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.
Karine S. and her two young sons live in the border village of Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur. Last year, Karine’s husband was killed in a tragic auto accident. Prior to this accident, Karine and her husband had purchased a home of their own in the village with plans to renovate the space, work the properties orchard and build a future for their children.
Karine and her boys currently live in a rented home in the village. The home they purchased needs to be rebuilt completely and partially expanded. Once rebuilt, the home will have two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room and bathroom.
Karine and her boys would be grateful to receive the support needed to help them renovate their home and give them a fresh start for their future.
Improving conditions for people to live in communities along the border with Azerbaijan is important. Helping villagers with home improvements is vital to help create a vibrant border community. Karine, a widow, cannot afford to renovate the home she purchased with her husband prior to his death.
Short Term Impact
A local construction team will be hired to do the reconstruction and renovation work on Karine’s home. In addition, windows and other materials will be purchased locally, which help support the local economy.
Long Term Impact
In the long term, rebuilding Karine’s home will create a lasting bond for her boys within this border community. In addition, making significant improvements to her home will improve her and her children’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.
Vardan S. and his wife Anush have three children. The family of five live together in the village of Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur. The family purchased their home a few years ago and spent their savings on expanding the home to its current size of 1, 100 square feet.
The expanded portion of the home was never finished due to lack of funds. The home’s entire roof is in need of being replaced. The roof replacement and completion of the interior of the addition will dramatically improve the living conditions for this family.
Vardan works as a contract soldier with the Armenian Army. He is at his post two weeks of every month. Vardan and his family would be grateful if we could replace the leaking roof on his home along with completing the construction of their addition. This would help seal his home from the cold winter weather and rain and allow his children to live in a safer, more comfortable environment.
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.
Short Term Impact
In the short term, a local window company will be contracted with to manufacture the windows in the addition. Roofing materials will also be purchased locally, thus positively impacting the local economy. 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.
Samvel and his wife live with their married son, Ivan and his wife and children all live together in the village of Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur. Six people spanning three generations live together in the family’s home. The home is approximately 1,100 square foot and is mostly renovated. They need one additional room renovated so the children have a place to sleep and a bathroom constructed in the home.
Samvel works at the school as the guard and facilities person. Karine, his wife, works as one of the school’s cooks. Ivan, his son, works for the Ministry of Emergency Services. The work that Samvel is requesting will cost approximately $6,200 to renovate one bedroom and build the bathroom. This work would offer the children a safe and comfortable enviroment in which to sleep and would offer the family the benefits of indoor plumbing.
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.
Short Term Impact
In the short term, a local construction team will be hired to do the reconstruction and renovation work on the bedroom and bathroom. Materials will be purchased locally to help impact the local economy. The family will soon benefit from their new bedroom and bathroom.
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.
Lyova. and his mother, his two sons and one of his son’s family all live together in the village of Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur. Nine people spanning four generations live together in the family’s home. The home has been renovated and maintained over the years, however Lyova has asked for some interior doors to be replaced and one room to be fully remodeled including new windows. The home is two story with each floor containing about 2,000 sq feet of space. The family lives both upstairs and a portion of the downstairs as living space. Lyova is retired and had worked as a contract soldier. His sons, Gnel and Vrezh both work for the Emergency Services and as a guard for the Security services respectively. The work they are requesting will cost approximately $5,800. This work will improve the conditions within Lyova’s home for his large family.
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.
Short Term Impact
In the short term, a local window company will be contracted with to replace the remaining windows in the home. All materials will also be purchased locally, thus positively impacting the local economy. 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.
Vachik M. and his wife, their son and his family all live together in the village of Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur. Seven people spanning three generations live together in the family’s home. The home has a leaky roof and is need of having it replaced. In addition, the family’s home has old, broken windows that he would like replaced. The home is two story with each floor containing about 1300 sq feet of space. The family uses the upstairs mainly and some of the downstairs space for a summer kitchen and storage. Vachik works in the village of Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur turning on and off various pumps in the village to supply various parts of the village with water. Several year’s ago he was shot in the leg and walks with a strong limp. He was shot while working his field. His son, Karen, works as a guard at the Berd police station. Vachig and his family would be very happy if we could replace the leaking roof on his home along with all the windows (several windows are broken) and doors. This would help seal his home from the cold winter weather and rain and allow his grandchildren to live in a safer, more comfortable environment.
