Packs on Backs Armenia: Debi Arach 2022

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Description

The Packs on Backs initiative, was started by the The Heros Humanitarian Foundation (HHF), a former Los Angeles based non-profit organization that supported children in need and their educational advancement. HHF partnered with The Paros Foundation to bring their Packs on Backs initiative to Armenia, and together successfully distributed 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. Since then, the Packs on Backs initiative continues to impact the lives of children in need in Armenia with this essential need.

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 30 new attendees with new backpacks and school supplies and replenish the school supplies for 180 children who already have backpacks. A donation of $30 will help obtain one 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.

Region

Shirak / Շիրակ

City / Village

Gyumri / Գյումրի

Start Date

January 2020

End Date

September 2020

Gallery Images

Children will receive backpacks filled with several needed school supplies.

The Need

It is very difficult for a child to learn and excel in their studies without a proper backpack and essential school supplies. In addition, without the proper supplies these children are less likely to attend school on a regular basis, hence severely hindering their educational growth and minimizing future opportunities.

Short Term Impact

A total of 180 children from Gyumri’s poverty stricken communities attending the Debi Arach Children’s Center will receive either proper backpacks and school supplies or new school supplies to aid in their educational advancement. Local school supplies will be purchased whenever economically feasible in turn boosting the local economy.

Long Term Impact

Your donation to sponsor the Packs on Backs Armenia: Debi Arach project will be recognized on The Paros Foundation website and in appropriate press related to this important project.

Sponsors Benefits

All sponsors of this important project will be listed on The Paros Foundation’s website and in all press related to this project. Visits to these communities can be arranged for sponsors visiting Armenia.

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Verin Getashen School Renovation

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Description

Verin Getashen is a large village located just southwest of Lake Sevan.  The village was founded in the early 1800s by migrants from Mush and Alashkert in present day Eastern Turkey.  Almost 5,000 people call Verin Getashen their home.  More than 300 children attend the school, which is in poor condition.  Major needs of the school including replacing the roof, windows and heating system will be addressed as funds become available for this project.

Region

Gegharkunik

City / Village

Verin Getashen

Start Date

August 2019

End Date

November 2022

Gallery Images

Conditions in the Verin Getashen school are very bad.



Paros and DSA representatives visit the school in Verin Getashen.



Students in Verin Getashen have no choice but to attend school in deplorable conditions.

The Need

The children in Verin Getashen attend school in very poor conditions. The school is in need of a new roof, new windows and a proper heating system.

Short Term Impact

In the short term, students attending the school will benefit from a safer, more comfortable environment in which to learn. Materials and labor will be purchased locally whenever possible, thus adding to the local economy.

Long Term Impact

In the longer term, once the school improvements have been completed (in phases) the entire community will benefit for years to come with the school providing generations of residents with safe, comfortable and clean surroundings in which to learn.

Sponsors Benefits

All sponsors will be listed on The Paros Foundation website, on a plaque installed at the school and in all appropriate press related to this important project.
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August 15, 2019

Thanks to the generous support of Developmental Services for Armenia and the Dunaians Family, work on the roof at the school has begun.

 September 23, 2019

Work on the roof has been completed.

 October 29, 2019

The Dunaian Family visited the school today with Paros Project Manager, Gegham Minasyan. During their visit, they viewed the interior of the school to determine the next steps forward.

 February 17, 2020

Work on the kitchen, dining hall and storage room began today. This effort is supported in partnership with support from Developmental Services for Armenia and the municipality of Verin Getashen and materials from the World Food Program.

 April 2, 2020

With the subfloor installed and drying, the work at the Verin Getashen School has stopped. Work will begin once the stay at home orders are lifted and it is safe to return to work.

 May 1, 2020

With the easing of the stay at home orders, work once again began at the Verin Getashen School’s kitchen, cafeteria and storage room.

July 4, 2020

Renovations on the cafeteria are finished! Shortly after sinks, tables, and chairs were added to the cafeteria. Now the students have a brand new area to enjoy their lunches.

August 10, 2022

The Verin Getashen School’s computer room renovations have started and we look forward to providing computers with the new classroom. 

