From support to impact: Asian Development Bank’s role in driving local change

In times of challenge, strong communities come together, find solutions and support those in need. Across Armenia, local organizations, international partners, and dedicated individuals are proving that real impact happens when we work together.

From strengthening public services to responding to urgent needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, Armavir Development Center—with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)—has been at the forefront of initiatives that provide community-based support, empower people, improve services, creating  lasting change.

In this article, you will read about the real stories of impact from two major projects that enhanced civic engagement, supported vulnerable groups, and introduced sustainable solutions in Armenian communities:

🔹 Strengthening Government and Civil Society Cooperation in Open Government Partnership to Improve Public Services (2018-2019)  focused on engaging youth and civil society in monitoring and advocating for better public services within the Open Government Partnership (OGP) framework.

🔹 Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 through Community-Led Interventions (2021-2023)  focused on community-driven solutions, the project addressed pandemic challenges, improved public health measures, and fostered local resilience.

When Hakob Sargsyan first joined a community-based project as a school monitor in 2018 in Gavar, he didn’t expect that experience to shape his future. Learning about public service accountability and citizen engagement gave him a new perspective on the role individuals can play in improving their communities.Today, Hakob is a chief specialist at the Gavar Municipality staff,  and is actively working to bridge local government with NGOs and international partners. His journey reflects the long-term impact of youth engagement in governance.

“Being a monitor during the project helped us become more attentive and responsible toward our communities. Now, as part of the municipality, I continue maintaining connections with NGOs and international organizations that want to invest in our community.”
  Hakob Sargsyan, Gavar municipality

His involvement didn’t stop there. During the “Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 through Community-Led Interventions” project  Hakob played a key role in assessing community needs, keeping the communication with kindergartens and local institutions, supporting project implementation on the ground.

In Nor Kharberd, a village in Ararat province, level of youth engagement has changed. What started in 2018 as participation in a governance project has now evolved into a consistent engagement leading to lasting impact.

Nor Kharberd was one of the target communities during the Strengthening Government and Civil Society Cooperation in Open Government Partnership to Improve Public Services (2018-2019) project. As mentioned, this initiative introduced young people to public participation, open governance, and community decision-making, planting the first seeds of active citizenship.

By the time the Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 through Community-Led Interventions (2021-2023) project was launched, Nor Kharberd had already built a strong foundation of civic involvement. The local youth group became one of the most active participants in օrganizing local events and discussions, participating in Town-hall meetings, helping to the distribution of the community support. 

Their dedication made Nor Kharberd one of the most engaged communities in public discussions, showing that long-term involvement leads to visible progress.

As a result of these efforts,  civic activism became a part of community life in Nor Kharberd, and an active group of monitors was formed in the community, which continued its active role in the community even after the end of the project.

 In 2025, when Masis consolidated community began implementing “participatory budgeting”, Nor Kharberd, which is one of the settlements, became the most active settlement in terms of citizen involvement and participation. Within the framework of participatory budgeting, the community received 28 proposals and published it for voting. You can see on the community website that the most voted project is the Nor Kharberd project – 7960 votes, which is 35% of the population of the entire community (22831). And Nor Kharberd has only 7366 residents. This became possible because each resident of the community can vote for up to three proposals. And, studying the example, it became clear that active groups of young people traveled both in the Nor Kharberd settlements and in other neighboring settlements of the community, advocating their proposal and ensuring the victory of their proposal. To illustrate the remarkable level of citizen involvement in this settlement, it’s worth noting that the program received twice as many votes as the  initiative that won second place. 

For kindergartens across Armenia, the pandemic brought new challenges. With strict hygiene regulations requiring dishes to be washed at extremely high temperatures, manual washing was no longer an option. Many institutions lacked the necessary equipment to meet these requirements, putting children and staff at risk.
In response, our project provided kindergartens with dishwashers, dryers, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners, ensuring safer environments and reducing the burden on staff.

By 2022, the project’s efforts helped to better meet the basic needs of 10,000 poor and vulnerable people, including women and girls, through community-led interventions to COVID-19. The improved hygiene conditions in kindergartens were a critical part of this effort, ensuring that children in affected communities had access to safe and healthy learning environments.

“Receiving these appliances was a game-changer for us. Ensuring high hygiene standards became much easier, and our staff could focus more on the well-being of the children rather than struggling with overwhelming cleaning tasks. The dishwashers alone have made an incredible difference, making it possible to comply with safety regulations easier.”
Amalya Yeghiazaryan, headmaster of Bambakashat Kindergarten 

“The equipment we received has made a huge difference in our daily operations. Maintaining high hygiene standards, especially during and after the pandemic, was a major challenge for us. Thanks to the provided dishwashers and washing machines, we can now ensure a much cleaner and safer environment for the children. This initiative has truly improved both our efficiency and the well-being of the kids in our care.”
Varduhi Baghdasaryan, headmaster of Shenik Kindergarten

What began as an emergency response has now set a new hygiene standard for kindergartens (in the communities of Armavir, Metsamor, Baghramyan, Nor Kharberd, Dvin, Artashat, Gyumri, Artik, Akhtala, Gyulagarak, Martuni, Gavar ), improving conditions for both children and the staff.

