The Paros Foundation underwrites all administrative and overhead costs allowing 100% of all donor contributions to godirectly towards projects and supported organizations.
Donations to The Paros Foundation Projects for Prosperity are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. To sponsor a project through The Paros Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 organization (Tax ID 20-5094630), or learn more about specific projects in need of funding, please contact us using the information below.
Gevorg is an amazing young man who is a champion weightlifter who has competed throughout the world. He is proud of the gym he has built in Gavar and Verin Karmiraghbyur both for the quality of the trainings that takes place, as well as the fact that he provides free access to for training and rehabilitation for people with disabilities and war veterans. Gevorg uniquely understands that difficulties faced by people with disabilities and those injured during the war as Gevorg, himself, has cerebral palsy.
Gevorg and his NGO partners and friends have successfully fully renovated the Gavar gym through supplying both labor and some materials to complete the renovation work themselves. With utility costs, it is difficult for Gevork to continue to operate with his established model of charging a modest fee for the gym’s use and for classes to help off set the expenses related to providing free access to people with disabilities and injured veterans. Gevork would greatly benefit from a 10 KW solar panel system on the gyms roof. This would off-set the Gavar Community Gym’s high winter heating costs and allow their existing fee structure to continue.
The Gavar Community Gym needs assistance with operating the gym under the model of free access for people with injuries from the war and those with disabilities. To do this, the gym needs a solar panel array installed to help offset heating and electricity costs.
Short Term Impact
In the short term, Gevork will be able to continue operating the gym with free of charge access to people with disabilities and those who were injured in the war.
Long Term Impact
In the long term, people with disabilities and war veterans injured will be able to have a space to exercise, train and conduct rehabilitation activities free of charge.
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.
The Ghoghanj Children’s Center provides critical after-school and summer programs for socially and economically vulnerable children. Each year, the Kentron and Nor Nork centers serve approximately 170 students from extremely low-income families who would otherwise have no access to academic support or enrichment opportunities. For these children, the Center is not only a place to learn, but a safe and encouraging environment where they receive daily instruction, creative arts education, mentorship, and the emotional support needed to grow into confident and capable young adults.
Students take part in classes such as English, Russian, computer studies, design, painting, theater, and dance, gaining the skills and self-confidence necessary to succeed in school and build a brighter future. Technology plays a vital role in this process, yet the computer labs at both centers rely on machines that are 10–11 years old. While they have been carefully maintained and repeatedly upgraded over the years, they have reached the end of their useful life and can no longer meet the educational demands of the students.
Sponsorship of this project will help provide 12 new desktop computers for each center (24 total), giving students reliable access to modern technology, strengthening their academic experience, and ensuring they are not left behind in an increasingly digital world.
Region
Yerevan / Երևան
City / Village
Kentron & Nor Nork
Start Date
Immediately
End Date
Gallery Images
The Need
Technology plays a critical role in modern education and future employment. Both centers currently have small computer labs that the children rely on for learning essential digital skills.
Despite years of repairs and upgrades, these machines are now far beyond their functional lifespan. They are slow, unreliable, and no longer capable of supporting the educational programs the children need.
Short Term Impact
24 desktop computers will be locally obtained and distributed to both the Kentron and Nork Nork locations of the Ghoghanj Children’s Center.
Long Term Impact
Your support will directly empower 170 at-risk children every year by giving them access to the tools they need to learn, create, and succeed in today’s digital world.
Sponsors Benefits
All sponsors of this important project will be listed on The Paros Foundation’s website and be recognized with a plaque at the Centers and on the Center’s website and in their printed materials. Visits to the Ghoghanj Children’s Centers can be arranged for sponsors visiting Armenia.
The Ghoghanj Children’s Center located in the Kentron of Yerevan provides afterschool and summer school programs for approximately 85 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. 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.
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. Through the generous support of the Dadourian Foundation, a second center for “at-risk” children was opened in 2014 in the Nor Nork neighborhood of Yerevan to provide support to 85 additional children annually. The new center has provided students the same core classes daily (English, Russian, Computer, Design, Painting, Theater and Dance) as the Ghoghanj Children’s Center – Kentron. 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.
Amount will include rent, utilities, teacher salaries, maintenance and additional improvements, and supplies.
Region
Yerevan / Երևան
City / Village
Nor Nork / Նոր Նորք
Start Date
September 2026
End Date
August 2027
The Need
Children living in the community of Nor Nork in Yerevan are in need of additional guidance through social, psychological and academic support. A second center for these kids has been opened and needs financial support in order to cover operational costs for the following school year 2026-2027.
