“Harvest and Vayots Dzor Traditional Cuisine” festival and opening ceremony of the first bed &breakfast facility in rural area of Vayots Dzor was held on October 4th in Hermon village of Vayots Dzor Marz. The event was organized by “Work and Motherland” NGO - the Oxfam’s partner in Vayots Dzor within the framework of Oxfam’s “Sustainable Livelihoods” Programme. The “Harvest and Vayots Dzor Traditional Cuisine” festival was celebrated in the garden adjacent to Hermon’s resident Sahak Hovhannisyan’s house. Within the framework of Oxfam’s “Sustainable Livelihoods” Programme and with the financial support from the “New Horizon” Fund, Sahak Hovhannisyan was able to renovate his house and turn it into a hospitality facility thus contributing to the development of agro tourism in the rural communities of Vayots Dzor. More than 30 representatives of 5 women’s cooperatives operating in the villages of Yeghegis, Hermon, Gomk, Zedea and Azatek targeted by the programme participated at the event and exhibited products and goods grown in their villages, as well as presented opportunities of agro tourism development in their villages. Each village presented a dish typical to their local cuisine. The guests enjoyed traditional lavash baking ceremony. Children’s dance ensembles performed at the event. Oxfam’s mission is to reduce poverty and build a future free from the injustice of poverty. Present in Armenia since 1994 Oxfam implements various humanitarian and development programmes in around 165 distant rural communities by closely collaborating with the Government, more than 10 local non-governmental organizations, local self-governance bodies and regional authorities. ---------------------------------------- For further inquiry please contact: Narine Hayrapetyan, PR and Campaigns Program Officer, NHayrapetyan@oxfam.org.uk, Mob. (091) 20 34 51.

---