A Year in Review in Moldova and Armenia
Taking stock is a valuable tradition. Both Impact Hub Yerevan and EcoVisio, our partners in Armenia and Moldova, released reports with this goal in mind.
In the reports, you can read all about the activities both organizations hosted and supported over the course of last year. These include, but are not limited to, the efforts that are supported by our EU-funded market building project Collaborate For Impact, that entered its final year in September 2024. We are excited to share these with you, since they shed a light on some of the concrete impact that our market building partners are having in their respective countries.
In Armenia
Highlights for Impact Hub Yerevan in Armenia included the Impact for Breakfast event they hosted with their VIA Fund in collaboration with EBRD, which brought together key stakeholders to discuss impact investing. Similarly, big efforts on expanding the ecosystem were made when it comes to awareness raising. The Engage Armenia Forum tour across Europe and Dubai, which connecting Diaspora Armenians with opportunities to contribute to Armenia’s social impact landscape, included representation from Impact Hub.
The Impact Hub Yerevan Annual Report also features the story of Shogher Atanesyan. She runs Ardook, one of 35 recipients of the EU-Supported COVID-19 Relief Fund under the Collaborate for Impact Project, receiving €10,760 in financial support during that challenging period. With this money, she was able to continue to offer income opportunities to women with children with disabilities – a vulnerable group that ofter has to foresake independent income to make way for a role as caretaker. Her social enterprise has since joined the VIA Fund Investment Readiness Program, which offers additional financial support and capacity building.
In Moldova
Not too far away, in Moldova, important steps were also made in sustaining and expanding on the valuable ecosystem building of recent years. EcoVisio was the driving force behind the establishment of an impact label that provides validation and visibility to social entrepreneurs and their products, while providing them with a place to present their goods during the increasingly popular IarmarEco Fair. Impact Days, on the other hand, offered ecosystem builders and investors with a forum for exchange and growth.
"Collaborate for Impact has been an empowering journey, bringing together people, ideas, and opportunities to create something truly meaningful. It introduced fresh perspectives and inspired new ways of thinking, helping us build sustainable partnerships and drive real change. This project is a reminder that when we collaborate with purpose, we can shape a better future—for Moldova and beyond", says Daniela Gurschi, Project Director at EcoVisio.
You can read the full reports through the links below: