PRESS RELEASE
Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) – Yerevan Office
53-55 Pavstos Buzand Street, 0010
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
162 Fifth Avenue, Suite 900,
New York, NY 10010, USA
Contact: Anna Sargsyan
Tel: 212 – 994 – 8234
Fax: 212 – 994 – 8299
E-mail: asargsyan@coafkids.org
Web:

COAF Expands its Youth Program

Two New Youth Clubs are Formed in Armavir District

Community of Shenik, Armavir District, Armenia, June 4, 2007 ¾ Today,
the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF), in partnership with the Center for
Agribusiness and Rural Development (CARD), formed two new youth clubs in
the villages of Shenik and Karakert. These two clubs join the clubs of
Lernagog and Argina, which were part of the pilot project launched a
year ago. The huge success of the pilot project and resulting
achievements of the club members led the COAF-CARD partnership to expand
this joint project to two more of the Model Cluster villages. Just as
in the forerunner pilot projects, these clubs will be dedicated to
instilling in adolescent girls and boys a sense of responsibility and
caretaking of their sheep.

At today’s event, the twenty 12-13 year-old adolescent boys and girls
gathered in their respective school yards and cheered the sponsors as
they arrived with the sheep. In turn, the Shenik Mayor, Mr. Koryun
Minasyan, welcomed the guests and hailed the project as an important
initiative for the individual development of the youth. COAF and CARD
representatives also addressed the participating adolescents and their
parents. Subsequently, the selected girls and boys received two sheep
each together with a care package taking their first steps toward
becoming full-fledged farmers in the future.

The project aims at teaching youngsters how to take responsibility for
taking care of the sheep ¾ caring, feeding, and preventing diseases.
The broader objective is to develop livestock farming in the region.
Adolescents from disadvantaged, needy, or single parent families are
selected to join the club provided they satisfy a set of pre-established
criteria, including their personal level of interest in livestock
farming and the existence of a suitable sheep shed adjacent to the
family home. Under the close watch and direction of an expert
veterinarian, the youngsters will gain knowledge of animal science and
take daily notes on their sheep. Khatutik NGO will be responsible for
organizing the trainings and for providing educational materials and
hygienic supplies to the club members.

This project is expected to contribute to the economic development of
the Model Cluster villages. Last year’s outcomes have demonstrated full
compliance with established standards in animal care and, in most cases,
club members have exceeded the target performance results.

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 Baghramyan Region of 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. Since early 2006, besides its Model Village
Karakert, COAF is also working in Myasnikyan, Shenik, Dalarik, Lernagog
and Argina.

The Armenian Rural Youth Development Program, initiated by the Center
for Agribusiness and Rural Development, is a voluntary non formal
educational program that supplements formal school education. It is
modeled after the US 4-H Program. The program is helping young people
gain skills needed to become responsible, self-directing, productive and
contributing members of society. The Extension Youth Development Program
provides real experiences and an opportunity for youth to gain life
skills, project development and implementation skills, basic
agricultural knowledge in order to be engaged in community development
activities.