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.
Short Term Impact
In the short term, a local window company will be contracted with to replace the windows in the home. Roofing materials will also be purchased locally, thus positively impacting the local economy. 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.
The Kharpert Home for Special Children is an orphanage located in the village of Nor Kharpert serving more than 250 children with varying degrees of developmental disabilities. The orphanage is a state run facility that receives governmental support to provide these vulnerable children with their basic care and education.
Excursions for these children to amusement parks and/or other appropriate venues provide these children with both valuable community experience and needed recreation. Children with disabilities in Armenia are generally kept sheltered from society. These children do not attend school, but rather attend classes at the orphanage. It is important for both these children and society for these children to experience community life.
This August, the kids from he Kharpert Home have a special trip planned. They will be giving a concert, during which they will be singing and dancing in Gyumri. Although they are very excited for this special opportunity they are in need of funding to make this trip possible. They will need $2,500 to cover the costs of hotel rooms and transport to and from Gyumri. Please consider supporting this important project for the Kharpert Home.
Region
Ararat
City / Village
Nor Kharpert
Start Date
August 21, 2023
End Date
August 21, 2023
The Need
Approximately 1,200 children live in Armenia’s 15 orphanages. While these facilities provide basic care for these children, their limited funding does not permit these children regular visits and participate in various social and cultural activities. A child with a disability has very few opportunities to visit the city and experience life outside of the grounds of the Kharpert Home for Special Children.
Short Term Impact
The short-term impact of this project will help children from the Kharpert Home travel to Gyumri on an away trip and be able to perform their song and dance concert.
Long Term Impact
This project has considerable long-term benefits for both the children and for society. Society’s attitudes towards people with disabilities will slowly begin to change as witness these children regularly and realize that society can indeed accommodate them as part of their community. This project will also gift the children a special day they will cherish in their memories for a long time.
Sponsors Benefits
Your donation to the Kharpert Home for Special Children will be recognized at the Center and your name listed as a sponsor on The Paros Foundation website and in appropriate press related to this important project. The Paros Foundation stands ready to help you arrange a visit to the Kharpert Home for Special Children when you are in Armenia.
Residents from the Kharpert Home For Special Children were taken to Gyumri to participate in the folk music festival “Chachruk” for people with disabilities. They had a very successful trip and an amazing time performing and showing their talents.
The town of Nor Hachen is located in Armenia’s Kotayk Region. Approximately 8,400 people call this community home. Nor Hachen has a fully staffed polyclinic with three pediatricians and five family medicine doctors that serve the medical needs of the Nor Hachen community, schools, and outlying villages. The total service area of the Clinic is almost 13,000 people. Nor Hachen Polyclinic provides primary care, ambulance service and some specialty services. Many of the doctors at the center also work in Yerevan as Nor Hachen’s proximity to the city is about 30 minutes away. The medical center lacks some basic equipment that prevents it from successfully serving its patients.
Nor Hachen Polyclinic with Med Aid Armenia aims to achieve their mission of bringing western standards of medical care to the community. This will be done with evidence-based medicine, screening programs and preventive care practices. This will achieve improved health outcomes coupled with efficient use of resources to provide a sustainable model of care delivery.
The Nor Hachen Polyclinic operates on sparse resources, and mostly in the form of outdated and decrepit equipment carry-over from the Soviet-era. Care delivery at Nor Hachen is also mostly Soviet-era style, unlike some newer clinics in the capital, Yerevan. The clinic operates on a single payer system with the option of fee-for-service.
Specialty services available include cardiology, HNS, ophthalmology, neurology, gastroenterology, OB/GYN and minor surgical procedures. Some of these specialists are available several times a week. Limited laboratory and imaging services available hamper the clinic staff ability to provide quality and complete care, necessitating referral out for the services at cost to the patient for significantly more, and often preventing the patient from getting the care needed. The clinic is eager for basic resources and developing improved knowledge in delivering care.
Over the last 3 years, Med Aid Armenia has developed a working relationship with the staff at the Polyclinic. Spending more time at the clinic, we are able to see firsthand the struggles of care delivery and an inefficient system. The remainder of Armenia is also struggling with its health care, especially primary care, notably those areas outside of Yerevan.
