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The Paros Foundation underwrites all administrative and overhead costs allowing 100% of all donor contributions to go directly towards projects and supported organizations.

Donations to The Paros Foundation Projects for Prosperity are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. To sponsor a project through The Paros Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 organization (Tax ID 20-5094630), or learn more about specific projects in need of funding, please contact us using the information below.

Contacts

2217 5th Street

Berkeley CA 94710

info@parosfoundation.org

(310) 400 9061

Debi Arach Children's Center 2018 Operating Budget

Description

The Paros Foundation launched the Debi Arach Children’s Center in Gyumri, Armenia on April 15, 2015 with the help of generous donors. The center, which provides 150 children each week the necessary academic, psychological, social and humanitarian support, has since been a source of positivity in this city. The residents of Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city have endured very devastating realities since the tragic 1988 Spitak Earthquake. More than 100,000 residents were left homeless, and plagued with unemployment and rampant poverty for years to come. In turn, the fate of children in Gyumri has also been affected. Dealing with the difficulty of finding means to feed and care for their families, many parents are unable to provide their children with the proper guidance, supervision, educational aid and the financial resources for them to excel in school and have successful futures. The Debi Arach Children’s Center, which in Armenian means “moving forward,” helps these socially vulnerable children through a holistic approach providing them with both humanitarian and educational support. The center provides counseling and group therapy with a psychologist on staff, homework help and tutoring for almost every subject the children learn in school including English, Math, Art/Design, and Computer classes. Additionally, they are served a nutritious meal everyday, helping them receive the calories and/or nutrients they would otherwise not have. Furthermore, the Center addresses a very important hygienic need by providing the children in attendance with supervised bathing facilities. The goal is to help hundreds of children develop a vision for a successful future, and to give them the skills they need to reach these goals. This project is impacting the lives of hundreds of socially vulnerable children by helping them gain the guidance and support they need in order to create greater future opportunities, and become successful individuals and good citizens.

 

Region

Shirak

City / Village

Gyumri

Start Date

April 2018

End Date

March 2019

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

The Need
Thousands of children in Gyumri are living in extreme poverty, with no hope for a decent future. These socially vulnerable children are in need of a safe and enriching environment where they can receive additional guidance through social, psychological and academic support giving them a chance to break their cycle of poverty. The children’s center will continue to provide these children with the opportunity to attend afterschool and summer school programs providing them with the additional skills necessary for a successful future. Additionally, these children suffer from malnutrition and related illnesses due to a lack of well-balanced meals. The center will continue to provide each child with a nutritious meal everyday, helping them receive the calories and/or nutrients they need. Furthermore, many families were forced to take refuge in overseas shipping containers (domiks), or in condemned buildings after the devastating 1988 Spitak Earthquake or due to their poor socioeconomic status. An entire generation of children has grown up in deplorable conditions, often times with no running water and little or no heat to take showers. The Center will address this very important hygienic need by continuing to provide the children in attendance with supervised new bathing facilities.
Short Term Impact
The short-term 150 children will receive immediate support and guidance to help them succeed for the second year. The Center will continue offer nutritious meals, bathing facilities, counseling opportunities, homework aid and tutoring and core classes including English, Computer, Art/Design, and Math.
Long Term Impact
In the long term, with the success of the Center’s current offerings, additional classes and programs will be added and attendance will rise. The number of children growing up in poverty in the future will decrease as the number of children successfully graduating from our program and continuing onto college or successful vocations increases. The number of “social orphans” and children temporarily residing in boarding schools in Gyumri will be reduced as parents become increasingly able to keep their children at home given the humanitarian support they receive at the center. Through ongoing employment opportunities created, several families will continue to receive a fair wage, hence improving Gyumri’s economy.
Sponsors Benefits
Your donation to sponsor the operating cost for 2018 of the Debi Arach Children’s Center in Gyumri will be recognized with a plaque at the Center and on the Center’s website and in their printed materials. Your name will also be listed as a sponsor on the Paros Foundation website and in appropriate press related to this important project. The Paros Foundation will proudly arrange a visit to the new Center when you are in Armenia.
Anonymous User
GI

Gateway Industry Inc.

CA, United States January 2, 2019
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MD

Mr. Roupen Dechkounian

Lexington, MA December 31, 2018
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Mrs. Flora Dunaians

Pasadena, CA December 12, 2018
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Mr. Walter Holleran & Mrs. Karen Partoyan Holleran

San Rafael, CA December 10, 2018
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Mr. & Mrs. Daniel & Ludmila Sahakian

State College, PA November 28, 2018
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Mr. & Mrs. Ara & Valerie Cherchian

Hartland, WI November 9, 2018
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Mrs. Rose Hagopian

Philadelphia, PA November 7, 2018
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Mr. & Mrs. Joseph & Lisa Dagdigian

Harvard, MA November 1, 2018
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Mr. & Mrs. Emil & Piruza Neshanian

Burbank, CA September 17, 2018
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SD

Anonymous

Hobe Sound, FL September 11, 2018
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Updates: Images & Information

April 2, 2018

Debi Arach’s 1st-5th graders enrolled in the “Im Dproc (My School)" website, an interactive homework assistant that allows “groups” to compete against each other and gain points. Debi Arach as a group has already climbed the ladder and sits in 3rd place amongst all participants. Many schools have recently approached Debi Arach to find out more about our organization as they are surprised when they hear that we are in fact an after school center, not a school.

 
April 3, 2018

As a part of our career fair initiative, we have speakers visit our students on a monthly basis to speak about their jobs. Today, Gayane from the Gyumri Tech Center spoke to our students about a career in I.T. and how the work of programmers connects to each of our daily lives. Gayane also teaches programming to our Veterans in our Vocational Training Program.

 
July 2, 2018

Our Med-Aid Armenia mission began today here at Debi Arach with the leadership of Dr. Krikor Deramerian, California based pediatrician. He will spend a few days with us this week and along with our nurse perform physicals for all of our students ! Thank you so much for visiting Dr. Krikor!

 
October 27, 2018

Paros staff, along with the “Journey Through Armenia” group members visited Debi Arach to pass out winter boots and coats to all of our students. Thank you to Talar Nina for donating a percentage of their proceeds to purchase the boots, and SERVICE Armenia alumni, Dustin Hochmuth, for leading the effort to collect the winter coats.

 
February 20, 2019

Congrats to our three students who completed the SHTIGEN Kids course in our Vocational Training Class. This is just one step on the journey to developing skills in the field of I.T. Thank you to the teachers of this program who help our students achieve their dreams.