FUTURE PROJECTS

Armenia has become one of the poorest countries in the former Soviet Union. More than a decade of interstate wars (between Azerbaijan and Armenia) and economic blockade has led to an extremely poor social and economic environment. The population of Armenia suffers from poor health and education services, high incidence of illnesses, malnutrition, unemployment and crime. The transition to a market economy has brought a number of negative consequences. According to the national statistical service, 55% of the population lives under the poverty line, though the World Bank figure that the number is closer to 80%.

The impact of these conditions is especially hard on women and children, many of whom have been left homeless and traumatized by the years of destruction and poverty. Our NGO is actively helping youth, children and women to overcome their problems.

Education

Health Education

Child Welfare

Community Development

“Basic education” The goal of this project is to help the most vulnerable group in Armenian society—parentless, homeless and needy children—to make better lives, reach their potentials, attain quality education and find their places in society. This project will provide these children in the Malatia-Sebastia Community, who for a variety of reasons are not currently receiving any education, with an opportunity to learn at an alternative, to the public school system, and reach the standard education level of children of the same age by the time they complete three years of a special programme.

Malatia-Sebastia is the largest and one of the poorest Communities of 12 administrative Communities in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. In the Malatia-Sebastia Community, where our project will take place, 500 children have been identified as living in extremely poor conditions and not attending school. Of these children, 67 are parentless, 177 have only one parent and 10 have parents but no shelter and earn their living begging on the street. Many of these children suffer from malnutrition, depression, and have difficulty interacting with others socially. They have special educational, social and emotional needs that the limited resources of state schools are currently unable to provide.

Zartonk-89, a community based organization consisting of local educators, social workers, parents and other professionals, has worked in Yerevan in the past 13 years to shelter the homeless, help poor women and families to become economically independent, and provide poor children with an alternative to expensive public education. One of Malatia-Sebastia's most pronounced problems in healthy community development has been a lack of educational opportunities for poor children. In response to this, Zartonk-89 plans to implement this project in order to help 500 poor children with problems they are facing through a uniquely tailored, three-year educational program. Zartonk-89 has specialists, trainers, and psychologists who have substantial experience in similar projects, and the organization will be responsible for project management as well as sustenance of the school program after the project period.

To execute this project, Zartonk-89 would like to request funding to cover costs such as training, teaching, facility and equipment, maintenance, meals for children and implementation of various activities. We have already secured a building, most human resources such as teachers, trainers, psychologists and administrative personnel, and a high degree of parental and community support. This project will help the vulnerable group in Armenian society—parentless, homeless and needy children—to make better lives, reach their potentials, attain quality education and find their places in society. This will make a precedent to project of this kind with this scale in Armenia, and it has a potential to help even larger number of children by replicating the project processes in the future.

“Education of youth and children” Overall objective of the project is to give more job opportunities for the youth population and decreasing influence of religious cults, drugs and crime.

Project purpose is to prevent social exclusion of the marginalized groups (parentless, refugees, beggars and poor local population), to learn them new skills related to computer’s technologies and increase personal initiative for employment, to increase their knowledge in health, and danger of alcohol and drugs abuse.

Computer skills of secondary school graduates are low, because of the insufficient number of computers (approximately 300 pupils per one computer in better equipped schools). These computers are also very old. There are several computer schools in Sunik and Lori regions of Armenia, but lessons are too expensive for vulnerable categories of teenagers and youth among parentless, refugees, beggars and poor local population.

Presently, there is no youth club or organization with youth friendly way of prevention work and spreading knowledge. There are only youth clubs connected to political parties used mostly during the electoral period for distribution of the political propaganda materials.

“Health promotion” project: The aim of the project is to teach children those important topics, which are necessary to know about health safety, hygiene and first aid in daily life. We target also to learn children how to applicate their knowledge in case of necessity in schools of Sunik (346 children) and Lori (627 children) regions.

These children living far away from villages of Armenia do not have access to information sources: some of them have no TV set, no radio. Their parents also cannot provide to children the elementary knowledge because of their hard agricultural jobs. So, the implementation of project is important because children don’t have the knowledge of mentioned topics in schools.

“Our Heart And Soul To You, Children” summer rest psychological health rehabilitation project:

For six years, from 1994-1999 our summer camp provided a 20-day retreat for 300 children ages 6-14. As we gained experience it became more and more clear to us that our camp was very important for the children. The boys and girls who attend the camp come from all over Armenia. We get to know them very well and continue to work with them throughout the year through a variety of different social projects. For us, the camp is a time to dedicate much needed time and attention to our young benefactors. For the children, our camp represents a time to have fun, learn, and relax from the stresses of daily life. All are anxious to go to camp again. Though we have not had funding for the past three years, we would like to organize our camp again in 2002.

Our program is aimed at the most vulnerable group in Armenian society—parentless, needy and refugee children and to improve the physical, intellectual, and psychological health of needy Armenian children.

