Mondo started working in Armenia

Mondo’s activities in Armenia promote gender equality and quality education. The operating area, Shirak Province, is one of the country’s most conservative and patriarchal regions.

One of Mondo’s primary goals in its 12 target countries is to empower women with fewer opportunities so that they can achieve economic independence, have access to quality healthcare and support services, and become strong community leaders.

Armenian women face significant challenges in asserting their rights. For example, women and girls spend 21.7% of their time on household chores, while for men, this figure is only 4.4%. Gender stereotypes are particularly deeply rooted in the Shirak region, where Mondo’s partner, the Women’s Rights House, operates. Armenian society is also strongly affected by the prolonged conflicts in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the arrival of over a hundred thousand displaced people in 2023.

In collaboration with a local partner, Mondo provides training to teachers in the region on human rights, gender equality, bullying, and gender-based violence. We also work to raise public awareness of these issues and their importance.

“It is gratifying to see that these issues are recognized as important in the region. Schools are actively participating in relevant training, and there is a clear sense that locals want to see change. Women are clearly strengthening their positions in society,” said project manager Iti Aavik, adding that Armenia has enough strong organizations ready to find solutions to these problems.

Mondo’s work in Armenia is supported by The Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV).