International Day of Education

January 24^th is the International Day of Education. Every year, this day recognizes and honors the role of education in every facet of our daily lives, as well as in the establishment of sustainable societies and the empowerment of peacemakers. At Action Against Hunger, education is a key focus of our work. Projects, such as the Economic and Social Participation of Vulnerable Displaced and Local Population in the South Caucasus (EPIC) project supports beneficiaries by providing coaching and training support to help them find employment and to become active changemakers in their local communities.

Over the past two years the EPIC project has supported public actors in Armenia and Georgia to develop and deliver new and inclusive employability approaches (inc. self-employment) to increase the participation and economic and social inclusion of vulnerable internally displaced persons, refugees, people in a refugee-like situation, and the local population in both countries. Action Against Hunger provided technical support to the State Employment Service Agency of Georgia and the Unified Social Service in Armenia, as well as Vocational Education Colleges in the two countries on its ‘Shuttle’ approach. The transfer of the methodology was then followed up with the piloting of 8 Shuttles by these public actors.

During this pilot phase, 179 participants (110 in Armenia and 69 in Georgia) have attended these shuttles. All shuttle groups were diverse, with participants from different educational backgrounds and with different interests and professional objectives. 29 participants immediately gained employment following their participation, 20 participants are currently self-employed, while 12 have returned to education and 4 have found an internship.

The EPIC project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.