Description
To date, the center has already had several important successes. At least six children have been taken out of boarding schools, attend 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 with the continued consumption of multi-vitamins and a daily well-balanced meal. 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.
The center is working on funding year four 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 career planning opportunities. $77,000 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.
Gallery Images
The Need
Thousands of children in Gyumri are living in extreme poverty, with no hope for a decent future. These socially vulnerable children are in need of a safe and enriching environment where they can receive additional guidance through social, psychological and academic support giving them a chance to break their cycle of poverty. The children’s center will continue to provide these children with the opportunity to attend afterschool and summer school programs providing them with the additional skills necessary for a successful future. Additionally, these children suffer from malnutrition and related illnesses due to a lack of well-balanced meals. The center will continue to provide each child with a nutritious meal everyday, helping them receive the calories and/or nutrients they need. Furthermore, many families were forced to take refuge in overseas shipping containers (domiks), or in condemned buildings after the devastating 1988 Spitak Earthquake or due to their poor socioeconomic status. An entire generation of children has grown up in deplorable conditions, often times with no running water and little or no heat to take showers. The Center will address this very important hygienic need by continuing to provide the children in attendance with supervised new bathing facilities.
Short Term Impact
The short-term 150 children will receive immediate support and guidance to help them succeed for the second year. The Center will continue offer nutritious meals, bathing facilities, counseling opportunities, homework aid and tutoring and core classes including English, Computer, Art/Design, and Math.
Long Term Impact
In the long term, with the success of the Center’s current offerings, additional classes and programs will be added and attendance will rise. The number of children growing up in poverty in the future will decrease as the number of children successfully graduating from our program and continuing onto college or successful vocations increases. The number of “social orphans” and children temporarily residing in boarding schools in Gyumri will be reduced as parents become increasingly able to keep their children at home given the humanitarian support they receive at the center. Through ongoing employment opportunities created, several families will continue to receive a fair wage, hence improving Gyumri’s economy.
Sponsors Benefits
Your donation to sponsor the operating cost for 2018 of the Debi Arach Children’s Center in Gyumri will be recognized with a plaque at the Center and on the Center’s website and in their printed materials. Your name will also be listed as a sponsor on the Paros Foundation website and in appropriate press related to this important project. The Paros Foundation will proudly arrange a visit to the new Center when you are in Armenia.
Updates: Images & Information
Congrats to our three students who completed the SHTIGEN Kids course in our Vocational Training Class. This is just one step on the journey to developing skills in the field of I.T. Thank you to the teachers of this program who help our students achieve their dreams.
Paros staff, along with the “Journey Through Armenia” group members visited Debi Arach to pass out winter boots and coats to all of our students. Thank you to Talar Nina for donating a percentage of their proceeds to purchase the boots, and SERVICE Armenia alumni, Dustin Hochmuth, for leading the effort to collect the winter coats.
Our Med-Aid Armenia mission began today here at Debi Arach with the leadership of Dr. Krikor Deramerian, California based pediatrician. He will spend a few days with us this week and along with our nurse perform physicals for all of our students ! Thank you so much for visiting Dr. Krikor!
As a part of our career fair initiative, we have speakers visit our students on a monthly basis to speak about their jobs. Today, Gayane from the Gyumri Tech Center spoke to our students about a career in I.T. and how the work of programmers connects to each of our daily lives. Gayane also teaches programming to our Veterans in our Vocational Training Program.
Debi Arach’s 1st-5th graders enrolled in the “Im Dproc (My School)” website, an interactive homework assistant that allows “groups” to compete against each other and gain points. Debi Arach as a group has already climbed the ladder and sits in 3rd place amongst all participants. Many schools have recently approached Debi Arach to find out more about our organization as they are surprised when they hear that we are in fact an after school center, not a school.
Our Donors (69)
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Mr. Reed Piligian
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Mr. Andrew Piligian
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Mr. Reed Piligian
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Mr. Reed Piligian
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Mr. Reed Piligian
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Mr. Reed Piligian
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Mr. Reed Piligian
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Mr. Reed Piligian
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Papazian & Hochmuth Family
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Mr. Reed Piligian
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The Dickranian Foundation
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Friends of Armenia
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Ms. Sirvart Baronian
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Gymuri Vartan Achemyan Theatre
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Noosh Brands
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Ms. Sylvia Parsons
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Ajemian Foundation
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Dadourian Foundation
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Mr. Alec GurgenianSERVICE Armenia donation