Jean-Marie and Lori Atamian announce their fifth major gift since 2013 to complete the reconstruction of Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur s’ medical and educational infrastructures.

NKA is a border village with a population of 1,100 in Armenia’s Tavush Region. This community, whose territory faces Azerbaijan, lives and works under a constant risk of sniper fire and renewed armed conflict. In order to improve the living and economic conditions of the village, the Atamian family has undertaken a multi-year investment project which, to date, has included reconstruction of the medical clinic, kindergarten and secondary school.

Beginning in 2015, the Atamian family initiated the complete remodel and reconstruction of the secondary school to provide elementary and high school children the opportunity to learn in a bright and safe environment. The school is comprised of three large two-story buildings.
Phase 1 of the project included the complete rebuilding of the elementary school wing, including five classrooms on the first floor, the hallways and the boys and girls bathrooms. Phase 2 of the project, included the renovation of six classrooms on the second floor, the adjacent hallway, the staircase and two bathrooms (middle and high school wing). Phase 3, completed in the summer of 2017, included renovations to the wing that houses the cafeteria and kitchen, the entryway of the school, the gym locker rooms, guard office, security bunker and improvements to the schoolyard and entry stairs and façade.

Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur is an important border village with a population of 1,100 residents in the Bert area of Armenia’s Tavush Region. This community, whose territory connects with Azerbaijan, lives and works under a constant risk of sniper fire and renewed armed conflict each day. The economy of the village and the livelihood of many of its residents has suffered due to these difficult and dangerous times. It is of strategic importance to support these villagers in their daily lives so that they may remain inhabitants of this village, mere footsteps from Azerbaijan. With the help of Jean-Marie and Lori Atamian of New York, The Paros Foundation has already implemented major infrastructure projects including the renovation of their medical center, kindergarten and primary school. This effort has had a tremendous impact on the community. Economic development and opportunities for work are essential to continue improving the conditions in this border village. Sponsorship of this project will help provide needy villagers with the opportunity to care for their families and to help improve the village’s economy. Sedrak A. and his family have been identified as one of the families who are in need of additional support in order to help their agribusiness grow. Their family consists of four members including Sedrak, his wife and their two children. They have 225 sq.ft barn that needs a new roof. They have two pigs and 30 chickens. Sedrak is in need of financial assistance to obtain materials needed for the roof renovations. He will complete the construction work by his own means after we have provided the materials. He is also requesting three calves, two more pigs, two sheep and three beehives. As a part of this effort Sedrak and his family will be provided training and/or business tips for the ensured success of their agribusiness. Frequent visits will be made to the family to track their progress and determine the success of their venture.

Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur is an important border village with a population of 1,100 residents in the Bert area of Armenia’s Tavush Region. This community, whose territory connects with Azerbaijan, lives and works under a constant risk of sniper fire and renewed armed conflict each day. The economy of the village and the livelihood of many of its residents has suffered due to these difficult and dangerous times. It is of strategic importance to support these villagers in their daily lives so that they may remain inhabitants of this village, mere footsteps from Azerbaijan. With the help of Jean-Marie and Lori Atamian of New York, The Paros Foundation has already implemented major infrastructure projects including the renovation of their medical center, kindergarten and primary school. This effort has had a tremendous impact on the community. Economic development and opportunities for work are essential to continue improving the conditions in this border village. Sponsorship of this project will help provide needy villagers with the opportunity to care for their families and to help improve the village’s economy.

Suren G. and his family have been identified as one of the families who are in need of additional support in order to help their agribusiness grow. Their family consists of six members including Suren, his wife and their three children who are all under the age of 14. They have a 270 sq. ft. barn that is structurally unsound and in need of a complete rebuild. They also own a cow, sheep, a few pigs, and chicken. Suren is in need of financial assistance to obtain materials needed for the barn construction. He will complete the construction work by his own means once we have provided the materials. Frequent visits will be made to the family to track their progress and determine the success of their venture. Helping this family construct a new barn will aid them in providing better shelter for their animals, thus, allowing them to expand their herd.

Nor Geghi is a village in the Kotayk Province of Armenia, located around 22 km north of the capital Yerevan, near the town of Nor Hachen. The village has a population of about 5,000 residents.

