Dear All,
Hope this finds you and yours in good health and New Year spirits.
As you may be informed, the Successful Start Initiative of Armenia is a joint collaborative activity of the Gegharkunik Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the Vienna Consortium for Development Initiatives (VCDI) to actively support the development of small businesses.
In 2004, GCCI established the Successful Start Fund. The philosophy of Successful Start Fund is to help establish new businesses or make the existing ones competitive by providing micro loans with NO INTEREST RATES or COLLATERALS. Businesses in the bordering and rural communities have difficulty in accessing or obtaining funds. Banks offer loans with high interests and with long procedures. Before clearing the financing of the proposed projects of the businesses, GCCI improves business competencies of the applicant entrepreneurs through the CEFE (Competency based economy through the formation of enterprises) methodology mechanism. Additional information is available at http://www.ruralarmenia.org/.
The CEFE methodology provides the entrepreneurs with educational trainings, improve their entrepreneurial skills and competencies, and funds the businesses with interest-free loans. The GCCI experts coach the businesses during the whole project implementation period. Thanks to the financial contributions of a number of donors, since December 2011, the VCDI has actively supported the “Successful Start Fund” initiative, which was established by GCCI in 2004. Since January 2012, a number of business projects in different regions of Armenia and in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) have been provided with loans through the Successful Start Fund.
Please find attached the latest progress/status report for your kind attention and information.
We look forward to your valued support in joining our efforts to bringing/returning HOPE to these and many more needy compatriots. Do, please, also disseminate this initiative with your relatives and friends. We NEED to act NOW and put our humble albeit effective share in influencing on the prevention of the migration of the population out of Armenia.
Accordingly, the devoted team of the Gegharkunik Chamber of Commerce and Industry joins me in appealing to all of our friends to support this very noble strategic and poverty reducing initiative, either by contributing in financial donations, and/or in kind/equipment contributions for a particular project proposal, and/or taking the patronage of proposed projects.
Should you wish to consider supporting our endeavor, you may send your donations to the following account numbers, always quoting “Successful Start Fund Initiative”:
In US$
Beneficiary Name: Sebouh Baghdoyan
Purpose: Successful Start Fund Initiative
Account No.: 1410730
Bank Name: United Nations Federal Credit Union-UNFCU Bank
Address: Court Square Place, 24-01 44th Rd., Long Island City, NY 11101-4605, USA
ABA# 2260-7860-9.
In Euros
Beneficiary Name: Sebouh Baghdoyan
Purpose: Successful Start Fund Initiative
Account No.: IBAN AT513225000000203620, BIC RLNWATWWGTD
Bank Name: Raiffeisen
Address: Herzog-Albrecht-Straße 3, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Allow me, also in the name of the GCCI associates, as well as all the beneficiaries, to express appreciated thanks for your kind and commendable support, regardless of the size or nature of the donation.
Please do not hesitate to contact me for any additional clarifications or information.
With warm personal regards,
Sebouh Baghdoyan
Managing Director
Vienna Consortium for Development Initiatives
Retired UN Programme Manager/International Consultant
Krakauerstrasse 27/8/22
A-1020 Wien/Vienna
Österreich/Austria