From Dream to Reality
The village of Surra, located in the valley of the Devechi River, is home to nearly 460 residents. The main occupations of the population are agriculture and livestock breeding. According to village elders, Surra has a 400-year history. In 2003, the Surra community was one of the communities mobilized under the project "Sustainable Community Development in the Northern Regions of Azerbaijan", implemented by Umid Humanitarian and Social Support Centre with financial support from BP.
As part of the process, a Community Action Group (CAG) and a community leader were elected, and local needs were identified. The Community Action Group received training in topics such as Community Mobilization, Volunteerism and Leadership, Project Proposal Writing, and Needs Assessment. The project aimed to implement micro-projects tailored to the needs identified by the community itself.
Discussions with the community revealed that a newly established residential area lacked both electricity and gas supply. The Community Action Group submitted a project proposal to “Umid” to extend the gas pipeline from Surra village to this new neighborhood, where eight families were already residing. A community fund was established, with contributions from the municipality and community members. All residents actively participated in the project’s implementation. New houses are now being built in the settlement. Using the community fund, a transformer has already been purchased to supply electricity to the area. Soon, the power supply will also be fully operational.
One of the other project components was to support youth in acquiring vocational skills through the traditional master-apprentice method. Conversations with local youth revealed a strong interest in becoming barbers. As a result, four young people—three girls and one boy—were enrolled in vocational training. Three of them are now employed in the field.
Community leader and chairman of Surra municipality, Maharram Hasanov, shares:
"The concept of 'community' was unfamiliar to us. When Umid’s staff first came to the village and explained the objectives of the program, I was skeptical. But we participated in the trainings and took part in roundtable discussions. Gradually, our interest in community work grew. We established the Community Action Group."
"Thanks to these trainings, we’ve now established connections with both international and local organizations. Previously, we had no relations beyond the municipality and local government authorities. Through these new partnerships, we’ve participated in experience-sharing visits with communities from other regions and submitted project proposals to international organizations and embassies. We also now take part in events held in surrounding towns."
"On July 1–2, 2003, I participated in a public meeting organized by Umid SSD PU as part of the State Program on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development: Public Awareness and Outreach. Before this meeting, I had very little knowledge about the program. Through my participation, I gained a deeper understanding of its importance and objectives. I was especially pleased to see my personal suggestion—to open an Emergency Medical Center in Devechi district—come to life. It has now been operational for three months."
The success of the Surra community has even reached neighboring Ashagi Amirkhanli village. Inspired by Surra’s example, residents there appealed to “Umid” to establish a community of their own. That process is now underway, and community mobilization, needs assessment, and project proposal writing trainings have already been conducted in the village.
