IMC has been working in the Russian Federation since 1999 to improve health and economic well-being through programs building local capacity. It implements small business development, agriculture, and skills training programs to promote self-reliance. IMC pays special attention to strengthening business linkages and supply chains in the region. It currently operates in six North Caucasus republics with a focus on small business development, youth skills training, public health, and gender-based violence prevention.
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Russian Federation Cape Statement
1. IMC Russian Federation From Relief to Self-Reliance
IMC has been working in the Russian Federation since 1999, implementing programs that aim
to improve the health and economic well-being of local populations to help them become self-
reliant. True to our mission, our programs aim to build the capacity of existing health
structures. As economic well-being goes hand-in-hand with health, since 2002, IMC Russia has
augmented health care interventions in the region with small business development, primarily
in agriculture, and training programs designed to give vulnerable youth the skills, tools, and
opportunities to generate income. IMC Russia pays special attention to strengthening the
linkages between existing businesses, investing into value chains, and constructing supply
chains between agricultural businesses.
Photo by Georgy Molodtsov Photo by Sayd-Akhmed Israilov
History of IMC in Russia
IMC Russia currently implements USAID, US DOS and EU funded programs in the North
Caucasus in six autonomous republics: Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria,
Karachaevo-Cherkessia, North Ossetia, and Stavropol Krai with a combined population of over 5
million people. Our objectives are to foster economic growth through agriculture and other
SME development programs and training, and increase access to health care.
IMC Russia key program areas for the North Caucasus include:
Small and Medium Sized Agriculture Enterprises (MSE/ME) and Microfinancing:
Mobilizing communities to manage and implement income-generating activities, helping
individuals to start businesses, including greenhouses, bakeries, pastry shops, dairy
farms, fisheries and other productive development projects
2. Youth Initiatives: Empowering youth with professional skills training in areas like public
health education, TB prevention, occupational skills training, and NGO and business
management
Public Health and Health Improvement
Gender Based Violence prevention
IMC is the only US NGO implementing such programs in Chechnya, and has the largest program
scope and scale with over 10 years of experience in the region.
Strong relationship with the government Ministries of Agriculture and Economic Development,
Ministry of External Relations and Information of the Chechen Republic, Dagestan and
Ingushetia, Ministries of Health and Education of a number of republics, Chechen, Dagestani
and North Ossetian Chambers of Commerce, and an operational network of community driven
SME and ME provides IMC with unique opportunity and a critical edge for successful USAID
programs implementation.
Programmatic description:
Small and Medium Sized Enterprises and Microfinancing
IMC Russia seeks to foster sustainable economic growth
and job creation in the North Caucasus through the
development of a vibrant entrepreneurial sector. North
Caucasus primary economic activity is agriculture.
Majority of its population is concentrated in the
countryside urbanization of the region is 54% compared
to 73% in Russia as a whole. Therefore, we have focused
Photo by Sayd-Akhmed Israilov on building small businesses in rural areas, creating
linkages between the existing actors of the agricultural
value chain and introducing modern technologies to make agricultural production more
efficient.
Small businesses located in rural areas in secondary and tertiary economic sector should
become the focus points of the regional development. They require smaller capital investment,
which is especially important for the regions that
receive majority of their funding from the federal
budget (Chechnya 84%, Ingushetia 93%,
Dagestan 78%). They are capable of creating a
competitive environment, increasing the number of
workplaces, and introducing modern technologies
into the traditional agricultural society making the
production more efficient. Eventually this will
contribute to the development of a vibrant civil
Photo by Sayd-Akhmed Israilov society with operational interest groups guided by
3. their growing awareness of the need to represent their economic and property rights, creating
a healthy interaction between different groups in the society and the government.
IMC Russia employs an innovative approach to developing Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
(SMEs) in war-affected communities in the region. For example, through comprehensive
microfinancing programs, we improve the value chain marketing and sales component, as well
as operations component and outbound logistics of agricultural SMEs such as greenhouses,
cattle breeding and dairy mini-farms, sheep breeding mini-farms by linking grocery shop chains
and other distributors. IMC Russia programs created 587 start-up businesses with EU and
USAID funding, initiating a business association through the Chechen Chamber of Commerce to
improve their value chains, creating over 3,600 people and helping them become more self-
reliant. 70% are dairy farms and cattle breeding, 20% food-security and 10% self-sufficiency.
Professional consultations and training in vital business skills (marketing, financial management
and accounting, distribution) is provided to each of the business grant recipient to immediately
improve the operations value chain component.
4. Training and Professional Development
With USAID funding IMC has
provided 142 vocational courses
and training programs to the
vulnerable, war affected youth, in
many professions including
agronomy, SME accounting, IT,
welding and professional driving.
2,514 people received professional skills training or went through business start-up trainings.
In addition, 24 internships were organized for the most successful USAID program graduates at
SMEs in the region. Since 2003, International Medical Corps has also created nine Youth Action
Organizations in Chechnya and 28 in Ingushetia to help young people build professional and
leadership skills.
Value and Supply Chain Facilitation
IMC Russia uses value chain analysis in the agriculture sector, especially in Chechnya, and
conducts continuous market assessments to evaluate private sector development and
jumpstart growth and poverty reduction in the North Caucasus region. This can include a wide
range of activities such as facilitating access to cheaper or better inputs and strengthening the
delivery of business and financial services in order to help local businesses develop a
5. competitive advantage. The goal has been to create value that exceeds the cost of providing
the product or service, thus generating a profit margin.
As many newly created SMEs are located in small towns and villages and require assistance
with supply chain management, IMC facilitates the creation of effective supply chains between
different types of businesses. Linkages have been created between small agricultural and food
processing businesses (greenhouses, pelmeni and dairy production), shops created with the
support of IMC and wholesale suppliers. IMC has provided SMEs with a number of market-
based opportunities by coordinating and linking with UNFAO, local businesses and the
government in building economic agricultural development programs
Competitive advantages of our business come from different sources: some are newcomers;
others are able to identify a small market niche and enter it successfully. Still other businesses,
such as greenhouses, constructed with IMC support, enter an already crowded market using
advance technology, which allows them to be ahead of their competitors with their very
seasonal product.
IMC organizational capacity
For over 25 years, IMC Worldwide, via two international headquarters IMC US and IMC UK,
has demonstrated the ability to deliver major development programs to improve lives and
strengthen national capacity through social programming, economic development, health, and
education. IMC Worldwide has responded to complex emergencies and implemented
development programs in more than 50 countries.
IMC has been implementing agricultural development programs in a number of countries
including Iraq, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, and others.
For example, IMC program in Iraq that has been operational since the early days of the
international coalition operation in Iraq educating Iraqis in a particular trades and provides
them with the tools they need to generate profit. IMC helps to create small and medium-sized
enterprises. Majority of IMC beneficiaries are from the countryside lacking basic finance and
management skills, and IMC educates the new businesspersons on basic management,
bookkeeping, and market research.
IMC HQ Development Units in Washington, DC, Santa Monica, CA, and London, UK have highly
qualified specialists in economics, business development, agriculture and international
development that conduct continuous evaluation of all ongoing programs and provide
consultations both at program development stage and in the course of program
implementation.