Akhtala is a town with a population of 3200 in Armenia’s Lori province.

The main economic sector of the community is mining industry and thus each  ‘green’ centimeter of the town is vital for the well-being of its residents.

In 2015, the USAID-funded Partnerships for Rural Prosperity (USAID/PRP) project implemented by Small Medium Enterprise Development National Center of Armenia (SME DNC) launched an environmental project in the town together with Advanced Rural Development Initiative (ARDI), Akhtala municipality and NGO Center. 

Combining the funds, the partners established a green zone in the half-destroyed area of about 190 cubic meters by the intersection of the town’s central Abovyan and Shahumyan streets. Besides laying asphalt in two streets, benches, recycle bins and utility poles were installed in the framework of the project.  Bushes and flowers were also planted, which will soon make the green corner the beloved resting place for the passers-by.

600-700 residents of the houses adjacent to the green zone, as well as persons  arriving from neighboring villages to visit the medical center renovated by the World Bank, will take advantage of this environmental project.

During the visit to Lori province on September 27, USAID Armenia Mission Director Deborah Grieser and Lori governor Artur Nalbandyan attended the official opening of the park, cutting the symbolic ribbon with Akhtala Mayor Haykaz Khachikyan.