaging external markets through niche marketing.  He then covered some interesting possibilities for IT being an enabling force for instigating growth within the agricultural industry.

And on and on.  It was a great conference.  If you all have any questions on the materials, presentations or outcomes, please email me or visit www.businessgrowthinitiative.org for additional information.

I have a couple of other potential projects that are at a standstill because of slow-coming or frozen USAID money that has yet to clear delivery.  The recent political turmoil threw a wrench in the works and we’re at a snail’s pace in getting project funds on a local and national level.  On a higher note, the US Embassy’s Democracy Commission is interested in a continuation of the Gegharkunik Marz Independent Print Media Empowerment Project.  We’ll be meeting to discuss the potential year-long extension this next week – we’ve already got some ideas for building on the results of the marketing plan we’ve implemented and are excited to be moving forward!  We’re in the process of analyzing the results of our second round of survey research to compare with our benchmarks.  I’ll have the final report ready by early August and will post it then.  Anyway, while all the grant projects are in the process of moving forward, I’ve been doing general business consulting, continuing to move forward on prior initiatives and evolving my role and deliverables with the businesses I continue to work with.  I’ll get into detail on some of those businesses some other time.

I also had the chance to meet a family I’ve been in correspondence with, the Vartanians, hailing all the way from California.  Evelyne and Vardan took time out of their first trip to their home here in Armenia to bring donations up to me at my site in Sevan – what a great family!  They brought out some books for the Sevan State College, and a laptop to be used for the on-loan program I put together.  No one was more excited than the second youth-in-need to benefit from a loaned out laptop, Zhenia Arakelyan.  After the initial “contract period” has expired, we’ll test progress and decide whether an extension is warranted.  There are plenty of individuals who will benefit from the Vartanians benevolence and I’m looking forward to really expanding this program to assist aspiring professionals in attaining basic computer literacy, typing skills and competency in MS Office.  People like the Vartanians make this all a reality; they’re good people, for sure, and I’m glad to know them.

I’m also beginning preparations for the business classes I’ll be teaching at Gavar State University beginning in September.  I’m excited about that and thanks again to Laura Mayberry for donating the course work and book resources to allow me to get my lesson plans sorted out.

I’ve got lots of other things to touch on but will save a little for my next post. I hope all is well with you all.  Keep in touch!!!

Great NEWS!!!

June 6th, 2008

GREAT NEWS everybody!  The organic chicken farm project for the Gevorgyans has been FULLY funded!  I’d like to offer a special thanks to a donor who made the single largest contribution (over half) on behalf of Helen Saribekyan and Alexandra Melikian of Phoenix, AZ in the name of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Arizona.  Their generosity has made waves in Sevan, Armenia for a family in need, as did all the other contributors’ benevolence.  This didn’t happen through any one person’s efforts, progress was made through individuals putting the word out, and giving whatever they could.  I’d like to offer a special thanks also to the following donors:

Stella Aslibekyan – Boston, MA

Jason Calligas – Shreveport, LA

J. T. Gottwald – Goochland, VA

Nelli Martirosyan – Glendale, CA

Jessica Zapiain – Newport Beach, CA

Susan Nix – Fort Worth, TX

James Lawson – United Kingdom

David Rutledge – Fort Worth, TX

Chad Horany – Fort Worth, TX

Edgar Hagopian – Bloomfield Hills, MI

Paul Sookiasian – West Chester, PA

Lucy Haskell – Lancashire, United Kingdom

Armen Yesayan – Glendale, CA

Sergey Babayan – Burien, WA

Cassandra Chatwin – Manitoba, Canada

I’d also like to thank the following organizations:  Armenian Apostolic Church of Arizona, Armenian Students Association, Armenian Professional Society of Los Angeles (www.apsla.org), Made In Armenia Direct (www.madeinarmeniadirect.com), and Rassai Interactive (www.rassai.com).  

And let’s make that a very special thanks to Rassai Interactive, for not only hosting this site, but also for contributing generously to this project; take a minute to check out their website and see all the amazing things they’re doing with digital communications and interactive technology!

