Baku - IOM Azerbaijan continues its initiatives for the provision of self-employment opportunities for Internally Displaced Person’s (IDP) families through support to micro and small-entrepreneurship set-up, including market assessments, business training, and non-cash grants.

As a follow-up to the business trainings under the Small Business Support component of the project on ‘Integrated Rural Development for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Communities in Azerbaijan through Revitalization of the Kahriz Water Supply System’ financed by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), IOM Azerbaijan started distribution of non-cash grants to IDPs whose business plans were considered successful. Initially, Gulsum Aslanova, an IDP living in Banovshalar settlement, and Amaliya Aliyeva, an IDP living in Baharli village of Aghdam district, were provided with equipment to develop tailoring businesses.

Following the support provided to 2 tailoring businesses, 28 cows and 8 calves were distributed to 14 and 2 beneficiaries respectively. The beneficiaries are IDPs from Aghdam (Banovshalar settlement, Ashaghi Yuzbashili village) and Aghjabedi (Kahrizli, Hajilar, Sarijali, and Husulu villages) districts.

The next step is the provision of necessary supplies to 5 beneficiaries who want to start up or already run their beauty salons.

In total, out of 61 participants of the business trainings held in the pilot districts of Aghdam and Agjabadi, 23 IDPs living in the Aghdam region and 14 IDPs from the Agjabadi region were selected to support their business plans.

In general, activities targeting IDP communities in the target areas under the business development component of the project are threefold: generating reliable data for producing tailor-made initiatives; increasing the financial literacy of the IDP communities, and promoting self-employment. These activities also aimed to help IDPs to improve their standard of living and encourage their participation in society.

In addition to the business development component of the project which envisages providing support to small business initiatives creating a conducive environment for IDPs to start and maintain an income generating/livelihood activities in the target regions of Azerbaijan, the project contributes to the prevention of forced economic migration by enhancing access of rural communities in Azerbaijan to energy-free water resources as a means to increase agriculture productivity and livelihoods through provision of water infrastructure, by providing opportunities for income-generating activities in link with Kahriz renovation.