On April 1st, I'll be returning to Armenia for three weeks to volunteer at four organizations that serve the unique needs of Armenians. I would be honored if you would join me in donating to support these wonderful organizations. My work is focused on serving the youth and veterans:
1. Zinvori Tun (Soldiers' House): "Soldier's House" is a charitable-public organization that helps people who have been injured, injured, or disabled during military service or while defending the homeland. Soldier's House was established on the basis of the charitable NGO "Support for Wounded Soldiers and Disabled Military Personnel". Our goal is to support the treatment and restoration of health of people who have suffered health problems during military service or while defending the homeland, to solve their social integration, educational, legal, and employment problems.
2. FAR's Child Protection Center: FAR's Child Protection Center is Armenia's trusted and leading institution for safeguarding vulnerable and at-risk children and youth. Victims of abuse, neglect, extreme poverty, family strife and abandonment can seek assistance from the center 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Dedicated staff have helped nearly 13,000 children and youth since the center opened in 2000, assisting them with short-term shelter and integrated service provision based on their individual needs. A large percentage of these children have been reunited with their families; others have been placed in loving foster homes.
3. GOALS: Girls of Armenia Leadership Soccer (GOALS) is a national non-profit organization (NGO) in Armenia. GOALS is rooted in the philosophy that sports can be used as a vehicle for transforming society and expanding the possibilities of our participants.
GOALS is the only sport organization in Armenia dedicated to developing and supporting soccer leagues and impact programs for young women in rural communities. Currently, we have established eight soccer leagues for girls with over 800 players. In March 2021 we launched a co-ed soccer league in Artsakh.
4. Project Harmony: PH International has worked in Armenia for 24 years and has had a permanent office in Yerevan since 2000. PH Armenia has successfully designed and implemented innovative, practical, and sustainable projects in education and culture, community development, information and communication technologies, and justice, with a particular focus on youth.
5. In the works...I will be spending a few days in Gyumri, which is my favorite city in Armenia so far in my experience. I will be working with Emili Aregak; this is a development center for youth with disabilities in Gyumri, managed by Caritas Aregak Foundation. I have also been following the Ararat Children's Center on Instagram and Facebook, which was founded by Myasnik Israyelyan, a veteran of the 44-day Artsakh War. His organization has served soldiers and families affected by this war, and now he is developing the Ararat Children's Center to assist children social care and education. We have been talking, and I plan to travel to Ararat to work with him.