The Gevorgyans are overjoyed, and so am I, frankly.  All of you who made this happen through your time, consideration, and/or donation have done a really good thing.  Selfless, compassionate, kind acts echo in time and live within the lives and hearts of individuals, and the lives that lead out from, and through, theirs, unfolding into the broader scheme of things.  You never know what an act of goodwill can lead to down the road.  You all have placed a measure of good on the scales, and that’s really all it takes to make the world a better place.  Doing a good deed, when one has the chance.  So all of you who could, and did, thank you.  It all comes down to people:  helping each other, having compassion for each other.  Your efforts are inspiring – THANK YOU AGAIN!!!

And that’s not the last of it, by any means.  I’ve been busy while waiting on the funding for this project!  We’re midway through the Gegharkunik Marz Independent Media Empowerment Project, funded by USAID through the US Embassy.  The project is going well; having trained the editorial staff of the three print vehicles, they’ve really come into their own in terms of product and promotional design!  Here’s a sample of the promotional advertisements they put together:

The Sevan Newspaper is the organization I’m working with in implementing this project.  They also have two other projects I’m facilitating for them: a Eurasia-funded market research project and a gender issues in an emerging democracy project.  The Eurasia-funded project is coming along well, and we’ll start with the second round of market research, focusing on the Sevan Metropolitan Statistical Area at the end of July.  The gender issues project is in the planning stages; we’re still seeking out funding.  The project will establish a year-long training seminar series for women in the Sevan metro area to address gender issues in an emerging democracy.  It will seek to empower women through case studies, a hosted lecture series, and capacity building with a focus on: communication skills, organization skills and project design, development and management skills.  We will also focus creating a complex community system leveraging the women’s groups to create more civically active gender-oriented stakeholder groups.  One of the problems in communities throughout Armenia is the lack of knowledge about how to enact change: how to organize, how to be Agents for Change, identifying what resources are available, and just generally how to collaborate to find solutions that address problems that have an overall commonality.  The project’s curricula focuses on social and economic improvements as well…it’s a detailed project plan and difficult to summarize.  The concept paper alone was six pages.

Still working on marketing and promotion for the Harsnaqar Hotel Complex & Waterworld and it’s going really well.  We opened the Sevan artists’ cooperative outlet in the main lobby of the hotel complex – we even racked up some decent sales in the first week of operations!  I’ll keep you updated on how that goes – the artists’ cooperative is really excited, and I’m excited for them.  They’re turning out amazing work.

I’ve started consulting with an IT development company in Yerevan, as well.  This is a really exciting business relationship for me, as they’re an incredibly dynamic Armenian-owned IT company.  They’re one of the largest IT companies in Armenia, and ISO certified; they have an incredible corporate culture (which is unique for Armenia), incorporate best practices and progressive work process methodologies, and so on.  Anyway, the relationship is constantly evolving and I’m helping out any way I can – it’s good to see them succeeding.  Check out their website at www.instigatedesign.com.

I hosted a friend of mine from Milan, Italy who donated a week of her time to speaking with Armenian youth organizations, youth-oriented NGOs and a few educational institutions.  Silvia Raldi is an assistant banker with Banca Leonardo Group, based out of Milan.  Silvia donated both her time and money to speak with young Armenians about the European Union, the European Council, issues in business in Europe, banking and finance practices, gender roles and issues in Europe, and a variety of other topics of interest.  She hosted lots of questions, and I was really amazed with the positive reaction she got at every organization we were hosted at.  Here’s a few pictures of her trip here:

I’m also working on a proposal for a large grant for the Armenian Caritas organization, in conjunction with another volunteer, Elizabeth Pou (another business enterprise development volunteer).  This is probably one of the most exciting things I’m working on, but I’ll wait to fill you all in on the details.  After we pass the first stage (Elizabeth just submitted our concept paper), I’ll give you all a full report on what we plan on doing.

I’m working with another business in the capital, The Castle Learning Center, which is a really dynamic English language center for Armenian professionals.  I advise them on some marketing- and branding-related issues, as well as host groups of Armenian professionals in the capital in group discussions.  Last week we discussed globalization, and some of the changes that are happening in Armenia, development-related issues in the economy, etc.  It’s always so amazing to encounter such bright, motivated and enthusiastic working professionals.  They give so much hope here for a bright future.

