About Project
Rural Development Through Youth Entrepreneurship (RDYE) is a 3.5 year project funded by Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) and implemented by Mercy Corps Georgia. The project contributors are Liberty Bank and International Foundation of Sport, Tourism and Youth.
Project goal
RDYE Project supports at least 1 500 young people (50% female), including youth from remote areas, ethnic and religious minorities, ecomigrants and IDPs to develop their entrepreneurial skills and capacity to create 50 sustainable, new and/or existing, rural agricultural and non-agricultural youth-led-enterprises.
Geographical Area
RDYE Project is implemented over a 42-month execution period (December, 2021 - May, 2025) across 4 rural regions of Georgia in the following 18 municipalities:
Target Group
Existing/beginner young entrepreneurs and youth interested in entrepreneurship from target areas (age 18-35).
Project Activities
RDYE Project activities are focused on improving social and economic engagement and well-being of the youth and fostering their entrepreneurial capability. The enhanced professional knowledge and skills obtained through the project activities help them to find employment/self-employment opportunities. RDYE Project is of crucial importance for sustainable local economic development through improving and fostering entrepreneurial capabilities of the youth from the target municipalities.
1 Step - 2 two-day basic entrepreneurship trainings for more than 1 500 young entrepreneurs;
2 Step - Intensive one week Business Excellence Training (BET) program for 175 successful graduates of basic entrepreneurship trainings;
3 Step - Supporting 50 youth-led enterprises. Winners of business plan contest conducted at the end of BET program will receive on average 25,000 GEL financial support to develop new or existing enterprises;
4 Step - Accounting and Taxation trainings for winner youth-led enterprises;
5 Step - Individual and technical consultations, mentorship program for the project participants, as well as facilitating linkages between young entrepreneurs and businesses and financial institutions.
Additional benefits for successful candidates
RDYE Project offers additional benefits to successful candidates: Accounting and taxation training, individual consultations, mentoring, management consulting, gender mainstreaming and equality principles in entrepreneurship, tourism, IT consulting, HR consulting and many more.
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Donor organization and contributors
Austrian Development Cooperation - supports countries in Africa, Asia, South-Eastern and Eastern Europe in their sustainable development. The Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs plans the strategies. The Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation, implements programmes and projects together with public institutions, civil society organizations as well as enterprises.
Mercy Corps - is an international non-profit organization working to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. Mercy Corps has been working in Georgia since 2000, building productive, resilient, stable, secure, and equitable communities in regions impacted by poverty and conflict. Within the framework of Rural Development through Youth Entrepreneurship, Mercy Corps works with rural youth, young entrepreneurs, and policymakers to promote entrepreneurship and economic development opportunities among youth living in rural areas.
Liberty Bank - is one of the largest commercial banks in the country, serving more than 1.7 million individuals and more than 50,000 small and medium-sized businesses. The bank's assets amount to GEL 3 billion and more than 4,500 employees. Liberty is represented by the widest network in the country - more than 360 service centers, 632 ATMs, self-services and POS terminals in all regions and municipalities of Georgia. In addition to the developed infrastructure, modern digital services and remote services are available for both individuals and legal entities. The strategic direction of the bank is corporate social responsibility and many years of experience in financing small and medium enterprises in rural areas.
International Foundation of Sport, Tourism and Youth - was founded on 21st of June 2021. The Foundation is committed to finding creative ways to use sport, tourism, and youth to inspire positive social changes. On a national level, the Foundation is an inspiring, universal platform in the field of sport, tourism, and youth for private and public sectors. Supporting rural youth development and youth entrepreneurship in Georgia are one of the top priorities for the foundation.
Results of the RDYE project (2nd cycle)
Contact Information
E-mail:
Phone Number: +995 595 951 236
Address: 48 A. Tsagareli str. 0194, Tbilisi, Georgia