Primary Program Activities
Economic Development: With the primary goal of increasing sales and creating new employment opportunities, the IRC, along with partners Chemonics and FLAG International, work with rural enterprises and communities to foster market linkages, build technical and business skills, and improve the regulatory environment for commerce. IRC-supported marketing centers provide non-financial business development services to individual firms and entrepreneurs, helping them become thriving enterprises and strengthening the commercial supply chain.
Agricultural Development: The IRC helps communities establish profitable and sustainable agricultural production and processing systems, enhancing food security, farmer income and rural market chains. We set up and support producer groups, demonstration farms, fruit and vegetable processing enterprises and regional agricultural resource centers with machinery workshops. Farmers and agriculturalists are introduced to new agro-business technologies and strategies, such as greenhouse cultivation, product promotion and marketing tools.
Community & Civil Society Mobilization: Using a proven Community Participatory Assessment process, the IRC brings all members of a community together to identify and prioritize their development needs. Elected community leadership groups are trained to assess resources, develop proposals, manage project implementation and plan for project sustainability. Through our local partners, municipal councilors and community leaders are provided with joint training on the roles, responsibilities and status of local government in Azerbaijan. Mobilized communities and municipalities are encouraged to link with one another, local NGOs and regional Resource Centers.
National NGO Development: The IRC builds the organizational capacity of national NGOs to effectively mobilize communities to assess and address their priority needs. National NGO partners learn to manage, monitor and report on sub-grants and to implement integrated community-based development projects. The IRC works to strengthen their fundraising, advocacy, and networking skills as well as their collaboration with communities and government authorities.
Infrastructure Rehabilitation: The IRC implements both small and large-scale infrastructure rehabilitation projects in target communities. Large-scale projects include the construction and rehabilitation of shelter, schools and water and electrical systems. For smaller-scale initiatives, IRC supports community groups, such as Water Users’ Committees, to design and implement their own micro-projects to improve infrastructure such as potable water and irrigation systems, roads, medical points, community centers and schools.
Health: The IRC improves community health services by rehabilitating and constructing clinics, training medical professionals and clinic staff, building the capacity of community health groups to provide peer health education, initiating school health programs, linking communities to regional stakeholders, and developing community-run cost-recovery systems for sustainable medical services.
Gender: The IRC’s Gender Unit looks at gender-specific issues in all IRC programs in Azerbaijan to ensure that gender-equity is addressed, as well as conducting assessments and building links with local and international NGOs to exchange ideas on gender initiatives.
Youth and Education: The IRC works with youth groups, community education committees and parent-teacher groups, encouraging adolescents and their families to become more actively involved in community and educational leadership. Three IRC-founded Development Resource Centers provide a range of youth-oriented activities including English and computer classes, educational excursions and exchanges, adolescent peer education, sports competitions and other recreational activities.
Contact Information
International Rescue Committee
Azerbaijan Program
1107, Ataturk Avenue, 4th Floor
Baku, Azerbaijan 370069
Tel: +994-12-65-34-89/65-34-90
E-mail: office@irchq.baku.az