I also wrote a Rural Youth Leadership Development and Empowerment Project, which will be a year-long project focusing on developing village youth, personally and professionally.  The training program will involve five main spheres of civic education:  Human Rights (constitutional rights, electoral rights, legal rights and labor rights), Life Skills (communication skills, social skills, leadership skills, decision-making skills), Health (gender issues in health, smoking/alcohol abuse, healthy lifestyles, coping with stress), Business (project design & management, how to set up a small business, how to write a business plan, how to find business help & advice, issues and opportunities in rural development), Civic Skills (role of NGOs in Armenia, how to form formal and informal groups to address community needs / problems / opportunities, civic awareness and community analysis).  The project will take groups of promising youth from each village area and involve them in training other areas, and participate in a competition that will allow them to address a community need or problem through designing a project that fits within a certain budget parameter.  These projects will be judged and the winner will receive funding and implementation support for their project within their community.  We are in the process of submitting the grant to various organizations to seek funding.

I’m also working with the Sevan State College to start a business resource center for their students.  I’m writing a separate grant to see if we can outfit a room for them with computers, printers and a scanner, an English-language lab, books (business-oriented, and general reading), desks, etc.  They have such terrible facilities; I’d love to give those students something to work with in developing a professional career.

And on, and on, and on.  I know how tedious these updates can be at times; if you’ve read down this far, you are to be congratulated.  In sum:  I’m busy and doing great. 

And don’t forget, even though we’ve wrapped up the funding drive on the organic chicken farm, there are always ways you can chip in and help people here.  Check out the Needs Page on this website to see how!  We could really use your donation of clothes, laptops and a sizeable shipment of books.  Please contact me if you think you could help with any of these items.  Speaking of which, I also need to squeeze in another big thanks to Stella Aslibekyan for her donation of some women’s professional attire.  Thanks Stella, it’ll be put to good use!

Hope all is well – I’ll update again soon.

Best,

RWD

Updated donation link for the Gevorgyans Organic Chicken Farm Project – all contributions will be tax-deductible!!!

April 24th, 2008

What a process this has been in pulling this together, but I have good news to share with you all.  The Gevorgyans’ Peace Corps Partnership Program grant has been approved.  Again, thanks to a few very special interested parties, the Gevorgyans were able to come up with the required 25% community contribution to enable us to be a part of this official Peace Corps program.

You all may now make tax-deductible donations through the official Peace Corps government website at: 

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=305-047

I can’t tell you how excited everyone is here – we’re almost there!  Now we just have to get the money in the door.  I’m hoping that will be the easy part.  Please take a moment to visit the Peace Corps donation page, dedicated to this project.  There you will be guided through the process of contributing to this worthy cause.

We made a few changes to fit the requirements of the Partnership Program, including a revised budget to reflect the Gevorgyans’ “community contribution.”  Please review these changes in the revisions to the previous post that covers those details, or email me and I’ll send you a copy of the application, budget and timeline.

And more than giving the Gevorgyans the chance they need to develop a small business that will provide them with a self-sustaining revenue stream, you’ll also be funding a pilot small-scale business assistance project that might provide the framework for a very sustainable and prospective opportunity that other poor families might be able to duplicate and apply in a variety of similar manners.  In essence, after the business is built and instituted, we’re going to market this agri-product as “organic & locally-produced.”  I’ll give you the four main goals this project seeks to attain:

(1) Provide the investment capital necessary to start an organic chicken farm to a hard-working, extremely deserving Armenian family.  This Armenian family has a strong work ethic, and the experience in raising chickens and harvesting eggs to make this business work.

(2) Provide the local consumer market with high-quality, organic eggs.  Currently, almost all of the eggs consumed within the local market are factory-farmed eggs, driven in from a large-scale operation just outside the capital city.  There are no benefits to the local population in consuming these eggs, as the chickens from this operation are given many synthetic chemical inducers to accelerate egg production, anti-biotics and other drugs, which lower the nutritional value of the eggs and diffuse non-natural substances and additives into the diet of the local population.  Also, the wholesale profits from the purchase of these eggs leave the local community and go back to the capital, where the large-scale factory farm is based.

