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: [email protected]
Web:
Children of Armenia Fund – New York Office
630 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2100,
New York, NY 10111, USA
Contact: Anna Sargsyan
Tel: 212 – 994 – 8201
Fax: 212 – 994 – 8299
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
For immediate release
COAF Founder and Chairman Speaks at Armenia-Diaspora
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<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags " />Yerevan, Republic of
Armenia, September 18, 2006 ¾ Today, Dr. Garo Armen, founder and
chairman of the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) addressed the
delegates of the Armenia-Diaspora Conference. The plenary session
dealing with Rural Poverty Eradication Program was attended by over
1,000 delegates from around the world, including the United States,
Canada, South America, Europe, Eurasia, and the Middle East.
Dignitaries addressing this session of the conference included the
Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Agriculture, and the Minister of
Territorial Administration.
Dr. Armen led the delegates through a virtual journey through rural
Armenia, describing the conditions in most of the villages and
prescribing the exact formula for poverty eradication. Speaking from
his personal experiences, he described the crumbling and
heart-breaking conditions in which he had found Karakert a few years
ago. He also recalled the delegates’ experiences as they toured the
School of Lernagog [soon to be renovated as part of COAF’s Model
Cluster project] the day before. For Dr. Armen, the conditions in
which today’s children live, learn, and grow ¾ or the overall
wellbeing of the next generation of the Armenian leadership ¾ create
the most critical and unquestionable need that every Armenian must
focus on without delay. "The children of Armenia are our focal
point; they are the key drivers of our development program."
Then, he delineated the key elements of what makes COAF’s rural
development program comprehensive and all-encompassing. Aside from
the reconstruction of the infrastructure, including the renovation of
public buildings, schools, kindergartens, community centers, and
health clinics, Dr. Armen articulated the importance of
simultaneously realizing economic, social, educational, and health
programs. "Even the softest of our social programs have a tremendous
positive impact on these communities. COAF has witnessed how its
cluster monthly Shrjadarts or its inter-village transportation system
created a few months ago has made an uplifting impact on the
villagers," cited the speaker.
Dr. Armen also mentioned that what makes COAF’s program so strong in
accomplishments and sustainable results is its ability to mobilize
larger resources and engage other organizations in the implementation
of its program. Getting special recognition in his speech were the
organizations, with which COAF partnered for the implementation of
the first integrated rural development program: UNDP, USAID and the
World Bank, along with a dozen other partners. More importantly, Dr.
Armen stressed COAF’s partnership with the local municipality and
general population, highlighting the importance of community
participation, community ownership, and learning from the community.
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