The monitoring visit of Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan

On 29-30 October 2019 “Uluchay” Social-Economic Innovation Center hosted the monitoring visit of the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan. The monitoring group led by the EU Head of Cooperation, Minister-counsellor Ms. Simona Gatti, and Project Manager at EU Delegation Maryam Haji-Ismayilova. The group first visited a bakery business called “Grandma Asli’s tendir shop, opened with seed funding by a single mother of three children. On the first day of the visit, the group also met with women beneficiaries of legal counseling and psychological assistance, as well as women participants of business training program.

On the second day, the project monitoring visit continued to the Gakh-Zagatala region where a recently opened bakery shop and beauty salon have been visited. Both businesses have been established by vulnerable women in need of psychological and financial support. After participation in business trainings, these women benefited from mentor’s guidance on how to increase the efficiency and marketing opportunities. Another site visited within EUD Projects Monitoring Visit is beauty salon opened 3 month ago in Zaqatala. Two women-participants of the business trainings, proposed to open beauty salon with seed funding of the project. Trainers suggested them to consolidate efforts and open one salon with shared expenses and potentially better income. The salon is successfully running during last 3 month, bringing earnings and improving livelihoods of women.

This assistance is provided by “Uluchay” in the framework of the EU-funded project “Promoting the role of CSO in Gender-Sensitive Implementation of the SDGs”, co-funded and implemented by UNDP.