Paros Turns 20! Reflections from Executive Director, Peter Abajian
Reflections at the Start of Our 20th Anniversary Year
I just returned from our first trip to Armenia of Paros’s 20th anniversary year. It’s hard to believe we’ve been at this for two decades — and humbling to see our work still so needed and so appreciated.
A few impressions from our travels:
- A Dedicated Core Team: Our full-time project-management team in Hayastan is just five people — no drivers, no office staff, no secretary — only committed patriots who pour their hearts into building a better Armenia.
- Meaningful Public Infrastructure: With the generous support of individual donors and partners like the Knights of Vartan and Focus on Children Now, we’ve rebuilt schools and kindergartens, enabling tens of thousands of children to learn in safe, sanitary conditions. We’ve also helped bring drinking water and healthcare access to more than ten thousand villagers.
- Homes and Dignity: Nearly 80 homes have given homeless and refugee families a fresh start. The community home in Goris now allows eight elderly refugees to live with dignity. Our large construction project in Gyumri will soon move 27 more families into new apartments, and we will begin building ten additional homes for Artsakh refugee families in Syunik. Seeing children and families thrive in these homes is profoundly inspiring.
- Economic Development and Partnerships: Our ongoing initiatives in Gyumri and border communities are creating jobs, training, and educational opportunities — supported by municipal governments and partners such as the Armenian Tree Project.
- Investing in the Next Generation: Visiting the Debi Arach Children’s Center in Gyumri and the Ghoghanj Children’s Centers in Yerevan reaffirmed the importance of supporting our future leaders. Debi Arach — now in its 11th year — will open a second location in our new building once construction finishes. Walking through the dining hall, kitchen, and future classrooms, I could almost hear the laughter and activity of the 27 families who will soon live upstairs and the children who will benefit from the center, the Assarian Vocational Training Program, and our sewing enterprise.
2026 — our 20th anniversary year — should be meaningful, productive, and exciting for our team, our beneficiaries, and our country. I look forward to facilitating SERVICE Armenia, a young-professionals trip, and our Med Aid Armenia program this summer, welcoming hundreds more to connect with the homeland.
A heartfelt thank you to our friends and sponsors whose generosity allows us to continue this vital mission. Want to help? Consider making a tax-deductible contribution to a project of your choice and together we can continue impacting Armenia for the better.
Peter Abajian
Executive Director