Bambakashat and Shenik kindergartens  were from 63 organizations located in the 15 targeted communities that received technical assistance for improving sanitary and hygienic conditions, which were struggling to meet the stricter regulations introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of the support given to businesses, Garik Poghosyan from Gavar, Gegharkunik is preserving Armenia’s cultural heritage while creating new opportunities in tourism.

At 34 years old, founded a guesthouse, designed in the traditional Armenian style which offers visitors a unique experience—a living museum where guests don’t just observe but actively engage with Armenia’s ancestral way of life.The guesthouse features a tonir (underground oven), a fireplace, and traditional furnishings, allowing guests to immerse themselves in authentic Armenian hospitality.

“My guesthouse is like a museum, but unlike all other museums where people can only watch, here, guests can truly feel and experience the old lifestyle of our ancestors.”
– Garik Poghosyan

Through REBOOT trainings, Garik enhanced his business development and financial management skills, equipping him with the tools to grow his business sustainably. Additionally, he received a solar water system from the project, making his guesthouse more energy-efficient and self-sufficient.

Garik expressed his gratitude for initiatives like this, which not only support small businesses but also promote cultural tourism and economic growth in local communities. His journey was also featured on Public Television “Hraparakum” program, highlighting how targeted business support can lead to meaningful impact.

📺 Watch Garik’s featured on Public TV here.

Garik is one of 23 business entities that received technical support through the REBOOT program, tailored to their specific needs. The support included need-based equipment, solar heating, and other essential resources to help businesses start and grow. In addition to business support, the REBOOT program provided fast-track reskilling courses to 262 individuals, of whom 202 were women, ensuring that more people could develop marketable skills for employment and entrepreneurship.

Beyond immediate relief efforts, one of the most most important outcomes of the COVID-19 project was strengthening the crisis response capacity of local institutions.

In Metsamor and Armavir, the project provided technical support to community organizations, including kindergartens and music schools, ensuring they were better prepared to manage crises.

During the Open Government Partnership regional meeting in Manila, the mayors of Armavir and Metsamor, Varsham Sargsyan and Vahram Khachatryan, reflected on the lasting impact of this initiative:

“These improvements in coordination and skills will remain in place for future emergencies, making the communities far more prepared and resilient than before.”

This shift towards structured, community-led action planning is proof that real resilience is built not just in times of crisis, but in how communities prepare for the challenges ahead.

The project contributed to increasing community-based crisis prevention, mitigation, and adaptation capacity , resulting in the acceptance of 15 disaster recovery and preparedness plans, all incorporating sections on gender sensitivity and pandemics.

These efforts—from enhancing governance and public services to responding to urgent needs—are part of a larger vision: one where communities are equipped, supported, and connected.

Through its partnership with ADB, Armavir Development Center has played a key role in making these solutions possible. Together, we have strengthened connections between civil society and local governments, improved public services, hygiene, and infrastructure, created economic opportunities and helped individuals secure sustainable jobs. 

The “Strengthening Government and Civil Society Cooperation in Open Government Partnership to Improve Public Services” and “Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 through Community-Led Interventions” projects have laid a strong foundation for civic engagement, governance improvements, and community resilience in Armenia. However, their true success lies not just in what they achieved during implementation, but in how their impact continues to shape communities today and into the future.

The lessons learned and capacities built through these initiatives have proven that community-driven solutions and collaboration between civil society and local governments create long-term change. Moving forward, the continuity of these efforts will depend on:

✔ Institutionalizing civic engagement – Ensuring that youth involvement in governance, like in Nor Kharberd, remains a structured and ongoing process.
✔ Sustaining support for vulnerable groups – Leveraging the experience of COVID-19 response to develop stronger informal social protection networks that can respond to future challenges.
✔ Strengthening partnerships – Deepening collaboration between local governments, NGOs, and international partners to drive continued progress in public service improvement, employment, and business support.
✔ Scaling community-based support – Using successful approaches from the projects as models for replication in other regions, ensuring that more communities benefit from these proven interventions.

Stay connected for more stories of impact and updates on our community-driven initiatives.

The “Strengthening Government and Civil Society Cooperation in Open Government Partnership to Improve Public Services” project was supported by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) and  the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The project was carried out in collaboration with Armavir Development Center  and Integrity Action, working alongside local civil society organizations in Gavar, Kapan, Vanadzor, Stepanavan, and Yeghegnadzor.

The “Mitigating the impact of COVID 19 through community led interventions” project was generously supported by Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific (JFPR) through the Asian Development Fund’s (ADB).