Creating Employment for Vulnerable Residents in Armenia

Creating Employment for Vulnerable Residents
From 2005-2011, Global Communities worked with USAID to promote job creation for vulnerable, rural communities in Armenia  first through the Building and Rehabilitating Infrastructure for Development and Growth in Employment  (BRIDGE) program, as well as the Small Scale Infrastructure Program (SSIP). Working in close collaboration with the Government of Armenia, local organizations, and communities, Global Communities provided employment opportunities through small-scale, labor-intensive infrastructure projects.
Under the BRIDGE program, Global Communities provided vocational training to local residents in the construction sector and then employed trainees on public works projects that would benefit the greater community. Upon the program completion, Global Communities worked with employment centers to place its graduates in the private sector. Community investment and buy-in was ensured by engaging local government and business stakeholders as partners and requiring communities share part of the construction costs. 
Under SSIP, Global Communities mobilized communities to target the most-needed infrastructure improvements, such as rehabilitating potable water systems, installing village gas distribution systems, repairing street lighting systems and improving kindergartens, community centers and other essential infrastructure.