Volunteer Group from UWC Dilijan Building a Home with Fuller Center for Housing Armenia

With United Forces towards the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia
10th Anniversary

Volunteer Group from UWC Dilijan Building a Home with Fuller
Center for Housing Armenia

Yerevan, Armenia: This May a multinational volunteer group from UWC Dilijan again joined the
Fuller Center for Housing Armenia bringing dedication and readiness to give a
helping hand to a needy family. Since the college opening in 2014 the students
participate in the Fuller Center volunteer programme twice a year. 

This spring students from Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Germany, Lebanon, Portugal, Serbia
and South Africa were hosted in
Jrvezh community of Kotayk region, in the house of Chobanyan family who lived
in a basement for many years. The construction work done by the volunteers during these
three days was a huge support for the family.

Abraham,
the father of the family, couldn’t find words to describe his happiness and gratitude.

“For
many years I have dreamed of having a home, but I could have never imagined that
I would have so many helping hands. For my family this is a miracle, and for me
it is still an unreal seeming dream,” said Abraham.

The Fuller Center for Housing Armenia helps to build homes with the mission of
keeping Armenian families in their homeland and giving them a dignified life,
and the cooperation with UWC Dilijan College is an integral part of that
mission.

“Community
service is part of UWC Dilijan experiential learning programme, through which
the students develop skills necessary for impactful humanitarian work. Participation
in the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia is a very important project for our international
students’ body. It helps students to get deeper involved into the Armenian
community and to give back to the country which becomes their second home,'' said UWC Dilijan Biology Teacher
Mikayel Minasyants, who was supervising the UWC Dilijan students’ group.

“The students, who have come to Armenia from
different parts of the world to study, prove that humanism, love and respect are universal by giving a helping
hand to the Armenian families in housing need. The difference between other
nations, languages and religions makes the construction process even more
enjoyable. The will is one to help those who are in need today. This is the idiological
basis that unites the volunteers from UWC Dilijan College and Fuller team to
have their contribution in helping Armenian families to prosper,’’ said the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia
President Ashot Yeghiazaryan.

The Chobanyan family is one of
the 10 families of 10 villages in Armenia being assisted through the generous
$100,000 grant awarded to Fuller Center for Housing Armenia by the Hirair and
Anna Hovnanian Foundation.

This year, the Fuller Center for Housing
Armenia marks the decade of serving Armenian families, providing them with
simple, comfortable and affordable homes. During these years more than 630
families have been supported and enjoyed the joy of having a home.

***

Fuller
Center for Housing Armenia is a
non-governmental, charitable organization that supports community development
in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh by assisting in building and renovating
simple, decent and affordable homes, as well as advocating the right to a
decent shelter as a matter of conscience and action. FCHA provides long-term,
interest-free loans to low-income families. The monthly repayments flow into a
Revolving Fund, which is used to help more families, thereby providing a
financial foundation for sustainable community development. Since 2008 the
Fuller Center for Housing Armenia has assisted over 630 families.

For more information, please visit
or email us at [email protected]

###

About UWC
Dilijan

UWC Dilijan is the first international
boarding school of the UWC education model in the post-Soviet
space. The college opened in 2014 in the Armenian town of Dilijan and currently
has 210 students enrolled from more
than 80 countries and 44 academic staff members from 16 countries.

UWC Dilijan represents an
exciting extension of the UWC movement into the Caucasus region at the junction
of Asia and Europe. Established in 1962, the UWC educational movement now
comprises 17 international schools and colleges, national committees in more
than 155 countries, and a series of short educational programmes.

UWC Dilijan was initiated
and masterminded by impact investors and entrepreneurs Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend with the support of
other Founding Patrons. The college was built with generous donations from over
330 benefactors. Its admissions policy aims to make enrolment available to
anyone, regardless of socio-economic background, on the basis of demonstrated
need. 96% of students receive full or partial scholarships, and 82% is an
average scholarship.

The UWC Dilijan academic
programme – The International Baccalaureate (IB)
Diploma Programme (DP) – is an assessed programme for students aged 16 to 19.

UWC Dilijan has two
generations of alumni from 2016 and 2017; many of them have continued their
education at leading universities worldwide – Princeton, Yale, Columbia, UCL,
Duke, Berkeley, McGill, University of Edinburgh, Minerva School at KGI, and
many more.

About UWC

The United World
Colleges movement, UWC, was founded in 1962 and today
unites 17 international schools and colleges on 4 continents, national
committees in more than 155 countries, and a number of short-term educational
programs. UWC’s core values are international and intercultural understanding,
celebration of difference, personal responsibility and integrity, mutual
responsibility and respect, compassion and service, respect for the
environment, a sense of idealism, personal challenge, action and personal
example.