December 19, 2022

Computer room renovations are finished! The classroom is now full operational and  equipped with computers for students to learn new skills. Thank you to our donors for making this project possible. 

#EveryGirl Sport for Social Impact

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Description

GOALS encourages communities to transform societal norms into equitable values. Sport enables them to push for discussions around gender equity in marriage, leadership positions, and opportunities in a way that other mechanisms don’t allow through on-field games, soccer matches, and cross-cultural events.

Our main challenge in 2019 was to create demand for girls’ sports teams in the regions and villages of Armenia. We are proud to say that we have accomplished our mission. But with this accomplishment comes the new challenge of meeting that demand.

For 2020, at GOALS we seek to empower #everygirl in Armenia to find a pathway to an alternate possible future. While we have already impacted over one thousand girls by allowing them to unlock their potential through sports, we still have a long way to go. With your support, we will be able to expand our reach to many more villages in the regions of Armenia, revamp our sport for social impact curriculum and truly live into the movement that we have ignited.

#Everygirl deserves the chance to shine, play, grow. With GOALS our girls develop a voice, one that will carry them through life as the leaders they are born to be.

Your donations will go directly towards the expansion and operations of our Leagues in Tavush and Gegharkunik regions. Costs include uniforms, sports equipment, travel for teams to practices and games, coaches training, coordination and staffing associated with the Leagues.

Region

Tavush, Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor, Armavir

City / Village

All in Tavush, Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor, Armavir

Start Date

December 2020

End Date

January 2020

Gallery Images

National Tournament 2018



During camps and trainings, the girls work to master their skills.



Lernagog Summer Camp 2017



Artik Tournament 2017



Teamwork, leadership and skill development make GOALs special.



2018-Cross-Cultural-AGBU-Jack-Dikranian-2-scaled

The Need

Throughout Armenia, there are limited opportunities for girls to play soccer. Despite having a strong desire to do so, girls cannot find the resources necessary or sporting groups that make experiencing the game a possibility. In addition, organized sport participation has several benefits to youth development such as leadership skills, teamwork skills, confidence building and improved overall physical health. The GOALS organization helps give young women the chance to play soccer through their GOALS Leagues, Media, Coach and Referee trainings, Camps and After-school Clubs while helping Armenian communities change the broader mindset limiting girls and women in many aspects of their lives and see that girls can and should be future leaders of their country!

Short Term Impact

In the short-term, we will expand the teams in Tavush and Gegharkunik and support the empowerment of these young women.

Long Term Impact

In the long-term, public opinion regarding girls’ participation in soccer is changing, paving for the way for greater sports and leadership opportunities. We see a movement toward more inclusive soccer leagues that start at a young age and continue, also contributing to a competitive National Team for Armenia.

Sponsors Benefits

Sponsors will be listed on The Paros Foundation website, on the GOALs website and in all relevant press of this important project.
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February 17, 2020

Phase 2: Thanks to your generosity we were able to reach our first goal of 25k and fund our efforts in Gegharkunik and Tavush. Keeping in mind the spirit of reaching #everygirl for phase 2 of our efforts we are seeking support for the expansion of Vayots Dzor and Armavir Leagues. Your donations will go directly towards the expansion and operations of our Leagues in Tavush, Gegharkunik, Armavir, and Vayots Dzor. Costs include uniforms, sports equipment, travel for teams to practices and games, coaches training, coordination and staffing associated with the Leagues.

 May 15, 2020

With the current State of Emergency in Armenia, all programming has been postponed until further notice. Although we are unable to resume regular programming at this time GOALS is committed to coming up with creative and innovative ways to continue to engage our girls and continue to provide a safe space for growth, learning, and leadership. On behalf of the GOALS team, we want to thank you for your continued support throughout these challenging times.

Empowering Young Girls in Gyumri

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Description

Nor Luyce aims to provide girls the means to become self-sufficient, healthy, globally aware young women, who have set personal and career goals and who have created an action plan of how to achieve them. Our program was developed to improve self-esteem, self-reliance, and a sense of community and then build on these skills and potential. We believe in empowering teenage girls from orphanages and low-income families to build a community of strong, thoughtful, creative young women who are the future of Armenia.

