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.

Zvart S. and her 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 Zvart, her daughter in law and her two children.  Zvart’s home has been occasionally hit by sniper fire due to its proximity to the border. They have a barn that is in acceptable condition. Part of Zvart’s home was rebuilt following the war in the 90s with Azerbaijan because it was destroyed during the fighting. Zvart was forced to sell the families’ cow, when her husband and son died within a couple of months of one another.  The family currently has no form of income and they are requesting a cow and possibly chickens . As a part of this effort Zvart and her 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 have 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.

Hovannes P. 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 five members including Hovannes, a contract solider, his wife and their three children, one of whom is a newborn. They have a 130 sq. ft. barn that is in need of renovation. Hovannes is in need of financial assistance to obtain materials needed for his barn renovations. He will complete the construction work by his own means once we have provided the materials. He has also requested a cow, sheep, pigs and few chickens, funding permitting. As a part of this effort Hovannes 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. Helping this family renovate their barn will aid them in providing better shelter for their animals, thus, allowing them to expand their herd.

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.

Gevorg 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 Gevorg, his wife and their two children. They have two small barns, 87 sq. ft. and 163 sq.ft. Both barns are in need of renovations to their roof. They also have a pig, two sheep, and 5 chickens. Gevorg is in need of financial assistance to obtain materials needed for the roof renovations. He will complete the construction work by his own means once we have provided the materials. Once the barns have been repaired, he is requesting 10 more sheep. As a part of this effort Gevorg 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.

Students attending schools in Armenia do not easily have access to Western/English language literature. In the last decade, English has steadily become the most popular foreign language in Armenia. Students throughout the country are learning how to read, write and speak English and could really benefit from another means by which to learn and practice the language further. In addition, reading can significantly increase students’ vocabularies as well as strengthen their creativity. These books are not readily available or affordable, especially in rural and impoverished villages, towns and cities.

Peter Chelebian, an Armenian-American from Los Angeles has recently come up with a brilliant idea to help children in Armenia gain access to terrific literature. He hopes to use his passion for books to help make a difference in the lives of his fellow brothers and sisters.

Peter will be helping lead the effort in raising funds to place small English literature libraries, each stocked with 50 important literary works. The bookshelves housing the books will be built in Armenia. In the last two years Peter has successfully helped raise enough funding to place six libraries throughout Armenia. $2,025 ($675 each) is needed in order to complete three full libraries in three different cities, towns and/or villages. Donations of books (in excellent condition) are welcomed alongside monetary support for this important project.

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.)