In 2015, The Paros Foundation completed renovations to the restrooms of the village kindergarten. 75 children & the staff now have brand new restrooms available to them. In the recent year, a new & very pro-active principal has taken over and has successfully obtained funding from different outlets in order to renovate the kitchen, and the upstairs classrooms. The kindergarten also houses a large auditorium, which is in need of a complete renovation. The principal hopes to be able to host not only kindergarten concerts and functions in the space as well as make it accessible to the entire village as a community center. The auditorium would be open to the village school to hold their functions as well as residents, the municipality and village guests. Sponsorship of this project will help complete renovations to the auditorium including new flooring, electrical fixtures, paint, new windows, a new door, a new stage, audio/visual technology and new auditorium chairs.

The town of Chinari is located in Armenia’s Tavush Region. It is situated in the eastern most part directly on the border with Azerbaijan. According to the Chinari’s mayor, this isolated border town is home to more than 1,150 people, and falls victim to frequent sniper fire from Azerbaijan. The 13th century Khoranashat Monastery, which is located nearby is abandoned and unable to be visited because of its proximity to the border and related dangerous conditions. The village’s residents earn a living primarily through farming. Chinari has approximately 1,000 hectares of arable land including 54 hectares of vineyards, 80 hectares of vegetable gardens and 20 family owned greenhouses. Residents also breed animals for income. They currently have 225 cows, 100 sheep, 220 pigs, 5,000 chickens and 150 beehives. Other sources of income for the town’s residents include working at the school, kindergarten, municipality and Ministry of Emergency Situations. In addition, 12 men serve as contract soldiers, guarding the Armenia–Azeri border. 270 residents receive government pensions.

Chinari’s kindergarten functions with 25 children in attendance in a two story building in poor condition. The facility has a newly renovated roof and heating system that needs minor repairs and upgrades. The renovation of the two story building would include renovating the bathrooms, kitchen, dining hall, playroom, classroom and auditorium. In addition, this project would include the creation of an indoor playground, in order to give the children a safe place to play. The reconstructed auditorium would not only provide the kindergarten a terrific space for performances, but would provide the community with a multipurpose space for community use.

The renovation of the Chinari Kindergarten will include the installation of new bathrooms, new electrical, new doors and windows, new flooring and new paint throughout the facility. In addition, new furniture and supplies will be purchased and installed as needed.

Following the 1988 Spitak Earthquake, tens of thousands of people were left homeless in the City of Gyumri. Many of these families took refuge in the overseas shipping containers (domiks) that were shipped into Armenia loaded with humanitarian relief supplies, or in condemned buildings. An entire generation of children has grown up in deplorable conditions, often times with no running water and little or no heat. The Armenian government has provided most of the families that lost their homes in the Earthquake with new housing units.

As people moved out of those makeshift housing units, others moved in. The 2,500 families that remain are Gyumri’s desolate families, who are not in line to receive a government provided apartment. Many of these families are comprised of single mothers, multiple children and/or the disabled.

This project will identify suitable needy families who can be moved into a new apartment and can demonstrate that they can afford their monthly utilities, etc. This is a sustainable model in that families that have been moved into permanent housing in the past have had a high degree of success maintaining their families and their new homes.

Once the move is complete, the make shift housing unit will be destroyed to prevent its future occupancy.

The Azizbekyan family consists of six members including the Azizbekyan parents, their married son and daughter-in-law and their two children (including a newborn.)

The Paros Foundation established 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. Furthermore, freezing temperatures and extreme poverty have created humanitarian crisis in Gyumri as well.

One very important need, especially during the winter, is winter coats. Sponsorship towards this effort will ensure that 150 children attending the Debi Arach Children’s Center will receive warm winter coats. Dustin Hochmuth, a SERVICE Armenia 2017 participant will lead the effort in raising funds. He was able to meet the children and witness the difficult living conditions in Gyumri this summer and wants to help! With these warm winter coats these children will be able to stay healthy, and be able to continue to attend school.

Girls of Armenia Leadership Soccer (GOALS) and empowers young girls to see themselves as Armenia’s leaders of tomorrow. They are the only NGO working in the regions of Armenia to use sport for education outside the classroom. Research shows girls who play sports have better mental health, higher confidence levels, improved teamwork and communication skills, increased graduation rates, and leadership skills. With your donation, you make all of that possible for the girls of Armenia.

GOALS directly impacts more than 2,000 girls and boys in 65 communities. Their goal is to increase their impact to every region of the country by expanding their co-ed After-School programs to 50 communities.

