The EFSE – one of the largest microfinance funds in the world – is taking advantage of the occasion to present its results for 2013.

Bardzrashen was named for its location: the village in the Ararat province of Armenia is situated high on a hill, with a long curving road leading to it. Like many other villagers, Karen Grigoryan is a farmer - he has greenhouses to grow vegetables and flowers. To improve the quality of the crop and reduce the weather risk, he recently built a new heating system in his glassed greenhouse where he usually grows pinks.

Samvel Melkonyan, the head of S Kahuyq LLC has been engaged in furniture business since the Soviet times. Currently, he runs his own furniture shop in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

Alla Davtyan, her husband Mikael Hovhannisyan and their little daughter moved to Masis village located near the town of Artashat in Ararat province of Armenia several years ago. They settled in a small construction next to an abandoned farm, the owner of which let them live and work there, and purchased a cow, marking the beginning of a new life.

Edgar & Karen LLC, which was registered back in 2007, now operates Planet of Clothes chain of shops selling affordable clothing in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, and in the nearby town of Abovyan. The head of the firm, Karen Asoyan, personally runs the business, importing goods from China, Turkey and Dubai.

Hamlet Shmavonyan, a resident of Aratavan village in Ararat province of Armenia, believes that all problems are solvable, once people do their job. With the latest $2500 loan from ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank, he bought a land adjacent to his house, where he already built a pigsty, as well as two greenhouses to grow pinks, tulips and chrysanthemums. He also purchased fuelwood he uses to heat the greenhouses in winter.

Erzrum restaurant complex has been functioning for over 7 years in Jrvezh district on the outskirts of Armenia’s capital Yerevan. It’s a two-storey construction, with an adjacent green territory used as an open air café.

The resident of Lenughi village of Armenia’s Armavir province, Sargis Manukyan, believes that a farmer shouldn’t put all eggs in one basket. However, he knows that diversification can be risky too. A little more than ten years ago, Manukyan’s small farm enabled him to make a modest living. At the same time, he knew that limiting his business to livestock was equal to reducing his chances for a better life.

Laura Khachatryan follows the business rules once set by her husband, Patvakan Khachatryan, who started the Vahan Khachatryan and Friends bakery back in 2000 with three old electric ovens, which were quite inefficient and costly to operate.

Yeghishe Gevorgyan lives on the outskirts of Aragatsavan, a small village in Aragatsotn province of Armenia, just a few miles from the Turkish border. About a decade ago, he made a decision that changed his life. “At one point, I said to myself: ‘Yeghishe, if you don’t do something with this land, someone else will’,” Gevorgyan recollects.