News about jackets Made in Kurtan went viral on Facebook in a matter of hours, and they received positive reviews on social media. Many people on social media were interested to learn where it would be possible to buy the cozy Armenian jackets made in the Kurtan village of Lori.
This is one of the programs created by the Little Star Charitable Fund, which was made possible thanks to the Mensenkinderen foundation. The women of Kurtan were given jobs at Made in Kurtan, and every order gives them the opportunity to increase the size of the factory and hire more employees.
The director of the Astghik Charitable Foundation, Mariam Antonyan, told Aravot Daily that this is not someone’s business; it is simply someone’s charity project. Astghik works with people in the Netherlands to implement projects on village development in Armenia. “We find a village and conduct research on the potential that the village has. Then, we start working to develop that potential while trying to decrease the poverty level. This is the second year we’re in Kurtan. Last year, we installed solar panels on residents’ homes, and now we are thinking about development projects. This sewing factory was the first one,” Mariam Antonyan said.
“We are thinking about renting a spot at the National Mall. We are currently distributing our jackets among children in families from Artsakh. To be honest, the residents of Kurtan worked during all 44 days of the war. We sewed warm quilts for the residents of Artsakh, which we continue to do now. We want a lot of people to know about Made in Kurtan. The more profits we gain, the more jobs we will have, and the more sewing machines we will be able to purchase.”
She excitedly added that people in different parts of Armenia will see the “Made in Kurtan” label and they will want to buy the product. Mariam Antonyan added that she did not expect this to receive so much attention.
Regarding the price, she assured that it would be inexpensive. “We base the price on the cost of materials, the employees’ salaries, utilities, and a small percentage in profits to maintain the future development of the factory. The jackets made for children will be 10,000 AMD, and jackets for adults will be 12,000-13,000 AMD. What’s left is to determine how we will ship products from Kurtan to Yerevan and other places.”
Gohar Hakobyan