(3) Improve the local economy through the development of a small-scale business assistance project that keeps local financial capital circulating within the local economy.

(4) Enhance the viability, and competitiveness, of the local business community through the introduction of a new genre of products that fall under the general category of “locally-produced & organic,” through the realization of this business model, providing a blueprint for how local business can fulfill a niche market demand for higher-quality products that allow them to be competitive against larger businesses operating out of the capital city.

If anyone out there is interested in seeing the full PCPP Application in the interests of providing funding, please don’t hesitate to email me at robert.w.dietrich@gmail.com

Please visit this link and help us get started!!! This is a great project that will help an amazing family get on their feet.  This isn’t going to happen without YOU getting involved.  Every little bit helps – if we all chip in a little: $20, $40, $50 or even $100 or more, we’ll be able to pull this together.  I’ve put out a lot of requests for help to people just like you, in the hopes that we can communally band together and do something for a group of people that need help.  Please, be a catalyst for a positive change in the lives of the Gevorgyan family.

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=305-047

With thanks and respect,

Robert Dietrich
United States Peace Corps
Business Enterprise Development Advisor
Sevan, Armenia

IMPORTANT POST - PLEASE READ!!!!!!!!

April 8th, 2008

IMPORTANT!!!

This is an important entry that I’m hoping you all have time to review very closely.  As a business volunteer in the Peace Corps, I work with all manner of businesses, and all manner of people.  The way that international aide works in community and business development is particular to the country in which it is addressing, and their priorities for sustainable development.  In Armenia, foreign aid for business development, in my opinion, is somewhat misguided.  Their approach is highly centralized to the capital of the country, Yerevan, and leaves out much of the rest of the country on the whole.  Not only that, but much of the implementation is left to contractors that often don’t have the much needed experience, or highly developed expertise, to implement their programs effectively.  At a high-level, I find through my position here that I’m able to do some really fantastic things.  At a grass-roots level, my hands are tied often when it comes to getting investment capital together.  It’s unfortunate because I really feel that the business economy would grow much faster here if there were a system of small business grants to allow entrepreneurs to lead the development in the rural regions.  What about microfinance, you say?  I’ve been down that road.  The reputable, well-managed microfinance institutions that you’d find in many larger countries aren’t operating in Armenia.  A lot of times, the microfinance institutions that are here fall prey to corruption and mismanagement.  So, they aren’t an option for what I’ll be addressing in this posting.

All that is to say is that I’ve found a really deserving, hard-working family that NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!  Below, you’ll find Khoren, his wife Lyuba and their granddaughter, Adrine pictured.  They live along with Lyuba’s sister Anahit, their son’s wife, Donar, and Adrine’s brother, Karen.  They are probably the kindest and most generous Armenian family I’ve encountered during my stay here, and that’s really saying something.  Khoren and Lyuba are keeping just about everyone; Karen takes work when he can find it (work is extremely difficult to find here), Donar works in a shop for five dollars a day, three days a week.  Khoren and Lyuba are pensioners and live on about $150 a month – this is barely enough to get them all by and until recently, they were aided with the support of their son.  Their son, unfortunately, has left to Russia for good and will not be helping them anymore.  It’s a sad development, and it puts them in desperate circumstances. 

 

