Gevorg is an amazing young man who is a champion weightlifter who has competed throughout the world.  He is proud of the gym he has built in Gavar both for the quality of the training that takes place there, as well as the fact that he provides free access to for training and rehabilitation for people with disabilities and war veterans. Gevorg uniquely understands that difficulties faced by people with disabilities and those injured during the war as Gevorg, himself, has cerebral palsy.  

Gevorg wishes to build a second gym in the Tavush village of Verin Karmiraghbyur.  More than 1,500 residents call this community home and they do not have nearby facilities for training or rehabilitation.  The local community has given Gevorg’s NGO a space in one of the community buildings that will serve as the gym once it is renovated.  

Gevorg and his NGO partners and friends are willing to do supply labor to complete the renovation work themselves.  They need funding for the materials.  Once completed, their intent, as is currently operating at the Gavar gym, is to charge a modest fee for the gym’s use and for classes to help off set the expenses related to providing free access to people with disabilities and injured veterans.  

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.

This August, the kids from he Kharpert Home have a special trip planned. They will be giving a concert, during which they will be singing and dancing in Gyumri. Although they are very excited for this special opportunity they are in need of funding to make this trip possible. They will need $2,500 to cover the costs of hotel rooms and transport to and from Gyumri. Please consider supporting this important project for the Kharpert Home. 

Economic opportunities for rural Armenian communities are scarce.   To help address this important issue, The Paros Foundation has launched several initiatives aimed at job creation in rural communities.  This includes planting more than 800 fruit-bearing trees, establishing a pig farm, fertilizer production, small animal feed production and honey production.  These economic development opportunities are all administered under the auspices of the Aygepar Business Incubator, which provides rent-free space, sanitary conditions and marketing and technical expertise to local businesses.

The Paros Foundation successfully launched a high quality honey production just outside of the village of Verin Tsakhavan and later, in the village of Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur in the Berd area of Armenia’s Tavush Region with 200 bee hives.  This was all done with the generous support of Dr. & Mrs. Gary and Linda Assarian (MI-USA).  

Now the goal is to expand this production adding 50 more bee hives into a new community.  This will both add to the commercially viable quantities of high-altitude, raw honey, and will lead to expanded job creation and opportunities in the market place. All components of this important project are manufactured locally in the Armenian market including the hives, bee families, wax starter sheets and concrete block stands.  Even the glass jars for sale are manufactured in Armenia!

In addition to this projects job creating and economic benefits, as with the hives in Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur, these new hives will serve as an educational curriculum for students at the school in the new village that is ultimately selected.  This living classroom approach has proved very successful to date.

One complete hive and bee colony costs $300. New hives and colonies will be added to expand the total number in the spring. Individuals that sponsor a complete hive will receive one jar of honey from this year’s harvest.

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. 

162 students attend the village school from both the neighboring village of Ginevet and Nor Ughi, which is in overall poor condition.  Portions of the school have been modestly renovated using the school’s annual budget.  The gymnasium at the school has heat and new windows, but the walls, floors, ceiling, adjacent hallway and locker rooms need a complete renovation.  Currently, students cannot utilize the gym in its entirety because of the fact that the existing wood flooring is rotten and unsafe to walk on in many areas. 

Mr. and Mrs. John & June Mangassarian from Rhode Island, visited the school in the past as part of his leadership with a Fuller Center project in the same village.  The Mangassarians have pledged to match any contribution to this important project to help.  

Work on this gym will take an estimated four months to complete and will include repairs to the walls and ceiling, new electrical, flooring and paint.  The locker rooms and hallway will also be renovated as part of this project. 

The Cultural Society of Armenians from Istanbul has created a scholarship fund in memory of one if its founding members, Mr. Shahen Kavafian.

Mr. Kavafian was born on August 24, 1933 in Istanbul, Turkey, where he received his primary education.  He graduated from Robert College in Istanbul and then moved to the United States to further his education. He received a master’s degree in engineering at the University of Michigan and settled in metro Detroit.  He worked at Detroit Edison for the entirety of his professional career.  

In 1964, he became one of the founding members of the Cultural Society of Armenians from Istanbul, an organization which helps promote Armenian cultural and educational programs.  Mr. Kavafian shared a love of music and the arts with his mother, who was an accomplished pianist.  

When Mr. Kavafian passed away on April 20, 2019, he left a generous contribution to the Cultural Society of Armenians from Istanbul.  To honor his memory, a music scholarship fund has been created to support student’s attending the Komitas Conservatory in Yerevan, Armenia.  

Students wishing to apply for this scholarship may do so through the APPLICATION HERE.

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 Valentina K., with a scholarship that would reduce her out of pocket cost towards her education. Valentina Khachatryan was born in Gyumri, located in Shirak region. There are six people in her family: her father, mother, brother, grandmother, grandfather and herself. Her father is a teacher. He works in a school, but because of a serious accident, he is now on forced leave. He has had many surgeries. Her mother is a nurse and works as a laboratory assistant in a private clinic. Her grandparents do not work. The monthly income of the family is 200.000 AMD.

Currently, Valentina is in her first year at the Yerevan State Medical University, and is studying at the Faculty of “General Medicine.” She joined the Nor Luyce program in 2020. Now she is in the Higher Education Phase. Since the beginning of the project, Valentina has always been active, proactive, and willing to participate in all meetings, events and implemented programs. She is confident, intelligent, modest.

At the moment, Valentina has a problem with her tuition fees, because the annual fee at the Yerevan State Medical University is 1 million Armenian drams, which is a big burden for her family.

Valentina needs our support. $1,000 will cover her tuition fee for one year. She couldn’t apply for a discount because both of her parents work through they earn not enough to cover her tuition fee. The requested scholarship funds will help Siranush continue her studies.

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 Violeta M., with a scholarship that would reduce her out of pocket cost towards her education. Violeta Minasyan was born in the city Gyumri, located in Shirak region. Her family is made up of four people: her mother, her father, her sister, and herself. Violeta’s father is not working at the moment; he used to go abroad for work, but due to the war situation, he has been staying here. Her mother works as a midwife in the local maternity hospital in Gyumri, and her sister is a student. The monthly income of her family is 90,000 AMD.

Currently, Violeta is studying in the Service department at Shirak State University to become a specialist in the service field. She first began her involvement at Nor Luyce in 2015. Now, Violeta is a graduate of Nor Luyce. Before participating in our program, Violeta was shy, not very active, and less confident, but after participating in the program, she became bolder, more active and confident. She actively participates in all Nor Luyce events and has gained professional direction. She is now studying in her dream major and has managed to receive very high marks in school over the years.

Violeta is currently having a problem paying her tuition fees due to the financial strain on her family. The tuition fee is 250,000 AMD per year.

Violeta needs our support. $800 will cover her tuition fee for one year. The requested scholarship funds will help her continue her studies.