In order to improve the future and career opportunities for girls from socially disadvantage families and foster cares, we prove a 3-phase, 3-year mentoring program that impacts approximately 60 girls a year. Currently, we are seeking funding for our first phase, which will provide a mentoring to 20 new Nor Luyce beneficiaries, aged 13-14 raising the number from 60 to 80.

Our Mentoring Phase program covers 11 months, during which 20 girls, aged 13-14, from socially vulnerable families and foster care receive mentoring. Each mentor-mentee pair meet approximately 40 times for individual meetings as well as partake in 20 group meetings. During our mentoring phase, we also focus on empowering participants to become active community members through service activities, cultural events, and building leadership through various responsibilities such as presenting information to their peers and other organization members. We also offer tutoring services for any participant who is struggling academically.

In order to decrease the likelihood that girls will be trafficked or married off at a young age, we strive to provide teenagers (13-14 year old) with a positive role model and a strong connection with other girls and prominent community leaders. We focus on career aspirations and how to create the best version of themselves, using the traits, skills, and strengths the participants already have. We also believe, that in order to empower young girls, we need to have a comprehensive approach to their development, as such following the first phase we then focus on skill-building trainings, career development, and offer scholarships for higher education. As of now, we have seventeen girls currently involved in higher education institutions, two more girls have already graduated from colleges and universities and now they work with their profession. On top of these, we have one mentee who graduated from a college which she had to admit because of the inforce of her parents, however, she could find the inner strength to change her profession and pursue the degree that was close to her heart.

Region

Shirak

City / Village

Gyumri

Start Date

September 2019

End Date

August 2020

Gallery Images

The Need

According to a 2010 UNICEF report, Armenia has 50 institutions that provide “residential care services” to children in the nation. Of the 4,902 children in the system, 3,823 live in residential care. These institutions lack the personnel responsible for emotional, personal, and professional development. At institutions specifically designated as “orphanages” the ration is an abysmal 1:20. Under these circumstances, the socio-economic outcomes for adults who grow up in the orphanage system are grim. Children living in orphanages generally experience different behavioral problems, are fearful, feel despair, insecurity, and high anxiety level. The children lack a number of life skills to engage effectively in the social and academic world. Because of lack of adult care, our youth have difficulty in regulating with their behavior and emotions. Situations for the young women are more challenging; they face gender-based discrimination in a male dominated and conservative society.

Short Term Impact

All goals will be met in an ongoing fashion, throughout the ten-month program.

• 20 mentees will partake in at least 30 one-on-one meetings with their mentors

• 20 mentees will take part
in at least 10 group meetings focusing on various life skills such as moving from dreams to reality, conflict resolution, stress management, etc.

• All 20 mentor-mentee pairs will complete at least one community service activity

• All the Mentoring Phase mentees (20 girls) will take part in at least 10 overall group meetings focused on creating a global perspective on issues such as different cultures, human rights, government, etc.

• All mentees (80 mentees) will take part in at least one international event such as International Women’s Day, International Human Rights Day, etc.

• 20 Mentors will take part in prementoring and on-going mentoring trainings to provide better services to the mentees.

• 30 mentees will meet a number of well-known and successful people in Armenia who will share the key to their success. As a result of the meetings mentees will experience:
    – Increase in academic performance by the end of program year

    – Increase time management skills

    – Creation of a career plan with short and long term goals of each mentee

    – All 20 mentees will create a presentation and lead a group discussion

Long Term Impact

In the long-term participants will continue onto Nor Luyce’s other two phases and become a more well-rounded, active, and confident individual.

