Hey all,
Thanks for visiting my blog site! My name is Robert Dietrich and I’m a United States Peace Corps Volunteer, working in Armenia. This site is to inform those of you who are interested on what exactly I’m doing here in Armenia. Before I get going, I need to state that this is a PERSONAL site and is to be in no way confused with an official Peace Corps site. The opinions and views expressed here are my own.
Also, I need to do a little shout-out: this site has been made possible by a generous donation from Rassai Interactive (www.rassai.com). Many thanks to them for hosting this site, which enables me to keep you all informed!
Now, for those of you that know me, please excuse me indulging in a little bit of background for those who are visiting this site randomly. Specifically, I work under the Community and Business Development (CBD) Program as a Small Enterprise Development Advisor. Peace Corps has four different programs in Armenia, to which volunteers are assigned. Each program has a different purpose and framework for operations. Within the Community and Business Development Program we work with local organizations, businesses and community members to improve the quality of community life through effective use of communication, business and organizational skills and creating cooperative networks to share information and resources.
Each volunteer, within the CBD program, is assigned to an NGO (non-governmental organizations) within our permanent site, where we spend the majority of our time during our two year, three month service tour. Most of us have very distinct skills and experiences that especially suit our service for a particular community’s multifarious needs. The process of choosing and selecting sites is a fairly complex and detailed process, which our Program Manager facilitates before we arrive in-country. And when we arrive on-site, as was the case in my experience, there is plenty to do. Mainly, we work in the areas of: business skills development, project planning and management, personal and professional development, organizational development, teamwork and leadership, communication skills building, business networking and community networking. And those are formal objectives; informally, there is much, much more. Essentially, there isn’t much that we don’t do. The needs of our communities really define our deliverables. Every service opportunity here is very unique, and we all work in many different capacities with extremely varied outcomes.
Armenia is an incredible country, and my experience here thus far has been amazing. The people and culture are especially striking. I have never encountered such hospitality and warmth. As volunteers working in rural areas, we’re greeted as friends and embraced as family. And all this in a country that faces some striking problems in terms of development. There are two Armenias, in my opinion. There’s the Armenia that’s seen in the capital (Yerevan) and the Armenia that’s seen everywhere else in the country. There is a relative abundance of opportunities and resources in the capital, but very little of those resources leak out into the rest of the country. But that’s a generalized statement, and you need to qualify the way in which I employ the terms ‘opportunities’ and ‘resources’. Armenia has a developing, though struggling, economy. Jobs are scarce – really, really scarce. A lot of the men leave for extended periods to work in Russia. Corruption is rampant, and can be tough to deal with. There is still a pervading Soviet mentality that can be difficult to deal with. Infrastructure is improving, but can still be a problem. Trade routes are limited. The political situation is delicate. And I could go on. And these problems I mention aren’t unique to Armenia, as a former Soviet socialist state, though in some areas there are some very acute manifestations of the above mentioned issues. But I have confidence in what I’m doing here. The Armenians have endured hardship after hardship and shown amazing resiliency. You have to ask yourself, where are the Babylonians? This is an ancient and enduring civilization and culture, and I have great hopes for its future.
Okay, to get back to specifics, within my community – a town of about 40,000 – I am facing some very interesting challenges and have been very busy to date. Below, you’ll find a point-by-point summary of my activities to date:
(1) Within my NGO, RDRC:
My primary organization on-site is RDRC, Regional Development and Research Center. We’re a small NGO with a staff of about ten. Currently, our main projects are as follows:
A. Expanding the Media’s Role in a Burgeoning Democracy
Through a grant from the Eurasia Foundation, my NGO is currently helping the local paper expand its role as a viable information source and communication vehicle within our community. We want to expand the paper’s readership within our community, while increasing revenues through subscription rates and business advertisements. We are in the process of establishing benchmark research to help us better understand the demographics, psychographics, attitudes and consumption patterns of the local populace. We have just finished surveying three separate audiences: general consumers, customers of the paper and local business owners. The final marketing plan will be completed in the next couple of weeks. This is the first such project my NGO has undertaken, and I’ve had my hands full facilitating and managing the venture. One of our major tasks, manifest in everything we do here, is capacity-building. And that certainly has been the case here. It’s difficult to teach and “do” at the same time. But it’s exciting to see how fast and willing everyone is to learn these somewhat foreign concepts and implement them on a grass-roots level. And on a more personal-professional level, for myself, I’ve learned so much through this process! Conducting a marketing-driven project like this opens you up to problems I wouldn’t have ever encountered doing business in the states. It really has broadened my business acumen for doing business in a foreign context.
