Migration has been one of the key problems faced by Armenia since independence due to poverty and unemployment. While labour migration (primarily to Russia) has been long considered a coping mechanism that allows families overcome economic challenges posed by unemployment, its rather serious social consequences have become more apparently visible throughout the years. Those include weakened family ties and increased rate of divorces, lack of adequate parental care and subsequent psychological problems, threat of sexually transmitted diseases and several others that affect the overall family in general, and children in particular.
From December 2012 to September 2016, UNICEF in Armenia has been implementing the European Union-funded “Mitigating Social Consequences of Labour Migration and Maximizing Migrants’ Involvement in Local Development” project (hereinafter the Project) in four target marzes (regions) of Armenia - Lori, Tavush, Shirak and Gagharkunik. The purpose of the project was reducing the social vulnerability of labour migrants' families and communities through provision of tailored social services and best use of migrants’ resources in the development of their communities of origin/return.