Sponsors Benefits

Sponsor will be recognized on both the Nor Luyce and The Paros Foundation websites, social media sites and in all appropriate press related to this project. Donors will also be mentioned in the Nor Luyce e-newsletter and be given regular progress reports on the girl’s progress as well as thank you e-mails.
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July 1, 2020

2019-2020 program year was both challenging and exciting. In spite of the pandemic, these 10 months were full of both in-person and online meetings. As a result, 638 individual mentoring meetings, 13 pre-mentoring, and 6 on-going mentoring trainings for the mentors took place conducted by not only Gyumri professionals, but also trainers from Yerevan, San Francisco, Columbia State University, and more. There has also been 10 mentoring group meetings, 27 career planning meetings and 11 program-wide group meetings. Moreover, the mentees had a chance to meet with 10 guest speakers from Gyumri, Yerevan, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Beirut. All the mentees of the Skill-Building Phase could finalize the career plans that will guide them throughout their high school years. This year is also highlighted by our Alumni group taking initiative and organizing a series of group meetings to discuss women who motivate them.

 

Help Build the Artsvabert Kindergarten

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Description

More than 2,700 people live in the isolated border community of Artsvabert. The village is in desperate need of a second kindergarten to accommodate two additional groups of children (60 total), as the current existing kindergarten is full. 

Near the primary school in the village, there is an existing building that needs a complete renovation including new roof, windows, doors, kitchen, bathrooms.  In addition, work will be completed to the entrance to create a safe and convenient entry to the kindergarten.  Once renovated, this building would easily house two additional groups of kindergarten aged children. 

Following the complete reconstruction of the new kindergarten, new furniture and kitchen equipment will be installed.

 

Region

Tavush

City / Village

Artsvabert

Start Date

April 2021

End Date

October 2021

Gallery Images

Once used as a wood and metal shop class for the Artsvabert School, this building needs to be reconstructed to house the new kindergarten.



The existing entrance is unsafe to use and will not protect students from the weather.



The interior of the building that will house the new kindergarten is currently used for storage despite the fact that the roof leaks.

The Need

The village of Artsvabert needs an additional kindergarten to facilitate early education for the growing number of children in this larger border community.  A building located near one of the village’s two schools needs to be complete reconstructed to serve as the village’s second kindergarten.

Short Term Impact

In the short term, 60 children will begin receiving the benefit of early education.  At least 6 more employment positions will be created in the community.  In addition, a modest economic benefit will be realized as all materials will be purchased locally.

Long Term Impact

In the long term, the community of Artsvabert will benefit as a whole from having a second kindergarten in the community.  In addition, 60 families will directly benefit from the services provided by the kindergarten.  

Sponsors Benefits

All sponsors of this important project will be listed on The Paros Foundation’s website, on a plaque installed at the kindergarten, and in all appropriate press. Visits to the Artsvabert Kindergarten can be arranged for sponsors during their visit to Armenia.

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April 2, 2021

Demolition work began today at the building that will be the new kindergarten in the village of Artsvabert.

 

July 3, 2021

The roof is now complete at the kindergarten in Artsvabert and work on installing the new windows has begun.

October 5, 2021

The construction work on the building to house the new kindergarten is complete.  The process for licensing the new building has begun.  Soon the facility will be open for students!

Scholarship for a Sustainable Future: Marine A.

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Description

Nor Luyce works with young girls, ages 14-17, from two local orphanages and/or from poverty stricken families from Gyurmi, 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 Marine, a young girl from Gyumri, with a scholarship that would reduce her out of pocket costs towards her education. Lusine lives at home with her father, mother, sister and brother. Her parents are farmers. At times Marine’s father leaves for Russia to find a job. Their monthly income is 48000 AMD which is not enough to take care of the family and pay the tuition fee of Marine who has just entered University. Marine graduated from the school with high performance. During her free time, she draws and read books. She has been a part of Nor Luyce NGO since 2016. She has successfully finished Mentoring Phase, Skill-Building Phase and now she is in the Scholarship phase. Marine has been very passive, shy and closed-off, and she had fears of expressing her ideas. However, thanks to the great work that her mentor did, Marine became very active, she takes part in all the group meetings and actively expresses her ideas. She has been volunteering her time at the organization scanning and filling out budet documents. The requested scholarship funds will help Marine continue her studies and cover the costs of her tuition, uniform, books, stationaries, winter clothing and her transportation fee for one year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MRfI9_4b0Q

Region

Shirak

City / Village

Gyumri

Start Date

September 2019

End Date

February 2021

The Need

Children living in orphanages and/or within poverty stricken families are often isolated and may lack the knowledge, adult support and financial ability necessary to make appropriate life choices. As a consequence, many of these children are deprived from the opportunity to pursue their education. The frustration of these deficits in addition to the expectation that they will not be able to afford additional education may even lead to a lack of motivation to seek the knowledge and support needed. By being given the opportunity to pursue educational goals, they will be able to secure job opportunities, a good future and a successful life.

Short Term Impact

Marine A., who currently lives in Gyumri’s, will receive the financial support she needs, in a form of a scholarship, covering the costs of her college tuition, uniform, books, stationaries, winter clothes and transportation.

Long Term Impact

The long-term goal is that Marine A., being given the opportunity to continue pursuing her educational goals at the university level will have a reasonable chance to become self-sufficient member of Armenian society and have a successful life.

Sponsors Benefits

Sponsor will be recognized on both the Nor Luyce and Paros Foundation websites. Donors will be given regular progress reports on the girl’s progress during their university studies.

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Oknooshoon Project Phase 2

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Description

Nairi Krafian, a young Armenian-American volunteer has established a project called Oknooshoon in Armenia, which is literally a hybrid of the words help (oknoutyoun) and dog (shoun) in Armenian. As a pre-veterinary student who is passionate about both her homeland and animals, her goal is to improve the public perception, and in turn the quality of life, for rescued dogs in Armenia. Nairi has partnered with The Paros Foundation in order to introduce dog therapy in Yerevan, help provide education to improve the public perception of stray and rescued dogs and minimize their poor treatment.

Oknooshoon aims to improve the human-canine bond in Armenia, to benefit both populations simultaneously. This project will implement animal therapy for children in need with rescue dogs trained as therapy animals. Phase one of Oknooshoon’s Animal Therapy Program was a pilot in which the therapy dogs were trained as adults, lived at the shelter, and were handled by shelter personnel. Phase two is a second pilot in which rescue dogs will be trained as puppies, raised and handled by Oknooshoon employees in a home. This change will create a more sustainable and effective program, with the dogs being trained at a young age, living in clean homes, and receiving individualized attention. Phase two will also include research to determine the effectiveness of this therapy method for children, education to improve animal welfare, and efforts to strengthen Oknooshoon’s team and business model.

$24,000 is needed in order to fund this project. The costs include handler training education, dog training supplies, transportation, veterinary care, administrative supplies, employee compensation, and organizational development expenses. In addition, Nairi will be attending the Watson Institute Program in Colorado in order to improve and expand Oknooshoon’s capacity.

Region

Yerevan Երևան

City / Village

Yerevan Երևան

Start Date

January 2019

End Date

December 2020

Gallery Images

Oknooshoon participates in a variety of community events.



Oknooshoon providing therapy to children at the Kharpert Home for Special Children.



Oknooshoon works on the proven model that animal therapy has dramatic benefits for humans.

The Need

Armenia lacks animal welfare advocacy, evident in their enormous stray dog population and their poor handling of the situation. The pet industry has grown, but there is still a strong stigma against rescue and mix-breed dogs, and the human-canine bond is quite week. Armenia also lacks accessible dog therapy programs with minimum standards, certification processes, program assessment, and impact measurement. Oknooshoon plans to improve the general misconception around rescue dogs and fill the gap in healthcare by introducing animal-assisted therapy to youth in need through phase two of this project.

Short Term Impact

The dogs trained by Oknooshoon will lead a much happier and healthier life than if they stayed in the shelters. Simultaneously, the children receiving animal-assisted therapy will receive psychosocial benefits.

Long Term Impact

By publicizing the effects of dog therapy and providing animal welfare education, Oknooshoon will help improve the stigma around stray and shelter dogs. This will present opportunities to expand dog therapy all throughout Armenia and increase dog adoptions from shelters.

Sponsors Benefits

All sponsors will be recognized on The Paros Foundation website and on all relevant press regarding this project. In addition, sponsors will also be included in an Oknooshoon e-newsletter in 2019.
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March 12, 2020

Oknooshoon dog handler and “Dobby” visit residents at Warm Hearth, who greatly benefit from their interactions.