B. Small & Medium Enterprise Development Project
Through a grant from a USAID implementing partner, our NGO is working on a business consulting project, helping local businesses develop formal business plans and address outstanding problems, needs and issues. We have until Dec. 15th to consult with five separate business entities. We’re working with a local manufacturing plant and a retail outlet, currently. Again, this project is another first for my NGO. This project has been especially rewarding for me, as I’m learning how to adapt Western business “best practices,” to the local market. Learning how to do business in a completely different foreign cultural context is a fascinating experience.
C. Anti-Corruption Project
This project is pending, while the grant is still under review, but assuming final approval, several members of my NGO will be a part of an exchange program focusing on knowledge transfer of best practices in the areas of Anti-Corruption (which is extremely important for Armenia), and Civic Advocacy within the Caucuses region. My NGO has traditionally worked in implementing anti-corruption and civic advocacy programs throughout their Marz (state) region. Though now we are expanding our capacity for business enterprise development, as that is a major need here in Armenia. My work here at the NGO focuses on expanding the organization’s viability as a provider, and facilitator, of relevant assistance.
D. Website Project
This is more of an internal project, which entails us coming up with a web presence. We’re going to develop something simple, highlighting our capabilities, reviewing past and current projects as well as providing contact information. I’m designing the whole thing, so we’ll see how it all comes out. Right now, I’m swamped with other projects, so it’s on the back-burner till I can find some time to play with it this winter.
E. And more to come!!!
We’ve got lots cooking right now, and are considering several other grant applications. There is a very real need, within my community, for customer service training, and my NGO is trying to find ways to acquire funding to provide seminars that would help bridge this knowledge gap. My site is a very viable, and somewhat established, tourism destination, both for the internal, national market, and the external, international market. Though how to capitalize on that position is something businesses here are still grappling with. There are lots of areas in which my NGO can help, and we’re trying to get started with general business consultation and customer service training. We’ll see what we can come up with!
(2) Tourism Development
My secondary organization is the Tourism Office for my town, which is an extension of the municipal administration. Currently, we’re working on the following items:
(A) Tourism Center
Right now, there’s a real focus on developing our area as a tourism destination. Our community sits on the coast of one of the largest alpine lakes in the world, and has a wealth of activities, cultural heritage sites and other features that make it a natural fit for any tourist visiting Armenia. And they do. But the “product” as a whole is fragmented, and a tourist visit is almost always haphazard and usually limited to a day-trip. We want to increase the time spent on site, and encourage visitors to engage the “product” and interact with the local community. Ways to accomplish this that we’re exploring are as follows:
-Centralized Tourism Center: Our community is a natural gateway for tourists looking to explore the north half of the country, being an hour’s trip up from the capital. We’d like to capitalize on this position by establishing a centralized tourism center that would be located right off the main highway, just outside of town. The center would offer much needed information and guidance to tourists, wherever their final destination would be. There are plenty of resources out there available to tourists on what to do in Yerevan, but not much information is readily available on things to do outside of the capital. Not only would we provide information on places to stay and things to do within our community, but we would also serve as a locus of information for other areas that tourists might find worth visiting. Hotels, hostels, bed & breakfasts, home-stays, restaurants, cultural heritage sites, activity-organizers, eco-tourism outfits, etc. from different areas will all be to advertise their services and products within the center, and knowledgeable staff will be on hand to field questions and provide recommendations in English, Russian, French and Armenian (we’ve got the staff, but not the center). We’re finishing up developing the organizational plan right now, and are in the process of seeking funding sources. This is a huge priority for my town, and will have a great impact on the developing tourism sector within the north half of the country – if we can get the idea off the ground. If anyone out there knows of a potential funding source – email me! I’ll keep you apprised on any developments.
-Tourism Website: Most tourists planning a trip to Armenia do exactly that: plan. We’d like to develop an online tourism resource to connect with travelers early on to encourage them to visit our area, and other sites-of-interest in the north half of the country. This is going to take a lot of work on my part. I’m saving the development of this project for the winter months, when I’m huddled around my little gas heater. -Tourism Collaterals: We have some great brochures that we designed and had printed through funding from the city, but we’re out! And our community doesn’t have the funds to have a new batch printed. The brochures are full-color fold outs that provide tourists with a map of the entire Marz (state) and marked areas of interest, in English, Russian and Armenian. It’s such a great resource! We definitely have to find funding to have more printed, and are in the process of seeking out funding.-Tourism Seminars: There is some great research being conducted right now by the USAID CAPS (Competitive Armenian Private Sector) Project on knowledge gaps within the tourism industry. We want to design a series of seminars to address these defined knowledge gaps for local businesses that would benefit. The seminars will focus on basic, practical areas to improve general operations and service. We’re currently organizing course content and lesson plans, and should have a proposal ready within the next few months to start seeking out funding.(B) Grenoble, France Rural Tourism Development Collaboration
My community has a “Sister Cities” type of arrangement with a city in France that is helping them develop their viability as a more organized tourist destination, mainly through capacity building. They have hosted a very beneficial exchange program where two staff members from the local tourism office traveled to Grenoble to learn about how the area markets itself as a destination. As the staff members returned, the tourism office hosted a conference on what the exchangees learned on their trip where several members of the Grenoble municipal tourism office were in attendance. Local Armenian businesses attended and were encouraged to offer up any questions they had, discuss issues and brainstorm on how to collaborate. Developments to date are still in an inchoative stage and right now we’re still exploring how we might leverage this sister city-type relationship to further benefit the community. I’ll let you know what happens!
