Side by Side: IDBank Launches New Program for women forcibly displaced from Artsakh

ArmInfo.  The “By Your Side” initiative is back — with a new format, a new focus, and a renewed message. Originally launched in 2024 to support forcibly displaced compatriots from Artsakh, the program initially provided direct social assistance to 150 children.

Now reintroduced under the same name, “Side by Side”, the program shifts its focus from direct social support to creating new opportunities for our compatriots who were forcibly displaced from Artsakh.

In line with its social responsibility policy, the “Side by Side” program focuses on two key areas: creating employment opportunities through education and promoting education itself. The program’s starting point is the empowerment of women from Artsakh — a direction chosen deliberately by the Bank in partnership with the “Armenian Mothers” NGO. With the support of IDBank, 65 women from Artsakh will receive professional training in sewing and manicure and will be provided with the necessary tools and accessories to begin working.

Tatevik Vardevanyan, Head of the Communication and Social Responsibility Programs Department at IDBank, notes: “At this stage, we believe it is far more important to help our compatriots truly establish themselves in the Republic of Armenia and not leave our homeland under any circumstances. We are convinced that standing side by side, offering a new profession and access to education, is the right path to move forward, to serve our country, and to build Armenia. That is precisely why we renamed the program from ‘By Your Side’ to ‘Side by Side.’ We deeply hope that our contribution will genuinely support moving forward together—and staying together.”

Narine Manukyan, founder of the “Armenian Mothers” NGO, notes: “I believe this is one of the most meaningful programs of the ‘Armenian Mothers’ NGO, through which we will see a real improvement in people’s quality of life. In other words, we are not creating dependence—like in cases of farming support where ongoing aid is needed—but rather helping individuals become independent and strong, able to earn a living and meet their own needs. Most of the program’s beneficiaries are mothers of children with disabilities. The second selection criterion was large families, and finally, those in greatest need—families living in remote regions who truly require support.”

It should be noted that the “Side by Side” program is fully funded by IDBank. The financial support provided to each beneficiary—250,000 AMD—was allocated exclusively in the form of idcoins. Program participants used these idcoins to pay their trainers and purchase the necessary supplies for future work directly on-site, making payments through the Idram&IDBank app.

Let us remind you that IDBank has been implementing various programs in the Republic of Armenia since April 2024 to provide social support to compatriots forcibly displaced from Artsakh. Last year, the Bank funded the “By Your Side” program, within the framework of which more than 150 minor children from Artsakh families received idcoin equivalent to 40 thousand drams per month from the bank for 9 months. In 2024, the program’s budget amounted to more than 50 million drams.