After speaking with them, I think I’ve found a solution that will give them the means they need to work themselves out of this dire situation.  They have a small area of land that they’re squatting on to produce potatoes, and a few other agricultural products, as well as to keep about 20 chickens.  They’re fairly accomplished in raising chickens, and I’ve decided that’s the best outlet to generate a sustainable business development opportunity for them.  They used to keep more chickens, but were forced to sell them during a tough period of time, so they do have the experience necessary to make this business idea work.  I’ve drawn up a plan to expand their chicken roost and yard, to accommodate 130 extra chickens.  What we would be funding is a small-scale, organic chicken farm project.  Lyuba has all the know-how here on keeping the hens and contacts to move the eggs.  The market here is ripe for a “localized” provider of eggs.  There is no immediate, local competition for farm-raised eggs believe it or not – everyone else who farms eggs, does so for personal consumption, and that is minimal even then.  The few that provide eggs to local shops do so at about 10 to 20 a week, depending on output.  There is no consistency or organized approach to the business.  These local, farm-raised eggs sell for an average of 20 drams more than the factory-farmed eggs that are driven in from the capital.  I’ve developed a small, practical, business plan in Armenian for them with the help of my counterpart, and they’re really on-board and excited to see this plan go into action.  We’ve even devised a small-scale marketing plan to help them slowly expand their consumer market through a localized branding campaign.  We’ve got a business that produces commercial stamps that will allow us to have a logo put on each egg that advertises its local, organic source.  People here are proud of their community, and see a value in purchasing items that are produced locally.  I’ve seen this work with other businesses I’ve worked with in the capital. So what we need now is financial assistance; we need YOUR HELP to get this sustainable business idea off the ground.  And it won’t take much investment to give this amazing family a sustainable revenue stream.  This family really needs your help, and if it’s not coming from you, it’s not coming at all.  As an on-the-ground advisor, I’m going to put my nose to the grindstone to make this opportunity work for them.  I’ve already spoken to local business contacts to work out outlets for their product on top of what Lyuba has done, I’ve got the estimates wrapped up, and even have other PC volunteers lined up who are willing to volunteer their time with me to build the structure and put in all the manual labor.  We’re ready to move on this one, all we need is your generous contribution to make this happen.

Here’s the cost-breakdown of what we need and a budget narrative for this project (I’ll calculate dollar totals at the end; the exchange rate fluctuates from 300-310 dram to the dollar):

First, we need to get the land.  To buy the land they’re currently squatting on, we need 292,000 dram.  Khoren and Lyuba were evicted from their original residence in Sevan by the govt. and pushed into their current residence from a municipal building project and we don’t want that to happen again.

Second, we need to reinforce the current structure, and extend it to accommodate the extra chickens.  The construction of the building extension will push the current structure out 12 meters, and expand the hen yard by 10 meters.  For this we need concrete, Tuf stone blocks, sand, mixing stones, rebar, metal roof sheeting, wood slats for roofing, and wood for the roosts.

Third, we need to acquire the chickens.  They are 2000 dram a piece.  We also want to secure quality feed for the chickens for a year and egg cartons to move the eggs to purchasing retail outlets. Here is the budget breakdown of what we’re asking for:

Land:  292,000 dram

Concrete:  50,000 dram [20 (50 kilo bags)]

Tuf Stone Blocks:  261,800 dram [1540 blocks at 170 dram a piece]         

Sand:  40,000 dram [4 M3 at 10,000 dram a M3]

Mixing Stones:  80,000 dram  [4 M3 at 20,000 dram a M3]

Reebar:  32,000 dram  [32 meters at 1000 dram a meter]

Metal Sheeting for Roof:  50,000 dram  [20 (sq. meters) at 2,500 dram a sq.meter] 

Wood for Roof Slats & Roost:  72,000 dram [80 meters at 900 dram a meter]

Chicken Feed:  362,880 dram [5184 kilos at 70 dram a kilo]

Egg Cartons:  67,200 dram [672  at 100 dram a piece]

Total Partnership Contribution we are seeking:  1,307,880 dram OR $4,288.13 USD

Here is the budget breakdown of what the Gevorgyans are putting into the pot:

Metal Fence Poles:  5,400 dram [6 meters at 900 dram a meter]

Roofing Nails:  2,800 dram [4 kilos at 700 dram a kilo]

Fencing:  20,000 dram [20 meters at 1000 dram a meter]

Metal Fixing Wire:  4,400 dram [8 kilos at 550 dram a kilo]

Chickens:  260,000 dram [130 chickens at 2000 dram a chicken]

Travel & Transport (to buy & ship chickens):  40,000 dram

:  40,000 dramProduct Marking Stamp & Dye Ink (for year):  20,000 dram

Labor:  4 workers for 10 days, at 3000 dram a day is 120,000 dram [keep in mind that we assigned our work a monetary value for the purposes of this project, so as to help us attain our 25% community contribution, so we could be a part of the Partnership Program.  We aren’t really going to pay ourselves for the work we do.

