Nourishing Armenia!
Nourishing Armenia!
Description
Nourishing Armenia aims to create a lasting impact on the health and well-being of children and families in Armenia.
Armenia stands at a crossroads of opportunity and need. Rates of childhood malnutrition and obesity are both rising. Many families face limited access to fresh, nutrient-rich foods due to economic barriers or lack of agricultural infrastructure. At the same time, nutrition education and clinical dietetics remain largely absent from the country’s educational and healthcare systems.
Food insecurity and poor nutrition fuel chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and anemia — all of which threaten the nation’s long-term wellbeing. Without intervention, these patterns will continue to weaken families, communities, and the economy.
But Armenia’s potential is immense. The country has a strong agricultural heritage, a growing youth population, and a deep sense of community — the perfect foundation for a national movement in food literacy and health. To build a healthier future requires action on multiple fronts: schools, farms, universities, and the health system.
Nourishing Armenia brings together education, agriculture, and healthcare to create lasting, community-led change. We aim to build a culture where every child understands what healthy food means, every healthcare provider can prescribe nutrition as part of healing, and every school can feed both minds and bodies.
In the short time since Nourishing Armenia’s launch in the spring of 2025, several successes have already been realized including:
- The successful development and launch of the Nourishing Armenia Summer curriculum and activity schedule for 180 at the Debi Arach Children’s Center.
- The construction and launch of a greenhouse, serving as a living classroom at the Debi Arach Children’s Center.
- The successful development and launch of the Nourishing Armenia curriculum for the 25/26 academic year at the Debi Arach Children’s Center.
- Nourishing Armenia at Debi Arach. For $150 we can feed, educate and engage students at the Center for an entire year! This amount includes nutritious daily meals, cooking workshops and mentorship.
- Hamov Hub Clubs as extracurricular activities as a pilot project in 10 schools throughout Armenia serving 15 students per club.
- Hamov Hub cooking show at Debi Arach engaging 180 students in designing, filming and posting healthy cooking recipes via YouTube to educate children everywhere.
- Sustainable Food Systems through the construction of additional greenhouses and chicken coops in appropriate village settings.
- Undergraduate and graduate university programs in Clinical Dietetics to train future nutrition leaders including dietitians, clinical nutritionists, educators and public health specialists.
- CME courses for doctors and nurses in coordination with the Armenian National Institutes of Health, which will provide healthcare workers valuable tools on how to incorporate nutrition into healthcare.
- $150 feeds one child for a full year at Debi Arach’s after-school program.
- $2,500 supports one Hamov Hub Club including supplies, ingredients and educator trainings.
- $5,000 supports the startup trainings and set creation of Hamov Hub YouTube cooking show at Debi Arach
- $7,500 establishes a chicken coop at the community living center for elderly Artsakh refugees in Verishen.
- $10,000 develops and delivers CME nutrition courses for 50 healthcare professionals
- $20,000 builds and equips one greenhouse
- $50,000 supports the creation and accreditation of Undergraduate and graduate university programs in Clinical Dietetics.
Region
City / Village
Start Date
End Date
The Need
Thousands of children in Armenia face the harsh reality of malnutrition, which affects their growth, development, future health outcomes and overall quality of life. With 34% of the population living in poverty, this is an area of immense need. Many families struggle to provide basic non-perishable food staples due to economic, housing, and health-related constraints. Through education, the establishment of meaningful and engaging curriculum, greenhouses and chicken coops, Nourishing Armenia will positively impact Armenia’s overall health.
Short Term Impact
In the short term, we expect to directly benefit more than 300 children through access to fresh produce and nutrition education while simultaneously providing hands-on experience in the areas of cooking, teaching, agriculture, and homesteading. These experiences are designed to expose children to different opportunities for career paths in the future. The initiative will also create local job opportunities for community members to teach homesteading practices like drying fruit and pickling vegetables and farming practices like harvesting crops and tending to chicken coops through engaging activities with the children.
Long Term Impact
In the long run, we anticipate taking the first steps toward a reduction in pediatric malnutrition rates in these regions. We aim to break the cycle of poverty and malnutrition and to provide tools to help fight Armenia’s chronic disease through healthy nutrition.
Sponsors Benefits
Your generous contribution to the Nourishing Armenia project will be recognized in various ways:
- Your name will be displayed on a plaque at the greenhouse site.
- Recognition on our website and in printed materials related to the project.
- Regular updates on the project’s progress and impact.
Visits to these communities can be arranged for sponsors visiting Armenia.
Dr. Holly Haggerty-Sokolowski
Littleton, COIn Honor Of Tina Essegian
Mrs. Monica Femovich
Cape May, NJMr. & Mrs. Vartan & Denise Ajamian
Manorville, NYIn Memory Of Charlotte Shake’ Ajamian
Mr. & Mrs. Gregory & Christine Parseghian
Longboat Key, FLAnonymous
Glen Mills, PAAnonymous
New York, NYMrs. Monica Femovich
Cape May, NJSegura Family
North Olmsted, OHAnonymous
Glen Mills, PAMs. Lynn Smith
Phoenixville, PAMr. & Mrs. David & Theresa Sudjian
Media, PAMr. & Mrs. David & Theresa Sudjian
Media, PAIn Memory Of John & Roxie Sudjian
Updates: Images & Information
Construction on the Nourishing Armenia Gyumri Greenhouse has begun.
Nutritionist, Stephanie Sudjian, who is spearheaded the Nourishing Armenia! project spent the day at Debi Arach teaching the children how to make nutritious smoothies. She was also able to check in on the progress of the Nourishing Armenia Gyumri Greenhouse. The greenhouse will serve as a sustainable food option to promote healthy eating, which aims to create a lasting impact on the health & well-being of children and families in Armenia.
The Nourishing Armenia Summer program began today at Debi Arach! The children are very excited for this new and fun activity based program.
Construction on the new greenhouse and living classroom at Debi Arach is completed. The team completed running the drip irrigation system today!
Because of the overwhelming success of Nourishing Armenia's summer programming, we have decided to continue this important program as a year-round curriculum! Today was the first day!
With Nourishing Armenia Founder and Chair visiting Armenia, we officially cut the ribbon on the Greenhouse at Debi Arach!
With weekly Nourishing Armenia classes in full swing and students now working in the greenhouse, the excitement level at class time is over the top!
Armenia has made a huge stride towards better nutrition in schools with their newest standard: removing sugary snacks and processed foods from Kindergartens. This initiative prioritizes balanced, nutritious meals, kickstarting lifelong wellness that starts with what's on a child's plate. This policy aligns with our Nourishing Armenia initiative, helping children develop healthy eating habits early and giving families access to safe, nourishing food.
Stephanie Sudjian, MS, RD, LDN, CLT, IFMCP, as part of her work with Nourishing Armenia, ran a Continuing Medical Education course for Doctors and Nurses in Yerevan. More than 30 enthusiastic local healthcare professionals attended to learn about Nutrition and its relation to maternity health. In addition, Stephanie met with elderly members of the Association of Healthcare and Assistance to Older People in Yerevan to discuss healthy diets and their relation to elder issues.
Thank you Stephanie for your continued work to positively impact Armenia’s health!
One of the students at Debi Arach who helps with the Nourishing Armenia Greenhouse was so inspired by the program that she decided to create a mini greenhouse of her own at home. Moments like this show the true impact of the program, not only teaching students about growing food, but inspiring curiosity, creativity, and lasting connection to sustainability and learning.
