PRESS RELEASE
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
October 10, 2008
Phone: 610-642-6633
info@birthrightarmenia.org

BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA VOLUNTEERS PARTNER WITH VIVACELL-MTS
Give-Back Project Provides Well Needed Makeover to School

Abovian, Armenia – Nothing unites people like a common cause – especially
when it serves the greater good of a community. On October 3, volunteers
from Birthright Armenia and Armenia’s leading mobile phone company,
VivaCell-MTS, teamed up to participate in a joint, community give-back
effort, painting classrooms that were in dire need of restoration at the Nor
Gyugh School in Abovian District. The project was a great success, owing to
the efforts of the volunteers, their sponsoring organization, and children
and staff of Nor Gyugh School, located just kilometers outside of Yerevan.

Sevan Kabakian, Country Director for Birthright Armenia, summed up the
objective of the community give back project by saying, "Today we were
witness to the winning spirit of cooperation, volunteerism, service, and of
partnership." He added, "This is a vibrant example of people from the
non-profit and business sectors coming together and serving a greater
cause."

Considering the preservation of national identity and culture as the mission
of every socially responsible company, VivaCell-MTS takes tangible steps to
integrate the youth of Armenia and of the Diaspora in joint projects,
helping foster effective communication. The company’s General Manager, Ralph
Yirikian, who was at Nor Gyugh School along side his staff, stated: "At
VivaCell-MTS, as a corporate citizen we are committed to our Corporate
Social Responsibility which is reflected in everything we do. Children are
the nation’s most valuable pillar; the better we equip and educate them, the
better our future will be. This sense of responsibility is not limited to
one organization; it’s a call to action for everyone and every Armenian
entity, be it in Armenia or in the Diaspora."

The group of 36 volunteers, in great spirits and covered head to toe in blue
and white paint, were divided up into groups to cover all seven classrooms
and were extremely focused on the task at hand. They paused only for lunch
and a friendly game of soccer with the school children, and otherwise spent
the rest of the day with brushes and rollers in hand. For the children of
Nor Gyugh, the painting meant a day off from classes, but many of them were
on site eager to help, and fascinated by the invigorated crew of painters
giving their school a brand new feel.

The day turned out to be an extremely rewarding experience for all parties
involved. "Selfless acts are usually the ones that end up bringing the most
joy," said Danielle Paroyan, a Birthright Armenia participant from Toronto.
"This is exactly what this experience has reinforced for me. In reality, we
did very little. We simply devoted a few hours out of our day to help paint
a school, but it was not long before we all realized that both what we gave
and what we received in return was so much more. The children watched us
paint with a sense of awe. It was clear by the smiles on their faces that
they appreciated the fact that we were there for them, for their school. I
think we provided them with a feeling of hope. On a personal level, their
smiles gave me a great sense of fulfillment."

This joint community give back effort illustrates the potential there is to
affect positive change when local and Diaspora Armenians come together.
There are countless other schools in Armenia like Nor Gyugh, in countless
other towns, where countless other children would benefit not only from the
repairs, but from their interactions with volunteers. All it takes is a
handful of people and an organized effort to prove that small acts of
kindness go a long way.

Birthright Armenia’s mission is to strengthen ties between the homeland and
diasporan youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of Armenia’s
daily life and to contribute to Armenia’s development through work, study
and volunteer experiences, while developing a renewed sense of Armenian
identity. For more information, or to make an online donation, please visit
our web site at