C. Marketing Plan
I’m also working with the acting head of the tourism office to develop a tourism marketing plan for the area. This is a huge project that will require some time to develop, but we’re moving in the right direction and making some headway. It’s difficult because you can’t just fly solo, you have to teach along the way and introduce new concepts and adapt and explain them. But it’s exciting, and I’m working with a really sharp individual on this project. I have high hopes in terms of outcomes. Another difficulty is we have to work ahead of ourselves at times. So as we’re developing the plan conceptually, we’re also having to solidify certain elements at a tactic-level to make headway for this next upcoming season, starting May (destination prospectus packet, website, online guerilla marketing campaign, some PR, etc.). This is a really exciting, though challenging aspect of my role within the organization. I’m learning a lot!!!
D. Lonely Planet Guide
This is done and DONE! I was able to connect with the writer of the Lonely Planet Guidebook for Armenia (he’s updating content for the new edition), which is really great for the area. He came to my site for a day and I was able to showcase the area; we were able to add a significant amount of material for the area’s chapter. This was a great success!
(3) Capacity-Building Initiatives [READ THIS SECTION]
So, probably the most fulfilling aspect of my service to-date is working to make an impact on the lives of individuals on a grass-roots level. You meet so many incredible people here: so much potential, so much passion, so much intelligence, so much enthusiasm – and all with so little opportunity. It really sucks. And it’s difficult for them to work through it. There are successes, and then debilitating defeats. It’s a constant battle, but I admire and most of all, respect, their resiliency in striving forward to make something happen. Below I’ve highlighted some of the exceptional people I’ve encountered to-date, and how I’m working with them – and in some cases, how you can help!
(A) Lusine M.
Lusine is an extremely bright, intelligent, and motivated 23 year-old young woman that I am working with on several different projects. She has recently graduated from a university in Yerevan, majoring in English and minoring in Spanish. She’s fluent in both languages, and also Russian. She has some professional experience, but is looking for any opportunities to expand her professional capacity. She faces a unique set of challenges in Armenia, being from a rural area. As I had previously stated, Yerevan is much different than the rest of Armenia. The reason we volunteers are assigned to sites outside of the capital is to draw resources out of the relatively resource-rich urban capital. It’s like night and day, I’ve got to tell you. And for a woman here who wants to have a career and do more than get married at a young age and play caddy to her husband, it can be extremely difficult. Lack of opportunities, gender bias, harassment, a serious “glass ceiling,” stereotypes, etc. etc. I wouldn’t say the situation here is unique, I think women in developing countries typically face similar problems. But nonetheless, it’s tough to see them struggle with it. Lusine is trying to enter in upon a professional career, and to do this she’s trying to find a job or internship opportunity in the capital. Women have a much better chance to “make it” working in the capital, her opportunities out here in a more rural township are limited to non-existent. She has a passion for youth development, and she has so many great ideas! I think she’ll use her career and any opportunity she’s afforded for the greater benefit of her community, and country, at large. So right now, I’m working on teaching her anything and everything I can. She assists me in translating just about everything, as well as helping me in the areas of general project administration and design. She’s got a very intuitive and analytical knack and I’m often surprised at the insight she’s able to offer. I see her as being the most valuable resource I’ve encountered on-site, and I’ll hate to see her go, but she has the potential to do so much more and to do that she’s got to make it into the capital! She’s reading anything and everything in terms of professional literature, and attempting to enroll in any seminar that comes up (competitive admission is pretty normal here for these sorts of professional development seminars), as an opportunity to evolve professionally and network. This is certainly difficult though, considering her location an hour outside the capital (public transport is tough) and lack of money (most people in the rural areas are really strapped for cash). So anyway, the two areas in which Lusine can benefit from your help are:
1. Through your donation of professional work clothing. It’s expensive here! She doesn’t have anything suitable for a job environment and / or an interview and she really needs it for work in the capital. So, if any of you ladies have an old pantsuit, blazer or some other type of professional women’s wear that you don’t wear anymore, or if you feel like burning some of that hard earned cash on someone who could really benefit from it – we’ll take it and appreciate it GREATLY! Contact me for particulars: robert.w.dietrich@gmail.com.
