Small Steps, Big Impact: How Four Women Improved Navigation in Their Villages

Do you believe a small step can shift the future of a community?

That belief united four young women from Ranchpar and Sis villages—Lusine Petrosyan, Irina Mkrtichyan, Rouzanna Manoukyan, and Arpenik Petrosyan—who joined the ArmeniaCorps Development Initiative to acquire new skills and become catalysts for change.

Rooted in the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach, their journey focused on identifying untapped local strengths and channeling them into practical, community-driven solutions. As they mapped their communities, one need stood out: the absence of street signs, which made orientation and navigation difficult in both villages.

Instead of waiting for top-down solutions, they crafted their own. Their initiative—“Taking Small Steps Towards Improving Communities”—was designed to respond directly to this need by installing street signs to enhance accessibility and strengthen local infrastructure.

Thanks to funding from the Cultural Vistas Muskie Alumni Small Grants Program, the signs were printed. The Masis Municipality and the administrative leaders of Ranchpar and Sis contributed by preparing the frames and overseeing installation. Today, 22 streets in Ranchpar and Sis are marked—an enduring symbol of collaborative action and local leadership.

This project not only improves rural navigation, but also advances SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, by strengthening basic infrastructure, and SDG 5: Gender Equality, by showcasing women’s leadership in community development.

By trusting their abilities, building on their community’s assets, and working across sectors, these four women transformed a simple idea into tangible, sustainable change. Their story embodies the ArmeniaCorps mission: to unite individuals, empower them with vital skills, and ignite grassroots development through ABCD and locally led action.