Attachments
In Numbers
2,680 people assisted in March 2025
USD 3.3 m six months (April – September 2025) net funding requirements
Operational Updates
• WFP completed a needs assessment for more than 100 farmers and bakery owners as part of the "Green Energy for Productive Farming" initiative in Armenia. This involved five settlements in Gegharkunik and 19 bakeries from Tavush, Lori, Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor, and Syunik. Bakery operators attended workshops on business development, marketing, pricing strategies, financial management, food safety regulations, online banking, taxes, and expense tracking. Farmers gained hands-on skills in sustainable farming, market access, financial planning, and funding opportunities.
• Throughout March, preparations progressed for the Healthy Lifestyle Campaign, a collaborative initiative involving WFP, the Ministry of Health, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF). The campaign is slated to be implemented in 50 schools to educate 1,500 students on adopting healthier lifestyles. The agenda for student sessions has been finalized to promote healthy habits. Coordination with regional authorities aligned plans and secured local support. The campaign is scheduled to start in April 2025, involving students in interactive educational sessions, followed by regional events in the fall.
• In March, 1,328 schoolchildren received a daily cup of milk along with wholegrain cookies. A March monitoring mission noted continued progress in the "Milk to Schools" initiative. The milk distribution is running smoothly and student participation has increased from 47 percent to 54 percent since the integration of wholegrain cookies in February. Wholegrain cookies, introduced to complement the milk and promote healthy nutrition, were well received, highlighting opportunities for bakery partnerships to enhance quality. Interactive training sessions and co-creation events in four schools in Lori engaged students, especially those with lower participation or consumption rates, using fun activities, monitoring visits, and excursions to Yeremyan Farm. These initiatives are designed to deepen students' understanding of nutrition, promote healthier habits, and ensure the program's long-term impact.
• In March, with WFP’s technical assistance, the project implementation team (PIT) under the Ministry of Economy of Armenia launched the "Climate–Adaptive Food Security Enhancement" project. The initiative is funded by the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific (JFPR) and administered by Asian Development Bank (ADB). Representatives from WFP and PIT visited Tavush and Shirak provinces to introduce the project to local authorities and officially announced the opening of the application process for rural settlements interested to participate. A tailored application form was developed to collect multi-faceted data from interested rural settlements in both regions.
Based on predefined selection criteria, the data will be used to select ten rural settlements — five from each province.
• WFP, in partnership with Swiss Development Agency (SDA), advanced the “Social Economic Integration of Refugees in Armenia” (SEIRA) project to contribute to inclusive economic growth in Armenia. As part of the project, the farmer selection process was refined, with 75 local and refugee farmers from Gegharkunik and 15 from Vayots Dzor. These farmers will be provided with the necessary resources and training to engage in climate–resilient agricultural practices, contributing to improved livelihoods. Additionally, six schools serving more than 1,000 students were selected for the schoolbased revolving fund initiative. Six 40 kWt-solar stations have been procured for installation in these schools, ensuring energy savings to be directed to diversify and enhance the nutritional value of school meals.
• Within the "Stop Hunger" initiative, installation of schoolbased intensive orchards is ongoing in Gusanagyugh,
Maralik, Qaraberd, Panik communities of Shirak Provinces. Four schools across the same communities have now been equipped with solar stations. This initiative is advancing sustainable agriculture and renewable energy solutions in local schools.