The chairwoman of the Georgian Farmers’ Association, Nino Zambakhidze, attended the opening of the Global Women’s Development and Achievement initiative at the White House. During the signing ceremony, Nino Zambakhidze told President Trump and all of the attendees of how her life was changed with the support of the US state grant. To Ivanka Trump’s question about how the American Government helped her and what impact it had on Georgian society, Zambakhidze responded:
“I Would like to take this opportunity to say to American tax payers that they are changing the lives of many people around the world for the better. I received the Millennial Challenge corporation grant. I was among the women who thought that women in Georgia had no future. It marked a significant change when the Millennial challenge gave me an opportunity to overcome this challenge. I began my work with two cows and today I am one of the largest scale farmers in Georgia. Now I am helping my community to access finances, providing education and, supporting their general well being.
Mr. President, under your governance the relationship between Georgia and America is going well. This is felt by each citizen in Georgia. I would like to thank you for that. Your projects that are being implemented in Georgia are on a large scale.
Women have a future and there are thousands of Ninos globally who are unable to come here and say this to you personally. On behalf of the USAID programme participants, I would like to say thank you”
Nino Zambakhidze established the Georgian Farmers’ Association in Georgia as a result of the Millennial Challenge fund. Nino is the chairwoman of the association and is funded by donors such as USAID, EU, FAO, UN Women, and others. Nino is actively involved in advocating for the rights of the farmers. Currently, the association, in cooperation with the Agriculture University, is working to develop innovative vocational programmes based on professional market demand, which are also funded by the Millennial Challenge.
The international contract – Millennial Challenge Corporation Second Compact – between the Georgian Government and the America’s Millennial Challenge Corporation, was signed in 2013. The scope of the contract is 140 million USD. This is the biggest investment made in the Education sector in Georgia, which aims to develop Human Capital; that will support economic growth and poverty alleviation in the country. The Millennial Challenge Corporation has been working with Georgia for over 10 years and within the frameworks of the first and the second compacts it has implemented investments worth more than 500 million USD.
