Sona and her husband, Karen, live in the border village of Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur with their two children, ages 14 and 8, and Karen’s parents. Karen serves as a contract soldier on the frontlines, while Sona works as a school librarian. To help support their household, the family also raises animals and sells figs seasonally.

The family home is in need of repair. The project will provide new flooring, replacement windows where needed, and a new heating system, along with a full remodel of the living areas. Their kitchen and restroom, already updated, will remain as is. This project will help provide a safe, warm, and dignified home for a family that continues to serve and strengthen their community.

Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur is an important border village with a population of approximately 1,100 residents in the Berd area of Armenia’s Tavush Region. This community remained under constant risk of sniper fire for much of the last 30 years. NKA was the single most damaged Armenian village during the Azeri conflict in the 1990’s. 70% of their fertile land is located along the Azeri border. Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur is a beneficiary village of the Paros Foundation’s Prosperity on the Border Initiative. With major financial support of Jean-Marie Atamian and his family over the last 13 years, much of the village’s infrastructure has been completely rebuilt and improved including, but not limited to, its large secondary school, expanded kindergarten, medical center, emergency services building and water distribution system. In addition, several families have benefited from agribusiness and animal husbandry projects. Having funded the rebuilding of NKA’s infrastructure, the Atamian family is now focusing its attention on the reconstruction of severely damaged houses to provide decent and safe homes for deserving families in the village.

Every child deserves the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe, nurturing environment. Currently there are 75 children that attend the kindergarten, while 40 young children, in the village of Meds Masrik, are waiting for that chance—the kindergarten simply does not have enough space to welcome them.

With only three of five buildings currently usable, and outdated facilities limiting what the kindergarten can offer, too many children are left behind. By supporting the renovation of the kitchen, teachers’ station, and two unused buildings, donors like you will help create bright classrooms and welcoming spaces for every child on the waitlist.

Your gift to the Meds Masrik Kindergarten Expansion will not only open doors for the next generation, but will also create new jobs for caring teachers and dedicated staff, making a difference in families’ lives across the community. Help make this a reality for children in Meds Masrik.

Aparan is a town in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, about 50 kilometers northwest of the capital Yerevan. The town has a population of about 6,500 people.

Founded in 1986, the Secondary School 2 after Hambardzum Voskanyan underwent a partial remodel in 2000 and today serves 560 students with the support of 70 dedicated teachers and staff. Earlier this year, strong winds damaged the school’s roof, which will soon be renovated with government support. Over the years, the school has proudly produced athletes who have competed in the Olympics and earned championship titles across Europe and around the world. Beyond sports, students have access to a variety of clubs and extracurricular programs, including a renowned dance ensemble that represents the school’s commitment to art and culture.

To continue offering these opportunities and to strengthen its cultural programs, the school now requires a full renovation of its auditorium. This project will upgrade the stage, seating, lighting, paint, and floors, creating a vibrant and inspiring space for performances, events, and student activities.

“Sari Gat” Dairy & Cheese Company plays an important role in the border town of Berd and the surrounding villages of Armenia’s Tavush Region. As a thriving small business, “Sari Gat” produces a variety of high-quality cheeses and dairy products, distributing them throughout the region. More than just a business, “Sari Gat” is a force for good—purchasing milk from local farmers at fair or above-market prices, generating employment, and stimulating economic growth in the community.

Now, “Sari Gat” is preparing to take an exciting step forward. To meet increasing demand and support even more local farmers, the company plans to expand its production capacity by constructing a large refrigerated storage room, 650 square feet in size. This essential addition will enable “Sari Gat” to process and store more dairy products, directly benefiting dozens of farming families and creating new job opportunities in the region.

We invite you to join us in supporting this meaningful project. Your contribution will help build the new refrigeration facility, empowering “Sari Gat” to continue uplifting Berd’s economy and strengthening the livelihoods of families across the Tavush Region. Together, we can make a lasting impact—one that nourishes both people and community.

Nor Ughi Village is located in Armenia’s Ararat Region and is home to the Vedi Alcohol Company.  Almost 2,000 people call Nor Ughi and neighboring Ginevet Village their home. Many in these villages are employed at Vedi Alcohol factory or are engaged in agricultural activities. 

170 students attend the village school, including 10 displaced students from Artsakh. The students are from both the neighboring villages of Ginevet and Nor Ughi. Recently, the school gym was renovated, and an outdoor soccer field was constructed through the leadership of Mr. and Mrs. John & June Mangassarian from Rhode Island and they want to continue positively impacting Nor Ughi.

Next of the list of priorities is the reconstruction of a science lab that will serve as the laboratory for the school’s physics, chemistry and biology classes.  This project will consist of the renovation of two rooms including a large classroom that will serve as the lab, and a smaller room that will serve as the adjacent storage area.  The scope of work will include the complete renovation of the room’s flooring, walls, electrical & lighting, ventilation and plumbing including the installation of fresh water and sewer lines.  Once the renovation is completed, the Armenian Government will be providing laboratory furniture and equipment to the school. 

