More than 1,200 children live in Armenia’s 15 orphanages. These facilities provide for the children’s basic needs, but their limited budgets do not allow these children to participate in visits to popular historical sites, an amusement park or concert, or attend a cultural event.

Armenia’s orphan children should have the opportunity to experience popular cultural events, exhibits, and excursions in Armenia, or simply have a fun afternoon or activity that they normally would not be able to experience. Many different activities and excursions can be organized for these children. The extent of the activity or trip is directly related to the sponsorship amount. For sponsorships amounts between $250 -$750 approximately 20 children and an appropriate number of chaperons will be able participate in a memorable activity. Please consider supporting multiple excursions for these children.

The Paros Foundation staff and volunteers will organize and oversee the excursion/activity. Opportunities to sponsor excursions for orphanages serving both disabled and non-disabled children exist. Whenever possible, our staff will work with the destination for the excursion to secure group pricing and/or discounts.

Nor Luyce works mentees, ages 14-17, from two local orphanages and/or 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 beginning to 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 Arpine, a young girl who lives at the Fritjof Nansen Boarding School in Gyumri and attends the Gyumri Olympic College. Her fathered passed away in 2003 and she is estranged from her mother. Since childhood Arpine has had a great interest in sports. Her main passion currently, is weightlifting. She had participated and won medals at several competitions. According to the nurses at her boarding school, she is very calm, even-tempered, and responsible. The requested scholarship funds will cover the costs of her tuition, books, stationaries, winter clothing and her transportation fee for one year.

Several villages in the Tavush region of Armenia are bordering Azerbaijan. Residents in these border villages live and work under a constant risk of sniper fire and renewed armed conflict each day. The economy of the villages 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 these villages, mere footsteps from Azerbaijan. Currently home to 286 households and 955 people, the village of Baghanis was established in the fifth century.  This village shares a 2 km-long border with Republic of Azerbaijan. Today, the residents make a living by farming and tending to their livestock. The village is actively working to improve the quality of life for its residents. To help reduce harvesting costs, the village is in need of farming equipment.

The harvesting of hay and feed for animals is time sensitive. If the feed and grass is cut and gets wet, livestock will not eat it. Additionally, farmers currently struggle to pay the market rate to have hay baled for the winter. A tractor and baler maintained by the village would be able to provide baling and other agriculture services to the village farmers at a below market rate, thus helping improve economic conditions for all farmers. Sponsorship of this project will help the village obtain this equipment necessary to provide needy villagers with the opportunity to care for their families and to help improve the village’s economy.

The Kharpert Home for Special Children is an orphanage located in the village of Nor Kharpert serving more than 250 children with varying degrees of developmental disabilities. The orphanage is a state run facility that receives governmental support to provide these vulnerable children with their basic care and education.

Excursions for these children to amusement parks and/or other appropriate venues provide these children with both valuable community experience and needed recreation. Children with disabilities in Armenia are generally kept sheltered from society. These children do not attend school, but rather attend classes at the orphanage. It is important for both these children and society for these children to experience community life.

For each donation of $250, approximately 20 children and an appropriate number of care provides will be able to go on an excursion to Yerevan at Victory Park, or another appropriate venue for a morning or afternoon of activities including transportation, admission and snacks. Please consider supporting multiple excursions for these children.

The Heros Humanitarian Foundation (HHF), a Los Angeles based non-profit organization, supports children in need and their educational advancement. The organization was founded in 2008 by six Armenian Americans with the belief that no child should be deprived of the essential necessities needed for their education regardless of their socioeconomic status. Their mission is to provide backpacks and school supplies to children living in poverty and from low socioeconomic households around the world. Through their Packs on Backs initiative, HHF hopes to motivate children, help them stay and excel in school, and have successful futures.

The Heros Humanitarian Foundation has partnered with The Paros Foundation to bring their Packs on Backs initiative to Armenia. After the successful distribution of 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, we have decided to continue to work together and impact more children in Armenia.

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. This distribution will meet the ongoing needs of both current and new children. Our goal is to provide 150 backpacks and school supplies for the children attending the center. A donation of $30 will help obtain a 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.

The Paros Foundation established the Debi Arach Children’s Center in Gyumri, Armenia on April 15, 2015. The center, which provides 120 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. The Debi Arach Children’s Center, which in Armenian means “moving forward,” helps these socially vulnerable children through a holistic approach providing them with both humanitarian and educational support. The center provides counseling and group therapy with a psychologist on staff, homework help and tutoring for almost every subject the children learn in school including English, Math, Art/Design, and Computer classes.

In 2016, Debi Arach launched their vocational training program at the center in order to provide young adults with a set of skills and tools they will need to secure gainful employment and help break their family’s cycle of poverty. Students participate in their choice of several programs including computer programing classes using a curriculum developed by the Union of Information Technology Enterprises, 3D printing and related software and programming, and computer repairs – both hardware and software. In 2017, we plan to add additional hands-on training programs such as welding, cosmetology and culinary classes.

The center operates Monday- Saturday and classes are offered on a rotating basis. 50 young adults will be enrolled per year and attend the training class of their choice. Once the training courses are completed, the Debi Arach staff will work with the students on job placement. Sponsorship towards this project will help run the vocational center for one year, including staff wages and supplies. The goal is to help hundreds of children develop a vision for a successful future, and to give them the skills they need to reach these goals.

According to historical sources the village of Baghanis, currently home to 286 households and 955 people, was is established in the fifth century and is situated in the Tavush region of Armenia. The village is adjacent to the Republic of Azerbaijan, sharing a 2 km-long border. Like many of the villages in this area, the village of Baghanis has also endured danger and suffering due to the war followed by frequent cease fire violations by Azerbaijan. Following the cease-fire, eight village residents have been killed, while six others wounded. The village is actively trying to improve the quality of life for its residents and is in need of aid.

