by David Zenian
Bob McClendon is the Country Director of the U.S. Peace Corps in Armenia who often "plays"; father to his small army of volunteers many of whose lives have changed in the two years they have been here.
"Our volunteers love it out here,"; McClendon says with satisfaction. "Out of our about 40 Peace Corps volunteers, one-third have already married Armenians here and a few have had children.";
But there is a lot more to the Peace Corps in Armenia than wedding bells.
There are the scores of educational projects in towns and villages across Armenia, there are the numerous small-business training programs, consultancy in agriculture and a string of other commitments.
"We are involved in a number of interactive projects which are producing tangible results as we go along. We are very encouraged by the progress we have seen,"; McClendon said in a recent interview between field seminars and study sessions.
The Peace Corps has already pooled its resources with the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (SMEDA) of the European Commission Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) program (EC TACIS) and the Armenian Ministry of Economy to help in Armenia's transition from a command economy to a market economy through addressing small and medium enterprise development needs.
In this domain, 19 volunteers work with regional and municipal authorities, farmers, and shop owners on everything from actual production skills to marketing, accounting and management.
"Armenians have been in business for centuries and therefore are no strangers to the world of trade but not the capitalist system, the free market system which is the backbone of free enterprise today,"; McClendon said.
A major undertaking, which covers not only Yerevan, but also more than half a dozen smaller towns around the countryside where even "cottage industries"; are dealt with professionally.
As a first step designed to encourage people to start up small enterprises, the Peace Corps offers $50 to anyone who comes forward with not only a business plan, but also evidence that he or she has already put 1,000 work hours in the endeavor.
Not a large sum by any stretch of imagination, but nevertheless enough to illustrate that "there is no free lunch.";
"We were surprised at the list of applicants,"; McClendon said.
"Our next step was to make another payment to expand the business once the owner showed an initial profit thus driving home the point that there is no free lunch, that there will be investors in profitable businesses. This too has been a success and at least 29 small businesses have started up this way and the list is growing ,"; he said.
These include a number of small privately-owned bakeries, back-room workshops making children's clothing, and a number of micro-level industries.
Encouraged by its initial success, the Peace Corps volunteers have doubled their efforts in other fields, including agriculture, but not just the planting and harvest procedure.
With a good portion of farming privatized in Armenia, the management and the business aspects of farming are of vital importance in the country's thrust toward self-sufficiency.
What to grow is often less important than how to market the product, how to finance the farm, and how to manage a small workforce.
"What's the point in a bumper harvest if you cannot get your crops to the marketplace,"; McClendon says.
To achieve these objectives, Peace Corps volunteers have organized dozens of hands-on seminars for the new farmers, many of whom were thrust into the fields without adequate training or background in agriculture.
"A village teacher has suddenly found himself running the small plot of land which he got through the government's privatization program. We are targeting these groups because they are the most vulnerable,"; McClendon said.
Hand-in-hand with its agricultural projects, the Peace Corps has also moved head on to improve and modernize the educational system of the elementary and secondary schools of rural Armenia.
Here, and maybe more than in farming and small-business, success has been remarkably visible.
"We are very happy to report that the Junior Achievement Program started by our volunteers has been a smashing success. The program involved 30 schools and the winning team of four students took part in an International Junior Achievement competition which was held in Michigan in August this year,"; McClendon said.
"The four Armenian students who went to Michigan did very well in the competition,"; he said.
The year-long program is based on the use of applied economics to build a company, develop a product line, enter into business and finally liquidate its assets, hopefully remaining in the black throughout the exercise.
The program, often referred to as teaching "Capitalism 101"; to 7th, 8th and 9th grade students, is a Peace Corps favorite in several former Soviet republics, including Russia.
"Our volunteers have also helped put together a number of summer camps, and yes ... six Little League Baseball teams. They are doing very, very, well,"; McClendon adds with a smile and the all too evident pride of a "father."
He has reason to be.
The Peace Corps projects in Armenia are successful.
And let's not forget the wedding bells.