Two separate entities have generously agreed to match all donations. The Rafaelian/Caruolo family will be matching all donations to honor Ralph and Lucy Rafaelian, and John and June Mangassarian will also match all contributions. Therefore, for every $1, we move $3 toward our goal!

The Packs on Backs initiative, was started by the The Heros Humanitarian Foundation (HHF), a former Los Angeles based non-profit organization that supported children in need and their educational advancement. HHF partnered with The Paros Foundation to bring their Packs on Backs initiative to Armenia, and together successfully distributed 380 backpacks and school supplies to children in Gyumri and Vanadzor in the summer of 2015 and 225 backpacks to the children at the Kharpert Children’s Home in the summer of 2016. Since then, the Packs on Backs initiative continues to impact the lives of children in need in Armenia with this essential need.

Our next distribution will be for the kids attending the Debi Arach Children’s Center in Gyumri. Socially vulnerable children attend the center after their school and receive both humanitarian and educational support through a holistic approach. The Paros Foundation established the Debi Arach Children’s Center on April 15, 2015 and has since provided children each week the necessary academic, psychological, social and humanitarian support they need to succeed. Gyumri’s devastating history has left more than 100,000 residents homeless, and plagued with unemployment and rampant poverty. These families often struggle to provide their children with life’s basic necessities; therefore making backpacks and school supplies a distant priority. Children at the center were recipients of backpacks and school supplies during our first distribution in 2015 and distributions have continued in years since.

This distribution will meet the ongoing needs of all of the children. Our goal is to distribute backpacks and supplies for 180 children attending Debi Arach. A donation of $35 will help obtain one backpack filled with supplies for one child. School supplies will be grade appropriate and include a combination of pencils, pens, pencil cases, notebooks, folders, erasers, sharpeners, glue, scissors, rulers, highlighters, and crayons. In-kind donations of the items listed are also welcomed.

Nor Luyce works with young girls, ages 14-17, from two local orphanages and/or from poverty stricken families from Gyumri, Armenia. Under the direction of their Executive Director, Shoghik Mikayelyan, the program provides their mentees with positive roles models and emotional support. The reduction of isolation is provided by mentors and by field trips, which expose the children to various work and educational settings. In addition, Nor Luyce’s program emphasizes the development of educational and career plans. They are now at the stage of either beginning or continuing to help implement each older child’s plan for higher education. Each child has also either completed or is in the process of completing a career plan, which includes the most appropriate type and place of higher education.

Nor Luyce is trying to provide the following young girls from Gyumri, with a scholarship that would reduce their out of pocket costs towards their education:

They say 60 is the new 50 and our Executive Director, Peter Abajian, is making sure we don’t forget that! To celebrate this milestone birthday we are raising $50,000 to go towards Debi Arach Children’s Center! If anyone knows Peter they know he is full of life and joy, and ultimately has the biggest giving heart so we thought it would be perfect to give in a big way. Join us in celebrating 50 as the new 60 and let’s make a sizeable dent in the Debi Arach operation budget for this upcoming year!

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 185 children each week the necessary academic, psychological, social and humanitarian support, has since been a source of positivity in this city.

To date, the center has already had several important successes. At least nine children have been taken out of boarding schools, attend our center and now live back at home with their families. Many of the children who were receiving poor grades in school are now achieving top scores. The children have become socially well-adjusted and much healthier than before with the continued consumption of multi-vitamins and a daily well-balanced meal. Staff trainings take place with an academic counsel of professionals from the United States and Armenia to ensure that the children are receiving the best care, treatment and methods for their development..

The town of Goris is located in Armenia’s Syunik Region with a population of 17,113. Following the mass exodus from Artsakh in September 2023, many refugees have settled in this border community. 

One particularly vulnerable group in Armenia are older Artsakh refugees. Most of them do not have families to look after them and they are left to fend for themselves. The Paros Foundation is excited to launch a new effort to provide permanent housing for older Artsakh refugees with the purchase of a home in Verishen, Armenia which is adjacent to Goris. 

It will serve as a group home for older refugees to offer them a clean, safe, and comfortable environment to live dignified lives. Ten residents will be selected from older refugees currently living in Goris. The project will be administered in coordination with the local Goris government and renovations on the home will be starting in the coming weeks. 

The home has a large footprint that will provide both communal and private living spaces in addition to a large plot of land with fruit trees and garden spaces. The home even has a chicken coop should the future residents care to keep chickens! It is envisioned that the home will be equipped with both solar hot water systems and solar panels to keep utility costs low. 

While the home has already been purchased, complete renovations, furniture and appliances will cost an additional $60,000.  

This is the newest housing project in a series of successful permanent housing that The Paros Foundation has purchased and renovated for Artsakh refugees including three in Geghamasar, two in Meds Masrik, two in Vardenis, one in Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur, four in Kajaran, and 10 new homes that are being built in the village of Qeti. With this addition, The Paros Foundation continues to assist refugees of every age, building not just homes, but communities where they can restart their lives.