2. Knowledge regarding opportunities for advancement. If you know of a study abroad opportunity, a (credible) internship opportunity, a work opportunity, any sort of “in” or contact that she might be able to take advantage of, let me know! We’re really hoping to find something in Yerevan, but she’s open to anything. Please, contact me with any opportunities you might be aware of: robert.w.dietrich@gmail.com.
(B) Zhenia P.
Zhenia is another extremely bright, enthusiastic and driven young professional woman here in Armenia. She’s 22 and working in the capital currently. She was rather lucky, better said, rather persistent, in finding employment and she’s got a job to show for her efforts. One of the reasons she was able to accomplish this, was due to her ability to live in the capital with relatives for a period of time – long enough to find work. Now she’s out on her own and working like crazy. She works 12 hour days, six days a week, and still somehow finds time to run her own tutoring business. I’m currently collaborating with her on developing a business and marketing plan for her tutoring business. She’s thought of some really dynamic angles to employ, and I’m excited to be working with her on this project. And, what’s more, she wants to make the plan available to other young women who are working through school, or trying to start a career, to help enable them to support themselves financially utilizing the skills at their disposal with a flexible schedule they can self-manage. And all this is coming from her; I’ve been really impressed! Currently, she’s working in a position that doesn’t utilize her potential – at all – so we’re actively seeking opportunities for her as well. I have confidence that she’ll find something, as she’s in a good position to do so living now in the capital.
(C) Aren G.
Aren is a really creative, hard-working young man living just outside the third largest city in Armenia. He’s 21, engaged and working hard to establish some resources to start a family. I’m working with him on developing some business ideas having to do with agri-products that he has ready access to from a village resource. He’s learning how to be a middle-man, successfully I might add. He’s as entrepreneurial as they come, and the biggest challenge I’m facing with him is getting him to focus on one of his ideas, currently that’s the one dealing with produce. He’s also got an idea for a transport service that he thinks there’s a real market for. We’ll have to see, I’ve got my hands full with just one of his ideas. I know there’ll be more to report soon, as he’s always hustling.
(D) The K. Family
I’m working with a really motivated family that wants to start growing a rare type of mushroom and sell it at market in the capital. They live in a village, and have access to the type of controlled environment that would be needed to facilitate the growing effort. This particular type of mushroom sells for quite a bit, and is considered a delicacy. The hitch is that it’s also a real pain to grow, and there’s a large amount of technical knowledge that’s needed to successfully pull the venture off. So I’m helping them apply for technical assistance through a USDA project. I’ve also written a few specialists back in the states, at various universities, on any information they might be able to provide. No word back yet, so we’ll have to see. If you’d like to help this family, here’s how you could do so:
1. Do you know anyone who knows anything about growing Champion mushrooms? If so, please let me know – or have them get in touch with me! robert.w.dietrich@gmail.com.
(4) Organizational Initiatives
I’m also working within Peace Corps Armenia on the following:
(A) PR Initiative
I’m working as a co-chair on this initiative currently, in implementing a communications plan for our organization in-country. The person who manages our PR program currently does an AMAZING job, but we’re trying to de-centralize the task, somewhat, by making individual volunteers more accountable for promoting and increasing awareness of their efforts (especially their successes). I’m collaborating with three other volunteers right now in drafting it, and we’ll be submitting it soon for more official review.
And on, and on: I’m also working with a group of men on developing their business idea for a fish restocking business; building a compendium of resumes from qualified applicants I might be able to plug into various opportunities, as I encounter them; finding English resources for the English Department of the local state college; doing minor consultation for a security installation business. I’m also doing some consultation on other projects, collaborating with other volunteers on projects for their respective sites’, as well as working on one other organizational initiative. I don’t know, I’m working seven days a week right now, and there’s no end in sight – and I couldn’t be happier.
If you’re ever interested in finding out more about what I’m doing here, or have questions, please feel free to get in contact with me! I’d love to answer any questions. And if you want to help, again, please get in contact with me; there are so many ways you can make an impact over here, and if you’ve got an idea, please let me know. The thing about working with Peace Corps Volunteers is you’re not dealing with a bureaucracy, you’re working with a grass-roots volunteer. We know the needs of the community, we know the people who are going to utilize the assistance effectively, we can monitor the implementation first-hand – we’re on the level! So again, get in contact if you have anything to offer: an idea, some technical skill, an old laptop, some clothing, some English books…anything…and I’ll let you know how you can make a real difference in the life of someone over here! robert.w.dietrich@gmail.com. Okay, that’s enough of a sell (for this entry).
Oh, and before I end off, I want to send a special thanks out to Laura Mayberry for donating a great resource on marketing! Thanks so much Mayberry, I’m able to teach with it and the people I’m working with are really getting the material.
I’ll update again soon.
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Robert Dietrich
Enterprise Development Advisor
Armenia
