Growing Gyumri: Ani's Fundraising for the Debi Arach Food Program
Description
As part of the SERVICE Armenia 2026 trip, participants are raising funds for a Paros project they are passionate about. Ani has chosen to support the Debi Arach Children’s Center in Gyumri. The Center serves children from vulnerable families, providing a safe and supportive environment where they can learn, grow, and thrive.
Through this effort, Ani will raise funds that will directly support the children’s needs and overall well-being. Your support will make a meaningful difference in their lives and help create a brighter future.
A message from Ani:
Gyumri is a special place, one that uniquely embodies everything we Armenians pride ourselves on: history, family, and resilience. And though the people of Gyumri may be known for their lighthearted sense of humor, like most Armenians, what they’ve been through is anything but light.
We all know about the Spitak earthquake of 1988. What many of us don’t know is that many survivors of that disaster are still without basic human rights—adequate food or shelter. Living out of shipping containers that once held humanitarian aid and the ruins of crumbling Soviet-era buildings that once were, these Gyumri families have exhibited the resilience hallmark of Armenians everywhere.
But Armenians are more than just our resilience. We are a family. We take care of each other. Which is why when other Paros service volunteers and I distributed humanitarian aid to our struggling compatriots in Gyumri, we would get stopped in our tracks and invited for coffee afterward.
This is how we grow—by taking care of each other. And now, it’s time to grow Gyumri. Paros Foundation’s Debi Arach Children’s Center in Gyumri provides more than 180 children with academic, psychological, vocational, social, and humanitarian support—all free of charge. Beyond that, Debi Arach provides opportunity. And right now, Debi Arach is providing us with one: it’s time to take care of our family.
By supporting this project, you will be directly supporting Debi Arach’s food program. Many of Gyumri’s bright young minds need proper sustenance. Debi Arach provides these kids with nutritious meals throughout the day, often more than they receive at home. My goal is to raise at least $3,000 for this project. This helps Debi Arach Children’s Center’s food garden, home-grown by the children themselves. It also helps the community members working in the kitchen, making the food that keeps these children going.
After all, we’re family, and together we can make it happen!