ArmInfo. Mark Goldring, Chief Executive of “Oxfam Great Britain” international charitable organization, has paid a two-day working visit to Armenia. The British Executive managing 78 Oxfam country offices has been visiting Armenia for the first time and has combined meetings scheduled in the agenda with tours to Matenadaran and Genocide memorial.
On the first day of his visit Mark Goldring got familiar with the activities of the Armenian office and accompanied with the representatives of the Oxfam International Armenian office held meetings with a number of heads of agencies supervising social fields. At the meeting with First Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration V. Terteryan, Agriculture Minister and Minister of Labor and Social Affairs the Oxfam representatives discussed a number of issues related to the efficiency of state assistance projects implemented jointly with the abovementioned ministries and the possibility to continue them.
On the second day Mark Goldring visited Tavush region. Accompanied with Director of Oxfam Armenia Margarita Hakobyan, experts in agricultural field and journalists Mark Goldring toured fruits and berries processing plant founded in Sevqar community of Tavush region by Oxfam initiative and with the support from Asian Development Bank.
Prior to that a meeting was held with the women involved in the Oxfam supported horticultural project of assistance to small farms via establishing greenhouses and processing plants. The project is aimed at involving women resources and developing cooperatives via establishing farms in borderline communities. In recent years due to 16 cooperatives established by Oxfam Armenian Office and international donor organizations women living in the regions received opportunity to gather berries and fruits in the woods for the processing plant, which employs more than a dozen of women and men from the same community.