The international organization Mercy Corps, with the financing of the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) and the support of Liberty Bank and the International Foundation for Sports, Tourism, and Youth, is implementing a large-scale project - "Youth Entrepreneurship for Rural Development" (RDYE)

Today, the awarding ceremony of the winners of the second stage of the grant competition was held in "Pullman Tbilisi". In the framework of the mentioned project, 22 entrepreneurs were financed in the first stage in March, and 16 youth enterprises were financed this time.

Irakli Kasrashvili, the director of the "Mercy Corps" representative office in Georgia, Ucha Varamashvili, the director of the RDYE project, and Vazha Menabde, the director of Liberty's small and medium business department, presented the awards to the winners. The event was attended by the Deputy Minister of Sports, Culture, and Youth of Georgia Irakli Giviashvili, and the First Deputy Minister of State for Reconciliation and Civil Equality Lia Gigauri.

Within the framework of the event, young entrepreneurs representing the target municipalities of the project, who completed the one-week intensive business training BET program of the RDYE project and prepared business plans, participated in the project's grant competition, and presented their products at the exhibition.

The representatives of the private sector invited to the event had the opportunity to personally meet the participants of the project, see their products, establish business connections, within the framework of corporate social responsibility (CSR), support young entrepreneurs, and contribute to the development of innovative entrepreneurship in rural areas and the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the regions of Georgia.

"The main goal of the RDYE project is to promote the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the target regions. For this purpose, within the framework of the project, more than 700 young people have already been trained in the target municipalities, and in the future, it is planned to train an additional 800 young people in the direction of entrepreneurship and provide them with the opportunity of financing. At today's event, the winners of the financial support competition of the project were identified, who will be able to develop their own enterprises in the target municipalities, and this will be an additional economic incentive not only for the winners but also for other young people living in the region to become more active and get more involved in community development and entrepreneurial activities." - Ucha Varamashvili of the Project Director of the "Youth entrepreneurship for rural development" project.

"It is important for Liberty to contribute to the business development of young entrepreneurs living in rural areas. During the project, we met young entrepreneurs with very interesting business ideas. And financial education and financial contribution will definitely help these young people to create successful and responsible companies, become stronger, and contribute to the strengthening and attractiveness of the region. We thank our partners for this opportunity." - Vazha Menabde, director of Liberty's small and medium business department.

Youth Entrepreneurship for Rural Development (RDYE) is a 3.5-year project implemented by Mercy Corps Georgia with funding from the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC). Supporters of the project are Liberty Bank and the International Foundation for Sports, Tourism, and Youth.

The project will support more than 1,500 young people aged 18-35 (50% women), including representatives of ethnic and religious minorities, inhabitants of highland villages, eco-migrants, internally displaced persons, and persons with disabilities, to develop entrepreneurial skills and opportunities to create 50 More than 100 sustainable, new and/or expand existing, youth-led agricultural and non-agricultural enterprises/businesses. The project will be implemented for 42 months (December 2021 - May 2025) in Georgia.

Austrian development cooperation supports the sustainable development of countries in Africa, Asia, Southeast and Eastern Europe.

The Federal Ministry of European and International Relations is establishing a strategy. The Austrian Development Agency, as the operational agency for Austrian development cooperation, implements programs and projects with public institutions together with civil society organizations and enterprises.

Mercy Corps is an international non-profit organization that helps people create safe, productive, and just environments to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression. Mercy Corps has been working in Georgia since 2000, creating productive, resilient, stable, safe, and just communities in regions affected by poverty and conflict.

Within the framework of the "Youth Entrepreneurship for rural development" project, Mercy Corps works with rural youth, young entrepreneurs, and policymakers to promote entrepreneurship and economic development among rural youth

Liberty is one of the country's largest commercial banks, serving more than 1.7 million individuals and more than 50,000 small and medium-sized businesses.

The bank's assets amount to 3 billion GEL and it employs more than 4,500 employees. Liberty is represented throughout the country with the widest network - more than 360 service centers, 632 ATMs, and self-service and POS terminals in all regions and municipalities of Georgia. In addition to the developed infrastructure, modern digital services, and remote services are available for both individuals and legal entities. The bank's strategic direction is set by corporate social responsibility and many years of experience in financing small and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas.

The International Fund for Sports, Tourism, and Youth was established on June 21, 2021. The purpose of the foundation is to facilitate positive social changes through sports, tourism, and youth development. At the national level, the foundation is a universal promotion platform for sports, tourism, and youth for the private and public sectors. Encouraging youth and youth entrepreneurship is one of the main priorities of the Foundation.