History
In 2006, Gerald Turpanjian, long-time benefactor and international philanthropist, donated $5 million to the American University of Armenia (AUA) for encouraging economic development in rural areas. As a result, the Turpanjian Rural Development Program (TRDP) was established, aiming to provide education and entrepreneurship opportunities to people living in rural areas of the Republic of Armenia, Artsakh, and Javakhk to encourage rural development, create jobs, and improve communities. With the support of TRDP, 1245 TRDP applicants have completed the training courses, 423 businesses have been established, and 433 jobs have been created so far.
Specific interest among TRDP applicants toward establishing private medical practices became a basis for the launch of a new program called Entrepreneurs in Health (EIH), aiming to increase access to quality health services in rural communities and regional small towns of the Republic of Armenia, Artsakh, and Javakhk, through establishment and/or expansion of private medical practices.
EIH Objectives
1) To equip those healthcare providers willing to establish private practices in rural communities (EIH beneficiaries) with the necessary knowledge and skills through trainings on entrepreneurship and healthcare quality assurance.
2) To assist project beneficiaries in applying for loans with low interest rates from the local banks to finance the establishment of their practices.
3) To provide continuous support to the EIH beneficiaries throughout the process of establishment and operation of the private practices, through professional consultancy, monitoring, and evaluation.
Main Program Components
- Provision of free-of-charge training courses on Entrepreneurship, quality of care, accounting, and preventive dentistry
- Opportunity to receive low interest (5%) loan
- Continuous professional support
- Collaboration with diasporan professionals
- Monitoring and evaluation of established private practices
- Support in continuous professional development
- Preventive dentistry projects for the beneficiaries providing dental services
- Additional support to applicants from border communities