GOALS needs supporters of every kind. They want donations, fundraiser sponsors, and volunteers. If you are interested or have questions about where and how GOALS works you can contact them directly at Lorik@goalsarmenia.org.

Investing in GOALS is an investment in the future women leaders of Armenia … and remember, a little bit goes a long way.

Sponsor a League
Our leagues are designed to give young women the chance to play soccer, build confidence and teamwork skills, as well as change public perception of women’s sports. Leagues consist of a minimum of four teams with a nine or more players on each team aged 12-17. Each team is headed by an Armenian coach, who signs a contract committing to one-year of training their team a minimum once-per-week of the season (March – May; September – November) for one hour per session. Teams travel and play one competitive game per week. Sponsoring a league provides all travel costs, referees, nurses, venue space, and all the equipment needed to hold trainings; jerseys, socks, footballs, cones, and pennies for an entire league. Currently we have leagues in Yeghegnadzor, Alaverdi, Goris, and Dilijan. – $3,000 (for a year).

Sponsor a Camp
It’s safe to say there are not many summer sport camp opportunities for girls in Armenia. GOALS leadership summer camps are implemented in areas where GOALS hopes to operate on a longer-term basis, in order to excite the community and motivate the girls to continue playing soccer. Our summer camps are 3 full days and each day consists of sport for social impact games that address gender equity, tolerance, diversity, human rights, and whatever issues the community is facing. Technical drills, lunch, and a leadership seminar including inspiring local guest speakers follow the sessions. Camps bring together communities that often don’t interact and spark the interest that leads to more GOALS programming in the region. – $1,500

Sponsor a Team
Teams are designed to help girls build new friendships, teamwork, and skills to compete. Teams have the opportunity to travel to Yerevan and participate in cross-cultural events. Each team needs coaches, equipment and travel. We currently have 36 teams and will be creating at least ten more in 2018. Sponsoring a team supports these needs for two full seasons/1 year. – $500​

Sponsor a Player
Sponsoring a player is an easy way to make a big impact through a small donation. This donation will pay for one girls uniform, socks, and travel to competitive games – $50

GOALS has already received a grant from the US Democracy Commission for part of this program, in addition to support from COAF and World Vision. The overall budget of this project is $33,500 of which they need $15,000.

Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur (NKA) is an important border village with a population of 1,380 residents in the Bert area of Armenia’s Tavush Region. This community, whose territory connects with Azerbaijan, lives and works under a constant risk of sniper fire and renewed armed conflict each day. NKA was the single most damaged Armenian village following the Azeri conflict in the 1990’s. The economy of the village and the livelihood of many of its residents have suffered due to these difficult and dangerous times. Furthermore, 70% of their fertile land is unusable because of frequent sniper attacks. Many homes have been damaged and worn out over the years and are in need of partial renovations and repairs, including, indoor plumbing, new windows, doors and floors, roof repairs, new heating systems, and even room additions. The village is economically strained and families are in need of additional aid to care for their families, homes and livelihood. Sponsorship of this project will help provide families with materials, technical expertise and/or the necessary labor in order to complete specific renovation projects to their homes. It is of strategic importance to support these villagers in their daily lives so that they may remain inhabitants of this village, mere footsteps from Azerbaijan.

The village of Vahan is located in an isolated border area north of Lake Sevan, and south of Armenia’s Tavush border communities. More than 1,000 people call Vahan their home. According to Armenianow.com residents of Armenia’s border village Vahan (meaning shield) say proudly that their village is the northeast gate, the main border-guard of Armenia. They came here from Artsvashen. This was an Armenian village within the administrative territory of Azerbaijan during the Soviet period; and Azeri villages surrounded it. Armenians left Artsvashen during the Armenian-Azeri conflict years.

The medical center was renovated in the last few years. The village kindergarten, designed for 40 children, which had been closed since 1992, was reopened in November of 2011. Residents maintain livestock and cultivate potatoes to earn a living.

The school, which has 150 students attending, is located 500 meters from the Azeri border. It has been partially renovated by several different organizations. Currently, three classrooms are in need of renovation. Sponsorship of this project will help renovate all three classrooms, including new flooring, paint, doors, windows, electrical work and refurbished furniture. There will also be minor cosmetic renovations done to the entryway of the school.