National Poetry Recitation Contest 2019

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Description

The National Poetry Recitation Contest (NPRC) was created in 2010 by a Peace Corps Volunteer and her Armenian counterpart living in Hrazdan. The goal of the National Poetry Recitation Contest is to create an opportunity for Armenian students in grades 7-12 to enhance their spoken English, critical thinking and public speaking skills by studying and reciting poems and speeches in English. Students also develop a valuable peer network of fellow English speakers from all over Armenia.

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Region

Throughout Armenia

City / Village

Throughout Armenia

Start Date

March 2019

End Date

July 2019

Gallery Images

Students greatly benefit from their public recitation of poetry.



A national competition for poetry inspires students to do their best!

The Need

Provide transportation funding so 1200 students can travel to one of 12 regional poetry contests planned for spring 2019. Make sure 72 finalists can compete in the National finals at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan on May 4, 2019 and attend a 5-day Creative English Summer Camp in July 2019 for 72 National Finalists in Hankavan.

Short Term Impact

Enable English language school students from every community in Armenia to take part in a national poetry recitation contest and Creative English Camp. Provides opportunity in building language skills, critical thinking ability, self-confidence and a valuable peer network.

Long Term Impact

Help Armenia’s brightest and best 12-17 year olds, the future leaders of Armenia! Building and showcasing stronger English comprehension through this competition assists the youth in proficiency of the English language for their futures.

Sponsors Benefits

Your support will allow an additional 500 students to take part in the contest this year and send an extra 12 kids to camp. Help bright, ambitious students from villages like Berd, Knatsakh and Shinuhayr travel to their nearest regional contest and on to the finals in Yerevan, Camp will be held in Hankavan.
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March 11, 2019

The Contest is underway! 1486 students are competing from every marz. This weekend contests were held at Ijevan, Gavar and Kapan.

Stepanavan St. Gregory The Illuminator School #2 Improvement Project

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Description

The town of Stepanavan is located in Armenia’s northern portion of the Lori Region. More than 10,000 people live in this ancient town. Stepanavan can trace it earliest settlements to the 4th century. Stepanavan was devastated by the 1988 earthquake including losing one of its primary schools. The Western Diocese of the Armenian Church raised the funds to build a new school for the children in Stepanavan. Vartkes Barsam, a philanthropist and active member of the Armenian community of Los Angeles served as project manager and oversaw the construction. The school was opened on 2003 and has served more than 525 children per year since. While the school has been well maintained, it is time to address some of the larger needs of the school starting with the heating system, school windows, bathrooms and to create a kitchen and dining hall.  Following these important capital improvements, the balance of the school will receive a cosmetic renovation including new lighting and a fresh coat of paint.

A new boiler room will be built adjacent to the school and two large capacity boilers will be installed to heat new radiators throughout the school (which also have to be installed.) New windows throughout the school will also be installed to improve the efficiency of the overall heating of the school. This phase of work will cost the following:

$6,000 Construction of a new boiler room.
$95,000 Installation of two new boilers, pipes and radiators throughout the three floors of the school.
$44,000 Installation of 540 square meters of new double pain windows throughout the school.

Region

Lori / Լոռի

City / Village

Stepanavan / Ստեփանավան

Start Date

2025

End Date

2025

Gallery Images

The current gas heating system and old windows is unsafe and inefficient at the Stepanavan School



Peter Abajian, Paros Executive Director visited the school to inspect the conditions and solidify the scope of work to be done.



The old water distribution system throughout the school also needs to be redone.



The bathrooms at the Stepanavan school need to be renovated and modernized.

The Need

School #2 in Stepanavan serves more than 525 children. The school needs a new heating system and new windows to help provide a safe and comfortable environment for the children in which to learn.

Short Term Impact

In the near term, more than 525 children and the school’s staff will enjoy a safer and more comfortable learning environment. The local economy will benefit with locals labor and materials utilized whenever possible.

Long Term Impact

In the long term, thousands of children and staff will benefit from the renovations completed at the school. Because of better heating, the school will better accommodate a variety of after school programming for the children in the colder winter months.