Short Term Impact
In the short term, sponsorship of this project will help continue to employ teachers, and provide 85 children in the Nor Nork neighborhood of Yerevan with their needed tutoring and guidance.
Long Term Impact
In the long term, this project has the potential of impacting the lives of 85-100 at-risk students by helping them gain the guidance and support they need in order to create greater future opportunities, and become successful individuals and good citizens.
Sponsors Benefits
Your donation to fund the operational costs for the 2026-2027 school year for Ghoghanj-Nor Nork 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 happily arrange a visit to the center when you are in Armenia.
Arevik S. and her husband Armen reside in Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur with their five young children (ages 1.5 to 13) and elderly parents. Their home is in need of a complete remodel, including a proper heating system and an interior bathroom, to provide safe and healthy living conditions.
Currently, the family relies solely on minimal pension income and sporadic seasonal work, leaving them unable to afford these essential renovations. This remodel will directly improve their quality of life and bring lasting stability to this family.
Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur is an important border village with a population of approximately 1,100 residents in the Berd area of Armenia’s Tavush Region. This community remained under constant risk of sniper fire for much of the last 30 years. NKA was the single most damaged Armenian village during the Azeri conflict in the 1990’s. 70% of their fertile land is located along the Azeri border. Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur is a beneficiary village of the Paros Foundation’s Prosperity on the Border Initiative. With major financial support of Jean-Marie Atamian and his family over the last 13 years, much of the village’s infrastructure has been completely rebuilt and improved including, but not limited to, its large secondary school, expanded kindergarten, medical center, emergency services building and water distribution system. In addition, several families have benefited from agribusiness and animal husbandry projects. Having funded the rebuilding of NKA’s infrastructure, the Atamian family is now focusing its attention on the reconstruction of severely damaged houses to provide decent and safe homes for deserving families in the village.
Region
Tavush
City / Village
Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur
Start Date
September 2025
End Date
December 2025
Gallery Images
The Need
Improving conditions for people to live in communities along the border with Azerbaijan is important. Many of these residents work as border guards, protecting our borders. Helping villagers with home improvements is vital to help create a vibrant border community. This family’s home is in need complete remodel, including a proper heating system and an interior bathroom to provide them with a safe and dignified living space.
Short Term Impact
In the short term, The family will gain a safe and warm living environment, access to proper sanitation through an indoor bathroom, and improved health for their young children and elderly parents. This project will also create employment for local construction workers and skilled laborers, providing a boost to the village economy.
Long Term Impact
In the long term, homes in these communities will be improved beyond their previous condition. In addition, making significant improvements to villager’s homes will improve villager’s attitudes and moral, which is equally as important as their living conditions.
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.
Sona and her husband, Karen, live in the border village of Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur with their two children, ages 14 and 8, and Karen’s parents. Karen serves as a contract soldier on the frontlines, while Sona works as a school librarian. To help support their household, the family also raises animals and sells figs seasonally.
The family home is in need of repair. The project will provide new flooring, replacement windows where needed, and a new heating system, along with a full remodel of the living areas. Their kitchen and restroom, already updated, will remain as is. This project will help provide a safe, warm, and dignified home for a family that continues to serve and strengthen their community.
Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur is an important border village with a population of approximately 1,100 residents in the Berd area of Armenia’s Tavush Region. This community remained under constant risk of sniper fire for much of the last 30 years. NKA was the single most damaged Armenian village during the Azeri conflict in the 1990’s. 70% of their fertile land is located along the Azeri border. Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur is a beneficiary village of the Paros Foundation’s Prosperity on the Border Initiative. With major financial support of Jean-Marie Atamian and his family over the last 13 years, much of the village’s infrastructure has been completely rebuilt and improved including, but not limited to, its large secondary school, expanded kindergarten, medical center, emergency services building and water distribution system. In addition, several families have benefited from agribusiness and animal husbandry projects. Having funded the rebuilding of NKA’s infrastructure, the Atamian family is now focusing its attention on the reconstruction of severely damaged houses to provide decent and safe homes for deserving families in the village.
Region
Tavush
City / Village
Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur
Start Date
September 2025
End Date
December 2025
Gallery Images
The Need
Improving conditions for people to live in communities along the border with Azerbaijan is important. Many of these residents work as border guards, protecting our borders. Helping villagers with home improvements is vital to help create a vibrant border community. This family’s home is in need of repair—requiring new flooring, windows, heating, and a remodel—to provide them with a safe and dignified living space.
