AZERBAIJAN

Four Years of ADRA Programs in Azerbaijan

Another year of distribution is gone. For ADRA it means that the roaring of trucks, rattling of containers, long lines of beneficiaries and long days are over. A time of calmness and peace settled in for the summer, except some finishing touches to the paper work to wrap up the food project. To summarize the achievement of ADRA’s fourth year in Nakhichevan and the third year of food distribution in Ganja, we note that ADRA maintained the number of beneficiaries it is committed to serve (20,000 in each region), grew more strict with beneficiary eligibility and created a computer database to facilitate cross-checking and to locate cases of duplication.

Food Distributions

During the 96-97 project ADRA gave out 2,844 MT of food in the North-west, which directly benefited 99,182 people or about 19,600 families; in Nakhichevan 2,857 MT were distributed to 140,474 people or approx. 22,000 families. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) shipped wheat flour, rice, pinto beans, and sunflower oil to be distributed to IDPs, pensioners, invalids (group I) and other people in need. A similar program will take place this winter.

Family Garden Project

Two Family Garden Projects are now progressing in Nakhichevan AR and Ganja region for IDP and Refugee beneficiaries. In Nakhichevan ADRA is going to distribute 650 individual greenhouses and 35 market garden enterprises. In the North-west 100 market garden enterprises will be created. In Nakhichevan the project is funded by USAID and headed by Ella Beavers, in Ganja by UNHCR, directed by Mike Fisher, who has worked in Azerbaijan since May 96. As Mike Fisher reports agricultural training was held in August to teach 390 beneficiaries planting and greenhouse techniques. August also began the procurement of seeds for the tree nursery planed for Ganja.

Other Projects

Two new Projects just began in Nakhichevan AR. A Primary Health Care Project funded by USAID is designed to serve the population in six regions of the Exclave by setting up three mobile clinics and 44 outpost clinics staffed by village health workers. A stationary clinic will serve the residents of the city of Nakhichevan. A Micro-Enterprise Credit and Loan Project is mainly aimed at assisting farmers who recently privatized their land. This project also makes provision to help local traders and artisans. The donor is UNDP.

Abbreviations:

IDP - internally displaced person; MT - metric tonne; UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; USAID - United States Agency for International Development; USDA -United States Department of Agriculture; UNDP - United Nations Development Program.

Staff Changes

New arrivals to Nakhichevan:

Robin Willison (Canada) - to lead the Primary Health Care Project.

Phil Beavers (USA) - Head of Micro-Enterprise Credit and Loan Project.

Ella Beavers (Albania) - Family Garden Project Director.

Staff Profile

Bakhman Guseinov was born on December 18, 1962, in Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic. Having graduated from high school in 1980, Bakhman made up his mind to further his education to become an agronomist. The same year he was admitted to Agricultural College named after academician Temerazev, Moscow, Russia. After graduating in 1985, Bakhman returned to Nakhichevan as a skilled agronomist to implement agricultural projects run by AgroComplex (a Soviet institution coordinating the agriculture sector) as a Senior agronomist. In January 1989 he assumed a position with the Cabinet of Ministers as Prime Minister’s Assistant, and later on was assigned to work for the humanitarian aid department (within the same governmental institution). This is where ADRA first met him back in November 1993. While working closely with ADRA personnel, as he commented later, Bakhman noticed them to be very organized, strict and exacting regarding their job responsibilities, and meanwhile very just people with unquestionable integrity. In August 1994 he left the government post and ADRA hired him to work as Head Coordinator’s Assistant for the Food Program, promoting him before long to Head Coordinator. ADRA considers him a valuable asset due to his tremendous ability to coordinate ADRA’s various activities in Nakhichevan, which is directly connected with his sound background experience. ADRA extends its appreciation to its good friend and employee.

How to contact us: as regular mail to Azerbaijan is unreliable, please send to:

ADRA Azerbaijan, c/o 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, 20904 MD, USA.

Email works well: Internet:admin@adra2.baku.az Fax and phone: see below.