What makes Nor Hachen unique is its location, the size of population it serves, and the open-minded eager staff committed to learn and improve. The clinic’s 30-minute drive distance from Yerevan gives relatively ease of access: Diasporan physicians and clinic resources would not need to travel far. The population is large enough to implement significant programs and study its effectiveness. This can be done without overwhelming resources typically required for national level programs.
Med Aid Armenia set out to create a program at the Nor Hachen Polyclinic with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes of the population with grounded and sustainable use of resources and improving the wellness of the clinic staff.
Currently, the Armenian Government is renovating the building and last year we were able to raise enough funds to purchase an x-ray machine for the polyclinic. However, the Nor Hachen Polyclinic is still in need of numerous pieces of medical equipment to give the best safe medical care.
Short Term Impact
In the short term, as funding is available, needed quality equipment will be purchased and delivered to the medical center. This will allow the polyclinic’s doctors to give quality care all in one place without having to send patients elsewhere for necessary medical services.
Long Term Impact
In the long term, 13,000 patients will receive better health care as the Nor Hachen Clinic receives better equipment and staff is trained upon this new equipment.
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 the Nor Hachen community can be arranged for sponsors visiting Armenia.
The Armenian Government has confirmed their intent on renovating the physical clinic. We hope to start renovations by the end of this year.
January 20, 2024
Today, Peter Abajian delivered four vital sign monitors and four otoscopes. Dr. Deramerian explained proper usage of the vital sign monitors to the clinic staff.
July 3, 2024
Med-Aid Armenia 2024 participants visited the Nor Hachen Clinic to teach a training to the staff and provide check-ups for locals. This also included a visit to Getamej, a town close to the Nor Hachen Clinic, providing check-ups. The goal is to deliver emergency care, but also ensure that these villages are receiving ongoing preventative care.
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.
Watch Video
Region
Yerevan / Երևան
City / Village
Nor Nork / Նոր Նորք
Start Date
September 2023
End Date
August 2024
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 2023-2024.
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 2023-2024 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.
Children from both the Kentron and the Nor Nork locations of the Ghoghanj Children’s Center attended the Armath Engineering Event in Yerevan.
June 20, 2023
Med-Aid 2023 visits the Ghoghanj Nor Nork Children’s Center to give free medical exams to the children.
December 27, 2023
The Ghoghanj Nor Nork Children’s Center celebrate Christas with performances, awards, and Christmas snacks.
January 19, 2024
Children of displaced Artsakh families are welcomed to Ghoghanj Nor Nork Children’s Center for the launch of the We are the guardians of Artsakh’s culture program. The program includes classes on folk dance, history, excursions, embroidery, and choir lessons.
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 nine 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. $82,000 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
https://youtu.be/idA8y2UEDp8
Region
Shirak / Շիրակ
City / Village
Gyumri / Գյումրի
Start Date
April 2023
End Date
March 2024
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 2023 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.
Samvel and his wife along with their four young children (3 boys and a girl) live together in the border village of Nerkin Karmir Aghbyur.
Samvel has done his best to make improvements on the family home including rebuilding their bathroom and repairing the roof. The home needs a complete cosmetic remodel including new doors and windows.
Samvel is a retired contract soldier from the Armenian army. Several years ago, Samvel and his family were beneficiaries of The Paros Foundation’s Agribusiness project and received several pigs. He continues to work with his pig farm on a regular basis. He also works as a beekeeper for The Paros Foundation’s honey production effort at the local school. Astrig, Samvel’s wife, was employed until recently as the director of the village’s kindergarten.
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 remains under constant risk of sniper fire and renewed armed conflict. NKA was the single most damaged Armenian village during the Azeri conflict in the 1990’s. The economy of the village and the livelihood of many of its residents have suffered due to these difficult and dangerous conditions. In particular, 70% of their fertile land is unusable because of frequent sniper attacks. 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 10 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.
Samvel’s home is in poor condition. Due to the lack of economic opportunities in this border community, Samvel and his family cannot afford to complete renovations to their home.
Short Term Impact
In the short term, a local construction crew will be employed to renovate this home and earn a fair market wage. Reconstruction materials will be purchased locally also to provide a benefit to the regional economy.
Long Term Impact
In the long term, as homes in these communities are improved, local villagers will take greater pride in their communities. More importantly, Samvel and his family will live in safer and more comfortable 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.