Short Term Impact
In the short term, a local window company will be contracted with to manufacture the windows. Local construction teams will be hired to do the reconstruction and renovation work.
Long Term Impact
In the long term, homes in these communities will be improved beyond their previous condition. In addition, making significant improvements to villager’s homes will improve villager’s attitudes and moral, which is equally as important as their living conditions.
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.
Every child deserves the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe, nurturing environment. Currently there are 75 children that attend the kindergarten, while 40 young children, in the village of Meds Masrik, are waiting for that chance—the kindergarten simply does not have enough space to welcome them.
With only three of five buildings currently usable, and outdated facilities limiting what the kindergarten can offer, too many children are left behind. By supporting the renovation of the kitchen, teachers’ station, and two unused buildings, donors like you will help create bright classrooms and welcoming spaces for every child on the waitlist.
Your gift to the Meds Masrik Kindergarten Expansion will not only open doors for the next generation, but will also create new jobs for caring teachers and dedicated staff, making a difference in families’ lives across the community. Help make this a reality for children in Meds Masrik.
Region
Gegharkunik
City / Village
Meds Masrik
Start Date
August 2025
End Date
Gallery Images
The Need
40 children in Meds Masrik are waiting for a place in kindergarten because there simply isn’t enough space. These children risk missing out on early education and a safe environment to grow. Expanding and renovating the kindergarten will ensure every child has the opportunity to learn, play, and thrive in their community.
Short Term Impact
The short-term impact of expanding the Meds Masrik Kindergarten includes giving more than 40 additional children immediate access to early education and a safe environment. The renovations will also create new jobs for teachers and support staff, directly benefiting local families by increasing employment opportunities and improving daily life in the community.
Long Term Impact
Children will benefit from stronger academic foundations, higher achievement, and improved social skills—leading to greater educational attainment as they grow. More families will have access to early education.
Sponsors Benefits
All sponsors of this project will be recognized on The Paros Foundation website, on a plaque at the Meds Masrik Kindergarten, and in appropriate press related to this important project. Visits can be arranged to Meds Masrik for sponsors during their visits to Armenia.
Aparan is a town in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, about 50 kilometers northwest of the capital Yerevan. The town has a population of about 6,500 people.
Founded in 1986, the Secondary School 2 after Hambardzum Voskanyan underwent a partial remodel in 2000 and today serves 560 students with the support of 70 dedicated teachers and staff. Earlier this year, strong winds damaged the school’s roof, which will soon be renovated with government support. Over the years, the school has proudly produced athletes who have competed in the Olympics and earned championship titles across Europe and around the world. Beyond sports, students have access to a variety of clubs and extracurricular programs, including a renowned dance ensemble that represents the school’s commitment to art and culture.
To continue offering these opportunities and to strengthen its cultural programs, the school now requires a full renovation of its auditorium. This project will upgrade the stage, seating, lighting, paint, and floors, creating a vibrant and inspiring space for performances, events, and student activities.
The renovation is needed to provide students with a safe, modern, and fully equipped space for performances, gatherings, and cultural events. Updating the auditorium will ensure the school can continue fostering creativity, community, and student growth for years to come.
Short Term Impact
In the short term the school auditorium will be renovated including new flooring, electrical fixtures, paint, a new stage and new auditorium chairs. Supplies will be purchased locally and local labor will be used whenever possible, thus providing them with temporary jobs.
Long Term Impact
In the long term, the completion of this project will provide a proper facility for current and future students and town residents to hold graduation ceremonies, musical recitals, concerts, seminars and other functions for the entire town.
Sponsors Benefits
Sponsorship of the Aparan School Auditorium renovation will be recognized on a plaque in the auditorium, on The Paros Foundation website and in appropriate press related to this important project. The Paros Foundation will happily arrange a visit to the auditorium in the town of Aparan when you are in Armenia.
“Sari Gat” Dairy & Cheese Company plays an important role in the border town of Berd and the surrounding villages of Armenia’s Tavush Region. As a thriving small business, “Sari Gat” produces a variety of high-quality cheeses and dairy products, distributing them throughout the region. More than just a business, “Sari Gat” is a force for good—purchasing milk from local farmers at fair or above-market prices, generating employment, and stimulating economic growth in the community.
Now, “Sari Gat” is preparing to take an exciting step forward. To meet increasing demand and support even more local farmers, the company plans to expand its production capacity by constructing a large refrigerated storage room, 650 square feet in size. This essential addition will enable “Sari Gat” to process and store more dairy products, directly benefiting dozens of farming families and creating new job opportunities in the region.
