“Umid” Support to Social Development Public Union has begun to implement the project titled “IDP Community Mobilization and Capacity Development in Mingachevir, Goranboy, and Yevlakh” funded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as of February 1, 2023. The duration of the project is 11 months. Following a rapid assessment of 12 communities densely populated by IDPs in Mingachevir, Goranboy, and Yevlakh, 6 communities will be selected as project target areas.

The aims of the project are to contribute to the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of internally displaced persons, strengthen the capacity of existing IDP communities to increase their resilience, prepare them to cope with the challenges of the forthcoming return process, as well as make state-citizen relations effective, reliable and sustainable, and support young job seekers to develop income-generating areas, inter alia, through Participatory Community Development and Apprenticeship methods.

The proposed project contains 3 main components:

Establishment of Community Hubs: Formation of Community Development Councils, Organizational Assessment and Analysis, Capacity Development

Apprenticeship: Analysis of community needs and opportunities for service areas, development of professional and entrepreneurial skills, support for the establishment of Jump Start Service areas

Sustainability and Strategic Planning - Organization of trainings on Sustainability and Long-Term Activity Plan, Development of Long-Term Economic Development Plans of Communities

The project aims at the following key deliverables by the end 2023:

6 IDP communities mobilized; 

6 Community Development Councils (CDCs) established; 

60 CDC members improve their skills in community mobilization, community representation, prioritization, project preparation and management, safety, financial management, etc. through consultations, trainings, and round tables;

young IDP volunteer groups formed in 6 communities and these groups cooperate through online platforms;

income of 30 IDP families in 6 communities increased by 20%-25%; 

10 new income-generating areas supported (beauty salons, mobile phone and computer repair, programming services, tailoring, etc.); 

6 community centers established.

Some 3,500 IDPs will benefit from the different project activities. IDPs benefiting from the project will become more self-reliant, especially young people and women who will develop their careers and start their own businesses through Jump Start Economic Projects (JSEP).