PRESS RELEASE
Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) – Yerevan Office
53-55 Pavstos Byuzand Street, 375010
Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Inessa Grigoryan
Tel: (+374 10) 522076; 562068
Fax: (+374 10) 522076
E-mail: igrigoryan@coafkids.org
Web:
Children of Armenia Fund – New York Office
630 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2100,
New York, NY 10111, USA
Contact: Mariam Dilakian
Tel: 212 – 994 – 8201
Fax: 212 – 994 – 8299
E-mail: mdilakian@coafkids.org
Web:
Internet Connects Karakert to the World
The Karakert Schools Celebrate the Launching of the Internet
Karakert, Armavir District, Republic of Armenia, May 16, 2006 ¾ Today,
the Children of Armenia Fund’s (COAF) Model Village Karakert celebrated
the launch of internet connectivity in the school and the larger
community. The project, realized through partnership with Project
Harmony (PH), will benefit the students of both schools in Karakert
allowing the young generation and other members of the community to
expand their horizons and take advantage of the unlimited informational
and technological potential internet offers.
The School Connectivity Project implemented by PH is in its end phase of
connecting the last group of six schools in Armenia. In Karakert, PH
will provide up-to-date digital equipment necessary for the organization
of educational activities and will conduct training of teachers and
students in the multiple uses of computers and the internet. Within the
parameters of this partnership, COAF provided the furniture and
computers of the Internet Classroom in the newly renovated Karakert
School #2.
The official launch took place today in a ceremony attended by David
Simpson, PH Country Director. Addressing a happy crowd of students and
staff of both Karakert schools, Mr. Simpson emphasized the importance of
being connected through the internet, whether with the rest of Armavir,
with other schools in Armenia, or globally. Mrs. Tamara Baghdasaryan,
principal of the Karakert School #1, noted with pride, “We are happy
today to acknowledge the input of donors for the revitalization of our
village and the contributions made for making our community a better
place for these talented children. This Internet Classroom is yet
another example of the opportunities our children now have to learn and
become productive citizens.”
Both schools of Karakert are co-located in the renovated school building
and have an equal opportunity to be connected to the world. COAF and PH
believe that this joint initiative will open new doors in the lives of
the children of Karakert. COAF will also pursue bringing connectivity
to the other villages of the Model Cluster.
Children of Armenia Fund was founded in 2000 with the aim to reduce
poverty through the revitalization of rural Armenia and the realization
of projects that are instrumental for the revival of communities. With
the introduction of its novel approach to clustering in February 2006,
COAF is currently implementing the Model Cluster working in six villages
in the Baghramyan region of the Armavir District. The key components of
COAF’s Model Cluster project comprise Infrastructure and Economic
Development Programs, and Community Development including Health, Social
and Educational Programs. In 2006, besides its Model Village Karakert,
COAF is also working in Myasnikyan, Shenik, Dalarik, Lernagog and
Argina.
The Armenia School Connectivity Program (ASCP), a program of the US
Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, funded
through the Freedom Support Act and implemented by Project Harmony,
builds local, regional and national capacity to assume responsibility
for the long-term sustainability of the program. ASCP provides
resources, Internet access, and training for a network of schools across
all 11 regions of Armenia. The program allows students, educators and
community members opportunities to access and share information, to
engage in online collaborative projects, and to develop technical skills
marketable in a digital world.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress