Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur 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. 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 renovated their medical center and kindergarten successfully. These projects have had a huge impact on the community. Now, 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.

Razmik 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 Razmik, who is a contract soldier, his wife and their three children who are all under the age of 14. Their barn (measuring 250 sq. ft.) is in need of roof repairs. Razmik will complete the repairs himself once we have provided the materials. They have also requested a cow and five sheep. As a part of this effort Razmik 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 new venture.

The touchstone of the project is that it is a collaborative effort between the community of Taron IV, volunteers, NGO’s, public agencies and entrepreneurial businesses, our national and international friends and supporters. The 6077 sq. meter parcel of vacant land is located on a corner lot bordered by streets, and across the street are 2 secondary schools and a school for disadvantaged children. A bus stop for public transportation is located across the street which could be enhanced with a shelter covering and coordinate into the park design. A concrete wall separating the cemetery from the park is a design opportunity with many variations to consider: A wall of trees or a “green wall” would be a natural barrier. Some of the wall sections could be painted with designs from artists or children in the community. It would also make a pleasant backdrop for the amphitheater where small music concerts or peaceful rallies could be held. The land slopes naturally towards the south and there is a beautiful vista of the mountains in the background where we plan to provide benches for people to enjoy this view. We will be planting trees with the help of the community. These groves of trees will provide shade and shelter during the hot summer months. Shelters would provide a place for nardi and chess games. Walking paths would wind around the park and provide a space to stroll or for rigorous exercise. Good lighting and garbage receptacles would be placed around the park which would help keep the park clean, secure and safe. An open air café would be a comfortable place for having a cup of coffee or glass of juice and would bring in money to sustain maintenance work of the park. The project goals are:

• To provide a safe, environmentally sensitive park, accessible to people of all ages, throughout the seasons: to encourage and support creative and environmental educational opportunities, recreational activities, to promote healthy lifestyles.
• To provide the citizens of Taron IV with the skills and expertise needed to provide the park with benches, garbage containers and outdoor seating structures. Skills transfer opportunity.
• To promote volunteerism, team work and willingness for the community to look for ways to solve their own problems which encourages civic minded thinking.
• To provide a human rights park to show how local communities and citizen groups can have a voice in how the public space in their community is used, which is a fundamental human right In a Democratic Society.
  The collaborative park project will show ways that the community can become involved with the design and building of their community park which promotes a sense of ownership and responsibility, pride and caretaking for the park. It would also provide the community with a skill transfer component which would train the citizens for future work or potential business opportunities.

The Talin Music School is located in the Aragatsotn Region of Armenia. Talin is considered one of the oldest residential areas of the region and has a population of about 5,400 people. The school is housed in space provided by the town. The Talin Music School provides music classes to more than 110 children annually and employs 15 teachers. Among the lessons provided are classes in piano, duduk, kanon, violin, vocal and music theory. The school receives support from the local government for administrative expenses and the students pay a modest monthly fee to attend classes. The support from the local government and the fees paid by students are not enough to allow the school to replace needed musical instruments.

Vanadzor is the third largest city in Armenia and was almost completely destroyed by the 1988 Spitak Earthquake. The Vanadzor Art School (a.k.a. Vanadzor Music School #3) was completely rebuilt with the support of the All Armenia Fund and the Arshak II Opera Committee in 2003. The School currently provides music instruction to more than 250 students on both classical as well as folk instruments and dance classes. This school is the best in the region and feeds many students to the Music College and ultimately to the Yerevan Conservatory. Many students from the Vanadzor Art School have competed in national contests and have placed well. Some of these students have gone on to compete abroad representing Armenia. Current and potential students who could excel in this field cannot afford to pay the monthly tuition. Scholarships are needed for these children.

The Ghoghanj Children’s Center located in the Kentron of Yerevan was established 10 years ago and provides afterschool and summer school programs for approximately 75 children every month. Children who attend the Center are loosely defined as “at risk.” These children typically come from very poor households, often times with a single head of household, who cannot pay for such assistance. Additionally, these children are not likely to receive proper supervision after school while completing their homework and other tasks. Due to the hard work, dedication and vision of Diana Grigoryan, a PH.D candidate in Psychology, and her staff, the Center has been able to help socially vulnerable children and give them the support and guidance they need to succeed.

The goal of the Ghoghanj Children’s Center is to provide the necessary academic, psychological and social support to ensure that the children attending mature to well adjusted, successful, young adults. The Center provides several core classes within their curriculum and has had add on opportunities as funding has permitted. Core classes include English, Russian, Computer, Design, Painting, Theater and Dance. Add on programs have included College Entrance Exam Tutoring, Side by Side Mentoring and Ecology Club activities. Furthermore, 13 of the Center’s previous students graduated and are now attending college, proving that Ghoghanj’s model works.

In order to further impact more “at-risk” children, the Center has identified a need for this model to be replicated and offered to other communities in Armenia. A second center for “at-risk” children will be established and modeled after the Ghoghanj Children’s Center in another socially vulnerable community in Yerevan. The new center will provide 75-100 students the same core classes (English, Russian, Computer, Design, Painting, Theater and Dance) as the Ghoghanj Children’s Center. The goal of this project is to broaden the services offered to socially vulnerable children and families in other communities and provide them with the proper support and guidance needed to excel in school and become self-confident and respectful young adults.

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 have 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 or so 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 expenses. Agreements will be signed passing ownership of the apartment to the chosen family, with the stipulation that until their youngest child reaches 18 years of age, the family cannot sell, rent or move. 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 Pogosyan family was living in a domik in Gyumri.  A few days before Christmas 2012, their domik caught fire and completely burnt.  What few family possessions they owned were lost.  The Pogosyan family and their six children were given temporary shelter in a relative’s domik.

The Sissian Youth Arts School in Armenia was founded in 1962 to provide afterschool art classes for especially talented youth in the region.

In 1968 the school received a State School Status and has been supported by the Sissian city government. Currently 104 youth come to the school after their regular school day to pursue their dream in various forms of art. Ten percent of the students from this School continue on to the prestigious Terlemezyan Art School in Yerevan and Yerevan State University Art department. Many of the graduates have become artists, and several of them return to Sissian to perpetuate the School’s excellence in art education for regional youth.

Upon its founding, the first department in the school was called “Composition Art”. Students in this department skillfully and beautifully penciled their own ideas onto paper. This department eventually expanded to include all forms of drawing and painting. In 1968 the school enhanced its curriculum by adding Art History and Sculpting classes. In 1989 it increased its vision further by adding a department very close to the hearts of the regional people: the Hand Crafts department where students learn carpet weaving, needlepoint, crochet, knitting and so on. Some of the intricacies of the work they produce can rival any professional.

In 2012, two alumni from this School who completed their Art degree in Yerevan’s Terlemezian Art School returned to Sissian and began teaching a course in Ceramics Theory where the students learn the history of ceramics art (in which Armenians have had a very prominent standing and still do) the theory of ceramics, as well as technical details in producing the beautiful ceramics. The students enthusiasm is heightened and stirred by these classes, but alas, they have no means by which to put this knowledge to practical use, because they do not have a ceramics kiln, nor does one exist in the city for rent. The School’s vision is to expand this department to hands on teaching and giving the students the opportunity to put their creativity into making real ceramics that you can touch and watch and use.

Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur 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. 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 renovated their medical center and kindergarten successfully. These projects have had a huge impact on the community. Now, 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.

Manvel 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 seven members including Manvel, who is a contract soldier, his wife, their three children (all under the age of 7) and the children’s grandmother and grandfather. Their home (measuring 1507 sq. ft.) and land are fully exposed to Azeri sniper fire. Unfortunately, they are unable to farm their land due to these dangerous conditions. They currently have a barn (measuring 388 sq. ft.) and 7 animals and have requested 20-25 sheep. As a part of this effort Manvel 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 new venture.