Sponsors Benefits

All sponsors of this project will be recognized on The Paros Foundation website, on a plaque at the Stepanavan St. Gregory The Illuminator School #2, and in appropriate press related to this important project. Visits can be arranged to Stepanavan for sponsors during their visits to Armenia.

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October 18, 2018

Diane Barsam visited the school with Paros Project Manager, Gegham Minasyan to discuss the school’s needs and to formalize plans for future assistance.

August 12, 2019

With enough funding available to replace all of the exterior windows, work began on removing and replacing all of the windows.

 September 12, 2019

Work on all of the exterior window replacement is complete and minor temporary repairs were made to the walls around the new windows until such time that funding is available for the school’s interior remodel. The next effort will be to replace the school’s heating system.

November 29, 2022

The school’s heating system has been replaced with new radiators, pipes, and boilers throughout the entire 3 story school providing much needed heat during the winter. 

July 2, 2023

Today our crew has started renovation on the school’s gym roof. 

July 15, 2023

Gym roof renovation has finished. The students now have an insulated gym roof to allow them to play comfortably. 

August 28, 2023

The multiple bathroom renovations have begun. We can’t wait to give the students new and clean restrooms. 

October 22, 2023

The first bathroom renovation is finished! We will soon start construction on the next set of bathrooms. 

December 13, 2023

All 14 bathroom renovations are complete! With the support of our donors were able to renovate every bathroom at the Stepanavan St. Gregory the Illuminator School #2.  

Recycling on the Border

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Description

Recycling in border villages in the Tavush region is currently extremely limited; as a result, plastic and other trash often goes uncollected and liters the communities. When it is collected, the waste is often put into landfills or it is burned.

The Paros Foundation seeks to partner with the Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Development of Communities NGO, or ‘ISSD’ to implement a small scale recycling initiative in ten border villages in the Tavush region, with the hopes of eventual expansion. The proposed project involves going to several schools and providing specially marked recycling bins for paper and plastic. The children will then be educated on the benefits of recycling and why it is important. In order to provide incentive, the school whom collects the most recycling will receive a prize of their choice up to a certain cash value. Schools will be given approximately 2 months to collect the recycling, when it will then be picked up and transferred to the proper recycling facilities.

The project’s ultimate goal is to educate communities on recycling, and give them the opportunity to try it themselves. The project and related school trainings will be conducted in two trips.

If after the two month contest period the project is considered successful, Paros will seek to expand into more schools in the Tavush region.

Region

Tavush

City / Village

Ten Tavush border villages

Start Date

January 2020

End Date

February 2020

Gallery Images

Custom Recycling bins will be placed in each of ten schools along border communities surrounding Berd.



Classroom instruction on the benefits of recycling will take place by trained instructors from the Solutions for Sustainable Development of Communities, NGO

The Need

Recycling in border villages in the Tavush region is currently extremely limited; as a result, plastic and other trash often goes uncollected and liters these communities.

Short Term Impact

In the short term, a two month recycling contest will be launched to build excitement about the project in ten border schools in Tavush. The schoolchildren will learn about the benefits of recycling and start making it a regular practice in both their schools and households. A modest economic benefit will be realized through this project through the employment of a driver and trainers.

Long Term Impact

In the long term, communities will be more informed about modern waste and waste management, and, hopefully develop the practices as a normal part of their culture. The project will involve more than 1,800 children.

Sponsors Benefits

Sponsors of this project will be listed on The Paros Foundation website, and in relevant press related to this important project.
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Updates: Images & Information

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January 14, 2020

The Recycling Contest launched today with nine schools in the Berd area of Armenia’s Tavush Region. Schools will be collecting both paper and plastics and competing for a prize! The contest launch follows training and instruction on the value of recycling by the experts at the ISSD organization in Yerevan.

 February 18, 2020

Today the Paros Team visited the schools, registered and collected all the recyclables and determined the contests winners! The School in Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur collected the most plastic per student! The School in the village of Tavush collected the most paper per student! Congratulations to both schools! We look forward to expanding this project in the future.