We invite you to join us in supporting this meaningful project. Your contribution will help build the new refrigeration facility, empowering “Sari Gat” to continue uplifting Berd’s economy and strengthening the livelihoods of families across the Tavush Region. Together, we can make a lasting impact—one that nourishes both people and community.
“Sari Gat” Dairy & Cheese Company needs a new refrigerated storage room to expand its production capacity. This project will enable the company to purchase more milk, support additional farming families, and create new jobs in the community.
Short Term Impact
As funding becomes available, a new refrigerator room will be build as an add-on to the current building “Sari Gat” currently runs its production out of. A local construction crew will be employed to complete the build.
Long Term Impact
In the long term, this upgrade will directly benefit local farmers and boost economic opportunities in Berd and the surrounding villages. Local farmers will have additional places to sell their milk to.
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. A visit to the “Sari Gat” factory and Berd and its surrounding communities can be arranged for sponsors visiting Armenia.
The Paros Foundation launched the Debi Arach Children’s Center in Gyumri, Armenia on April 15, 2015 with the help of generous donors. The center, which provides 185 children each week the necessary academic, psychological, social and humanitarian support, has since been a source of positivity in this city. The residents of Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city have endured very devastating realities since the tragic 1988 Spitak Earthquake. More than 100,000 residents were left homeless, and plagued with unemployment and rampant poverty for years to come. In turn, the fate of children in Gyumri has also been affected. Dealing with the difficulty of finding means to feed and care for their families, many parents are unable to provide their children with the proper guidance, supervision, educational aid and the financial resources for them to excel in school and have successful futures. The Debi Arach Children’s Center, which in Armenian means “moving forward,” helps these socially vulnerable children through a holistic approach providing them with both humanitarian and educational support. The center provides counseling and group therapy with a psychologist on staff, homework help and tutoring for almost every subject the children learn in school including English, Math, Art/Design, and Computer classes. Additionally, they are served a nutritious meal everyday, helping them receive the calories and/or nutrients they would otherwise not have. Furthermore, the Center addresses a very important hygienic need by providing the children in attendance with supervised bathing facilities. The goal is to help hundreds of children develop a vision for a successful future, and to give them the skills they need to reach these goals. This project is impacting the lives of hundreds of socially vulnerable children by helping them gain the guidance and support they need in order to create greater future opportunities, and become successful individuals and good citizens.
To date, the center has already had several important successes. At least nine 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 take place 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 ten 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. $92,000 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. In 2019, with the long term commitment by Dr. & Mrs. Gary and Linda Assarian (MI) the vocational training program was renamed the Assarian Vocational Training Program.
Region
Shirak / Շիրակ
City / Village
Gyumri / Գյումրի
Start Date
April 2026
End Date
March 2027
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 185 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 2025 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.
Due to an increase of children attending the center, Debi Arach is in need of an additional $4,500 to obtain six new computers to add to their computer lab.
Access to computers and printers remains limited in many small towns and villages across Armenia. Providing students with these tools equips them with essential digital skills, enabling them to complete homework more efficiently and connect with opportunities around the world. However, due to the high cost of equipment, many schools, children’s centers, libraries and cultural institutions are unable to offer this vital access to their residents.
The Vardenis Municipality in the Gegharkunik Region has reached out to us with an important request. The municipality serves the town of Vardenis and surrounding 34 villages. The region is home to over 20 educational institutions including schools, kindergartens, music schools, libraries and cultural centers. Due to high costs they are unable to obtain the tech needed to serve these institutions and the residents that attend them.
We hope to be able to raise the funds needed to provide the Vardenis Municipality 24 computers and 12 printers. Donations of new computers and printers are also welcomed.
Region
Gegharkunik
City / Village
Vardenis & Surrounding Villages
Start Date
Immediately
End Date
Two Months as Start
The Need
Unfortunately, the high cost of computers prevents many schools, children’s centers, and cultural institutions from being able to provide residents with these essential tools.
Short Term Impact
24 computer and 12 printers will be obtained and distributed to the educational and cultural institutions throughout the Vardenis Municipality.
Long Term Impact
In the long term, this project has the potential to positively impact thousands of residents by allowing them to access the services offered by these institutions.
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.
“Sari Gat” Dairy & Cheese Company plays an important role in the border town of Berd and the surrounding villages of Armenia’s Tavush Region. As a thriving small business, “Sari Gat” produces a variety of high-quality cheeses and dairy products, distributing them throughout the region. More than just a business, “Sari Gat” is a force for good—purchasing milk from local farmers at fair or above-market prices, generating employment, and stimulating economic growth in the community.