Total Community Contribution is 472,600 dram or $1,549.50 USD

So here we are.  Your donation can make a difference in the lives of these people – they need help.   This is a good idea, a great business and a sustainable development opportunity that is going to do some good at a grass-roots level.  In the grand scheme, this isn’t much capital to create a viable small business.  And more than that, these people are deserving, hard-working people – your donation will be put to good use.  All it takes is 51 people donating $100 a piece and we’re there - but even $20, $50, or $75 gets us closer to where we need to be.  We can tackle this together and make it happen!!!  This project is up on the official Peace Corps website , as a Partnership grant:

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=305-047

This will allow you to make a tax-deductible donation to this worthy cause.  Please contact me at robert.w.dietrich@gmail.com if you would like any further information, or if I may provide further assistance.

I really don’t have anywhere else to turn for funding on this small project, but it’s a project that is very close to my heart.  To have the chance to make a real, impactful difference in the life of a family – people who are victims of circumstance – is the sort of thing you carry with you for the rest of your life.  I want you to be a part of this.  Please, open up your heart to these people and donate to help them start a small business that will allow them to keep going.  You donation, large or small, will be put to good use in making a difference for some people who deserve it – every little bit helps.  Please donate!

With my most sincere thanks,


Robert Dietrich
United States Peace Corps
Business Enterprise Development Advisor
Armenia

Pictured below: current structure

Pictured below: current hen yard

     

 

Armenian Artist

April 8th, 2008

I wanted to feature one of our amazing local artists here in Armenia.  Her name is Gohar and she’s going to be one of the featured artists in our newly opening Armenian Artists Direct store in the base of the Harsnaqar Hotel Complex.  I’ve pictured some of her stuff here to give you an idea of what we’ll be selling.  She does an amazing job balancing production-value with aesthetic-value, in my opinion.  She really lets go in her personal work; I really should put up some of her pastels and oils sometime.  She has real talent.  Anyway, a little background on Gohar:  she’s 23 and recently graduated from an arts school in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.  She’s been painting since she was six, and aspires to open up an arts school of her own for this marz (state).  She likes to take traditional Armenian designs, iconic places and events and incorporate them into her work.  I’ve found another store in Yerevan that might also place an order with her.  I’m hoping that she’ll experience some real success here, and I’ll do what I can to help.  The next time I feature an artist here, I’ll cover another artists from Vanadzor who does some of the most amazing abstract work I’ve seen in awhile.  The arts are alive and well in Armenia.

The Sevan Museum

March 29th, 2008

Hope everything is well with you all.  It’s funny the way that you stumble across things here.  I was finishing up a meeting with some local artists from the arts school that will be participating in our new “Armenian Artists Direct” store to be located in the lobby of the largest local hotel complex, Harsnaqar.  On the way out, one of the artists suggested that I visit the Sevan Museum, which was one floor up from the school.  I hadn’t heard of any such thing, and so I thought I’d go ahead and take a chance.  Upon entering, I felt really overwhelmed.  The place is full of items that have been found over the years through professionally organized excavations, chance finds, etc. – items dating back thousands of years.  There are daggers, swords, coins, pottery, tools – just about everything you can imagine.  Stuff that you might see at the MET or the Natural History Museum in NYC (behind six-inch thick plexiglass in climate controlled environments with hardcore security systems in place).  Apparently they have stockpiles of the stuff just sitting “somewhere” awaiting the day when they have an “aveli lav der” (a better place) to showcase the – and I can’t think of a better word – treasures.  I included some pictures of a few of the items they have on display:

I’m going to try and write UNESCO about maybe offering them some technical assistance on how to better preserve what they have, store it and display it.  And some financial assistance wouldn’t hurt, to be sure.  This place would be a huge draw for tourists, if we can get a few improvements in place, not to mention a more secure environment for showcasing their artifacts.  It’s amazing how you just stumble on things like this here; it reminds you of just how old this area really is.