Baghanis has a village school with 110 children in attendance, but the existing kindergarten in Baghanis is unusable because of its proximity to the border. 20 children await a functioning kindergarten and municipality is prepared to fund the operation, once a new building is constructed. The construction of a kindergarten will accommodate more than 20 children in the village that currently have no early education available. The village has allocated a plot of land near the school and medical center for this important construction project. The municipality is prepared to assume ongoing expenses of the facility’s operation. The municipality will also help prepare the paperwork necessary for construction. Sponsorship of this project will help fund the construction of a 100 sq. meter building along with furniture and a fence.

Several villages in the Tavush region of Armenia are bordering Azerbaijan. Residents in these border villages live and work under a constant risk of sniper fire and renewed armed conflict each day. The economy of the villages 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 these villages, mere footsteps from Azerbaijan. Economic development and opportunities for work are essential to continue improving the conditions in these border villages. To date we have successfully implemented several agribusiness projects in the village of Baghanis. Currently home to 286 households and 955 people, the village was established in the fifth century and is situated in the Tavush region of Armenia. The village is adjacent to the Republic of Azerbaijan, sharing a 2 km-long border. Today, the residents make a living by farming and tending to their livestock. The village is actively trying to improve the quality of life for its residents and is in need of aid. Our goal is to implement 20 agribusiness projects in this village ($2,000 per family). 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. Families will be screened and chosen and provided with the support they need to launch their business. Families can choose animals, materials for barn construction or repair, seeds and/or support for their orchards and even beehives. Also, as a part of this effort, families 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 new venture.

GOALS was founded in 2014 after Peace Corps volunteer, Zach Theiler, was inspired by author, soccer coach and Harvard Hall of Fame athlete Andrea Montalbano’s visit to Armenia to promote women’s football. Andrea spoke about the importance of sport and youth development, specifically in empowering young women in the United States. Afterward, Zach Theiler teamed up with co-founder Victoria Dokken and gathered a team of Armenians and fellow Peace Corps Volunteers to create GOALS, with the aim of empowering young women throughout Armenia using soccer as a vehicle for change. We hope to give young women the chance to play soccer through GOALS Leagues, Summer Camps and After-school Clubs. Through their sport for social impact games, which are used in all programming, GOALS strives to improve critical thinking, empathy and create spaces for difficult conversations around gender equality, diversity, etc. Finally, GOALS trains coaches in use of sport for social impact curriculum so that its impact can be spread throughout the country.

We rely on donations for most of our work in Armenia. In 2017 we are expanding our reach and opening three new leagues in the north, in addition to the current league in southern Armenia. With your help, we can create new opportunities for an additional 300 girls! Furthermore, we are moving toward a co-ed program, which focuses more on dialogue using sport for social impact curriculum to bridge the stark gender divide between youths throughout the country.

You can decide how to support us! Choose between a league, a camp, a team, an after-school club, or any combination of them. A small donation really goes a long way!

Sponsor a League
Our football 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 nine 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 soccer equipment needed in order to hold trainings; jerseys, socks, footballs, cones, and pennies for an entire league. – $3,000

Sponsor a Camp
GOALS summer camps are designed to create an atmosphere of excitement and new opportunities for girls in the community. We implement summer camps in new 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 five days, running from 9am to approximately 3pm. Each day consists of sport for social impact games which use sport to talk about gender equity, tolerance, diversity, human rights, etc. These games are followed by technical drills, lunch, and a leadership seminar comprised of strong, local guest speakers and/or leadership curriculum. – $1,500

Sponsor a Team
Teams are designed to help girls build new friendships, learn how to work in a team, and play competitive football in a competitive atmosphere. Using Coaches Across Continents curriculum our girls also have the opportunity to discuss social, gender, and tolerance issues in their communities. GOALS currently has 27 active teams throughout four different leagues. Each team needs coaches, equipment and travel. Sponsoring a team supports these needs for two full seasons/one 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

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 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. The Debi Arach Children’s Center, which in Armenian means “moving forward,” helps these socially vulnerable children through a holistic approach providing them with both humanitarian and educational support. The center provides counseling and group therapy with a psychologist on staff, homework help and tutoring for almost every subject the children learn in school including English, Math, Art/Design, and Computer classes. Additionally, they are served a nutritious meal everyday, helping them receive the calories and/or nutrients they would otherwise not have. Furthermore, the Center addresses a very important hygienic need by providing the children in attendance with supervised bathing facilities. The goal is to help hundreds of children develop a vision for a successful future, and to give them the skills they need to reach these goals. This project is impacting the lives of hundreds of socially vulnerable children by helping them gain the guidance and support they need in order to create greater future opportunities, and become successful individuals and good citizens.

To date, the center has already had several important successes. Three children have been taken out of boarding schools and brought to 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 more healthier than before. Staff trainings have begun 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.

Currently in its second year, the center is working on funding year three and raising additional funds in order to develop and add to the programs and classes offered with the ability to hire more educators, and get more supplies, and equipment. Funds will also be used to supplement daily activities, hold forums for guest speakers and provide educational and vocational training opportunities. $65,000 is needed to cover operating costs for the Center. In January of 2017, Debi Arach successfully launched its first program within its Vocational Training Center, teaching children computer programming, 3d printing and robotics curriculum. The goal of this newest component is to provide these children with marketable job skills in order to help them work themselves out of poverty.