The target group has the following specific needs: nutrition, mental health, depression and isolation and for solving these needs the organization has the following aim to improve their needs:

The camp will last for a total of 1.5 months, from June 1 until July 10. Two groups of 150 children each will stay at the camp for 20 days. At the end of each session, questionnaires will be distributed to the children for evaluation of the camp. The camp will take place at the "Lory" rest house in the Lory region of Armenia.

“Humanitarian aid for underprivileged children” project, which aims to distribute food packages and school supplies to 150 children of 100 families for one year in Lori region. This will prevent malnutrition and hunger among these children and allow them to regularly attend school.

The orphan children and single parent family phenomenon are basically the result of the last war and earthquake in the country but divorces and break-up of the families are also contributing to the number of single parent households. Women sometimes divorce because of migration. But in doing so in the bad economical situation they are unable to support themselves and the children. Single parent families have therefore been greatly affected by the bad economic situation in the country.

The situation is equally bad in many families that have voluntarily fostered and are caring for orphan children. They have additional children to support in a very difficult economic situation. Because of this the number of families willing to foster children is declining.

There is inadequate support from the government institutions for vulnerable children, single parent families and other children in vulnerable families (of refugees and general population) in Vanadzor. The government has no resources for this because of the general economic situation in the country. There is also no capacity and little interest among the local community and the general public about the plight of this vulnerable group.

'' Computer education for rural youth" In transitional period came out economic and social problems that left deep effects on rural communities and regions of Armenia. Syunik region with its rural communities are in bad conditions because it was war zone.

Severe conditions of poverty in the villages mean that most energy is expended on survival and maintaining the status quo rather than community development. Villages are falling far behind cities in terms of educational and technological development. Young people, who would otherwise be the agents of innovation and development, are often unable to receive any education beyond the basic level. Young people especially, without education or work often experience a lack of self-worth. Giving young village people education in computers will not only bring innovation and valuable skills to the villages, but also will give these young people a chance to get a specialization in Syunik region in order to gain in job market, to broaden their horizons and to help them gain a sense of self-worth and competence. Our beneficiaries are 16-20 old young people, which do not have any specialization, job and any vital conditions.

The aim of the project is to create computer-training center in Syunik region for 200 young women.. We choose Kapan city with 20 villages of Syunik region, because social state of people is very bad, the young people don’t have correspondent specialization and job. Syunik region is situated on the Northern part of Armenia and laying 340 km far from Yerevan. It is considered war zone and no such projects have been implemented in this region.

The short-term aim of the project is: organizing of training for 200 young women. Our beneficiaries will obtain computer and Internet skills. The duration of the project is 1 year; the duration of training process is 2 months, 50 beneficiaries will obtain the above-mentioned training for 2 months, 3 days a week by 2 hours.

After the end of the project, to provide the project sustainability, the organization will provide paid services and paid computer training and Internet by means of our selected best beneficiaries. At the end of the project the respected result will be:

	Youth club established - increased social activity of marginalized groups
	New technologies available as a part of learning new skills and education in general (Non-formal education program establish).
	Provided additional lectures of the English language and the Russian language, improved social skills.
	The youth and children will be real person in society.

	· The school children of Sunik and Lori regions will learn important topics which are necessary in daily life.
	· They will know about health safety, hygiene and first aid.
	· Free and open communication skills will be developed with children.
	· To monitor and evaluate the project, it is important:
	· Check elementary and final knowledge by questionnaires.
	· Decide children’s level of improvement (by the questionnaires results).
	· Evaluate the project by jury during the competition, which will be formed by school management, members of the organization, school children and their parents.
	· Visit villages with work plan and time-frame formed by the members of the organization.
	· Control the timetable of training by school management.

	To improve their mental health, development and to solve their nutrition problems.
	To improve mental, intellectual, psychological state of these children, organizing trainings for improvement their health, different games, competitions, musical and theatrical activities, trips and psychological rehabilitation activities.
	Thanks to organizing right the works, which experience we already have, through the clubs it will be developed and deepened children’s spiritual and physical abilities.
	To pass physical examination for our beneficiaries.
	The children will provide with basic education about nature and environmental issues, particularly those that are important for Armenia, such as water pollution and deforestation.

	The children will leave the camp with new knowledge of nutrition, exercise, and hygiene, which they will be able to use at home.
	The children will come out of the state of depression, relax mentally, and be at ease interacting with other children.
	After 20 days of proper nutrition and exercise, the children will gain strength. (When appropriate, dietary needs will be served individually.)
	Serious medical and psychological problems will be identified so the children can receive appropriate treatment throughout the year.

	· 200 young women will get computer and Internet knowledge.
	· Obtaining computer and Internet skills there will be an opportunity to our beneficiaries to gain in job market.
	· Free computer and Internet services will be provided for them.
	· We will have correspondent specialists in mentioned community.
	· The computer and Internet training will be used for the development of young women.
	· The organization will have equipment, that will power the organization in the side of exchanging of information.
	· Obtaining equipment, the organization will organize paid trainings and paid services, which help the organization to pass to self-funding.
	· The project will assist to the development of Syunik region.