Spring is HERE

March 22nd, 2008

Hey all,

Some of you might have noticed that I had to take down my entry regarding the ongoing political turmoil transpiring here.  There is a media blackout in effect; they’re censoring everything and it’s hard to get access to good information.  I wanted to take up some of the slack, but as a US Govt. employee, we have things we can say and things we can’t – and so I was required to comply and delete my entry. 

Sorry all:  please email me with any questions you may have and I’ll give you the lowdown on what happened (is happening) here. 

Otherwise, business is going well.  Things have been relatively quiet out in the regions where I work; I haven’t felt endangered in any way.  The “Armenian Artists Direct,” shop I am organizing on the first floor of the Harsnaqar hotel complex is coming along well; we’ve had meetings with some fantastic local artists and we’re going to finalize their contract papers next week.  Harsnaqar’s marketing plan is complete, and we meet on it next week to develop their very first annual implementation schedule.  Two weeks from now I’ll be holding a two-week long customer service training seminar for their employees with the help of two Armenian business trainers.  I’ll also be doing some sales training for their Marketing Director (my counterpart for this project) as she gets ready to start soliciting our institutional and organizational market segments in the capital.  This project is a really exciting one for me.

I’m also trying to find some microfinance lending opportunities for businesses in my community.  There is an organization I’d like to work with, and I’m going to try and contact them, to see if there might be a microfinance institution they could partner with in my country-of-service.  Check out www.kiva.org – it allows you to loan money to entrepreneurs in developing countries around the world.

I also have written a grant and submitted it to two different organizations, including the Global Fund for Women, to help train and create civic and social activist networks in communities around my Marz (state).  One of the problems in communities throughout Armenia is the lack of knowledge about how to enact change: how to organize, how to protest, what resources are available, and just generally how to collaborate to find solutions that address problems that have an overall commonality.  I’m excited about the project, and I hope the grant is approved.  It’ll be a year-long project.

Other than that, we have a meeting with Eurasia in two weeks on another grant I wrote for a professional transition school.  In two weeks I have a design seminar for all the independent print media vehicles in my Marz, in three weeks we have a subscription agent sales training seminar for our B2B and B2C sales agents that will be working on the implementation of part of the marketing plan I wrote for the independent media in my Marz.  I have a business plan to finish for a small logistics management company in my community. And on, and on.  Things are going well.

Also, as the chairman for the PR Committee for Peace Corps Armenia, I’m busy helping with preparations for our new class of volunteers coming at the beginning of June.  So if any of you all are reading this, we’re getting really excited to meet you.  This is a great assignment and we look forward to greeting you as a new addition to the great legacy of service that the Peace Corps has here in Armenia.

Also, I have my FIRST friend travelling out to visit, which I’m very excited about.  My friend Silvia R. from Italy is coming for about nine days at the end of April.  Not only is she going to have a “culturally authentic” experience here, but she’s also going to volunteer some of her time to speaking with young women with professional aspirations in rural areas.  She’s already scheduled to give two group presentations to youth NGO’s in smaller villages in the Lori Marz.

And finally, I’ve just finished reading, “Consciousness Explained,” by Daniel C. Dennett.  A great read; it’s a very approachable theory of human consciousness – I highly recommend it.  Next up, I’m going to read Sigmund Freud’s, “Totem and Taboo.”  Don’t ask me why, thought it might be fun.  I’m also excited because Silvia plans on bringing me some contemporary Italian authors’ works (in English translation).  I’ll let you know what she brings and what I think.

Hope all is well.

-Dietrich

Some long overdue pics

February 22nd, 2008

I wanted to throw up some pictures of one of the many monasteries to be found here in Armenia – all old, all beautiful, all interesting and haunting in their own way.  The priests that had occupied this particular monastery over the many hundreds of years that it has been in existence had a tradition of having their natural remains buried under their gravestones in one of the many walkways lain throughout the structure.  It was supposed to a final act of humility, allowing ones’ gravestone to be used as a cobblestone. 

I actually take quite a few pictures, I just don’t get the chance to post them - these pics were taken in better, warmer days (this past August).  The connection speed here is SO slow, but regardless, I’ll try and get a few up whenever I can to keep things fresh. 

