Thanks to the SEE Solutions-supported Azerbaijan Community Capacity Building project, community groups in 12 of Azerbaijan’s poorest communities are now able to pursue and facilitate community, employment and economic development opportunities on behalf of local families.
Pre-project assessment of the communities (from the Tartar and Aghjabedi districts as well as Mengechivir city) showed 70% of households were living in poverty. Poor infrastructure, widespread unemployment and lack of business prospects meant families had little opportunity to pull themselves out of poverty.
Other barriers to development included lack of community organisation and self-sufficiency. A factor in this was the large population of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the region following the Nagorno-Karabakh war which ended in ceasefire in 1994.
A need for improved community organisation and capacity building was identified, and local community groups partnered with World Vision to form the Azerbaijan Community Capacity Building project.
The project helped community groups best utilise local people, skills and resources by providing community development training and facilitating micro projects to address local challenges. By completion, the project had assisted 42,000 beneficiaries in the 12 communities.
Access to financial services was much-needed in the region and the project partnered with local microfinance institution Azercredit to distribute loans. These loans were accompanied by basic business or agricultural training, helping ensure funds were put to good use.
Project achievements include:
Strengthening community organisation:
> Community development training for local community groups helped to mobilise community organisation. Over the course of the project, 330 members of local groups received training in governance, advocacy and project management.
> Meetings between local groups and government were facilitated, where local groups lobbied for infrastructure improvements on behalf of their communities.
> The project was successful in securing six grants. Including one grant which allowed farmers access to high voltage electricity line, increasing productivity and income.
Implementing solutions through micro projects:
> Local problems often need local solutions, and the project facilitated 130 community-lead micro projects to address various needs.
> Most of these micro projects focused on developing better infrastructure, with the most common focus improved irrigation.
> Improved irrigation means farmers can now expand cultivated fields to grow a wider range of wheat, fruit and vegetables. This means greater productivity and income as well as a more nutritionally diverse diet for local families.
> Other popular micro project focuses were repairing of electrical lines and roads. Many also focused on water pump installation and repairs, following the spring 2010 flooding.
Access to financial services:
> Partnership with local microfinance institution Azercredit saw a total of 523 loans equalling $USD 820,063 being distributed.
> Seven project credit officers raised awareness of loans and helped guide locals through application processes. Basic business or agricultural training was issued with loans and funds mostly used as capital for start up or expansion of small businesses.
> Over the course of the project 460 locals attended Business Development training to help diversify and strengthen livelihoods in the target communities. Agricultural training covered veterinary, bee keeping, agronomics (irrigation and preparation of lands) and zootechnics (animal breeding).
> By project completion loan repayment rate was an outstanding 100% with loans repaid on time and in full.