“I’m beyond happy that through IOM support I can already respond to the growing demand from the clients as well as create multiple high quality and bestselling production,” Nona Beridze

Nona Beridze used to live and work in Iraq during 2011-2020. After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Nona returned to Georgia and didn’t go back again. She attempted to start a small business, sewing and knitting workshop in her own house in Chkhakaura village, producing various kinds of handmade items including pillow covers, linens, tablecloths etc.

The demand on Nona’s handmade goods were growing as the village is just few kilometers away from a famous Bakhmaro mountain resort and the majority of the guesthouses and hotels in there were Nona’s clients.

In the beginning the returnee managed to open a small sewing workshop by herself and purchased a secondhand equipment, though she was in need of high quality, modern sewing and knitting machines to boost her manufacture, as well as to produce much demanded, bestselling souvenirs for tourists visiting Bakhmaro resort. 

“Due to the lack of modern equipment, in frequent cases, I had to reject orders from my clients. Only with my efforts, I wasn’t able to respond to the demand adequately. It was a happy coincidence that in this very moment, in Chokhatauri municipality, I received much desirable information regarding IOM grants competition and prepared a business-idea in partnership with my non-migrant neighbor Natela Iremadze. Our business-project got selected by the grants committee and currently we are beyond happy that through IOM support we can already respond to the growing demand from the clients as well as create multiple high quality and bestselling production,” said Nona Beridze.   

In the framework of IOM “Sustainable Reintegration and Community Revitalization Pilot Initiative in Communities of Return” project, Nona and Natela were awarded with up-to-date sewing and knitting machines of GEL 2500, as well as they were delivered business management and proposal-writing trainings, which helped them to prepare a wining business-project and plan their successful start up accordingly.

International Organization for Migration (IOM) implemented “Sustainable Reintegration and Community Revitalization Pilot Initiative in Communities of Return” project, through the financial support of International Development Fund (IDF) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in 2020-2023.

 

Photo by IOM Georgia

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