Long winter months

February 21st, 2008

This has been a pretty slow week – we’ve all had travel restrictions because of the elections here (protests and rallies and such).  But I’ve tried to keep busy with my counterpart organizing the implementation schedule for the marketing plan we’re getting ready to start on March 1st.  In essence, we’re coordinating three separate marketing programs for the three independent print media vehicles we’re working with in our Marz (state), under the umbrella project, Gegharkunik Print Media Empowerment Project.

All the marketing consulting I’m doing with the Harsnaqar Hotel Complex is coming along well.  We start pushing a sales initiative focusing on our B2B market segment, along with our institutional market segment, next week.  It’s the first step in the implementation of the marketing plan I devised for them.  And more than the marketing / promotional side of things, we’re also reorganizing the product and service offering of the complex, and devising a new line of services to appeal to tourism consumer market segments that are seeking a truly “cultural” experience while they’re in Armenia.  We’ve got some really interesting stuff cooking for Harsnaqar and I’m looking forward to seeing how everything comes together.  Also, we’ve put out invitations to artists within our Marz to submit their work for consideration in the new Armenian Artists Direct souvenir shop we’ll be opening in the hotel complex, new this season – I have high hopes for this new offering within Harsnaqar.  I’m hoping it will not only strengthen the viability of the arts within my Marz, but also provide local artists with a commercial outlet so they might better sustain themselves through their individual gifts and talents.

Also, this past Sunday, I had the honor of giving a presentation on Business Ethics & Networking for AIESEC.  I spoke to a group of members who will be leaving to start internships in Western European, American and Latin American business entities and/or NGOs.  In total, there will be 12 Armenians headed out for internships ranging from 2 to 12 months, working with their respective host organizations.  I was scheduled to speak for 45 minutes, but we ended up going for over 2 hours.  I never thought I’d actually enjoy discussing business ethics, but as it turns out, globalization, business ethics and corporate social responsibility are hot topics and I was fully engaged (I think we could have kept going, if the next speaker hadn’t been such a rub).  Anyway, an enormously gratifying experience for everyone involved.  AIESEC is a truly amazing organization with over (I’m pretty sure) 20,000 members worldwide; check them out.

Beyond that, I’m keeping busy with studying, reading and watching Teaching Company lectures.  I’m working on the course series, “Great Authors of the Western Literary Tradition.”  It’s a great series with over 84 lectures from the most incredibly engaging professors you could possibly imagine.  I’ve got another course coming in the mail, so I have that to look forward to after I finish the material I’m currently working through.  Check out their website: www.teach12.com, they’ve got courses on everything from philosophy, physics and political science to religion, history and the arts. 

In terms of books, I’ve just finished up Karl Jaspers’ “Way To Wisdom,” which I highly recommend.  As one of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers gives a concise summery of the basic tenets of his philosophy.  Having finished that book, I’ve decided to explore his corpus of work at greater length, but later I think.  I’ve begun Herman Hesse’s, “Demian,” having finished all his other works except for “The Glass Bead Game.”  I’ve been going through books at a pretty good rate, dedicating a lot of my free time to personal study.  My sister should be sending out Hegel’s “Phenomenology of Mind,” Kant’s “Critique of Pure Reason,” “Critique of Practical Reason,” and, “Critique of Judgement,” as well as Eric Fernie’s “Art History: A Critical Anthology.”  I’ve read the latter two, but hope to dedicate more time to studying them during my time here, especially Kant’s work.  I’m just getting into Hegel, and want to explore his crowning achievement, having finished his “Philosophy of Right,” and “Philosophy of History.”  I took a huge number of books when I moved out here, which was painful to be sure (we had to conform to rigid weight restrictions with our checked luggage – I lugged out over 80 pounds of books in a carry-on), but I’m glad I did.  The selection in the PC library is limited at best, unless you’re a big fan of Danielle Steele, T. Brown and Grisham.  Eek.

I’ll try and compile a list of books that I would recommend, and post that next time. 

Other than that, I try and keep warm.  The winter is vitiating both physically and emotionally after a time; I am greatly anticipating the warmer months to come. 

Hope all is well wherever you are.

-Dietrich