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: Mariam Dilakian
Tel: 212 – 994 – 8201
Fax: 212 – 994 – 8299
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
For immediate release
COAF Celebrates the Grand Opening of the Model Cluster Press Club
& Three Other Cluster Initiatives
Armavir District, Republic of Armenia, June 21, 2006 ¾ Today, the
Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) celebrated the grand opening of the
Cluster Press Club in the Model Cluster village of Lernagog. The
event also marked the launch of a number of inter-village projects
in the Model Cluster, including the Waste Management system and the
Inter-Village Transportation system.
Additionally, not far from Lernagog, COAF established today the Center
for Psycho-Social Services in Dalarik. The Center will serve all six
villages of the Model Cluster ¾ namely Argina, Dalarik, Karakert,
Lernagog, Myasnikyan, and Shenik.
Speaking at the event were Dr. Garo H. Armen, COAF Founder and
Chairman, Mr. Vache Terteryan, Deputy Minister of Territorial
Administration, Dr. Artsvik Minasyan, Deputy Minister of Labor and
Social Issues and Dr. Larisa Muradyan, Vice Governor of Armavir. In
their brief addresses at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the speakers
emphasized the utmost importance of strengthening inter-village
relationships, improving communication and ensuring cooperation among
cluster villages. The guests also hailed the initiatives launched
today by COAF.
The projects launched today by COAF in the Model Cluster communities of
Armavir District are integral to its Comprehensive Rural Development
Program, which comprises a) economic development; b) infrastructure
rehabilitation, and c) community development, including health care,
social and educational projects. In each of these program components,
COAF’s efforts focus on resolving the most critical problems that
have the potential for the highest positive impact on the young
generation. The uniqueness of COAF’s clustering approach lies in
the design and implementation of such projects, which ensure lower
costs while benefiting the highest number of villagers. As such, each
cluster project is intended to cover the needs of all six villages
of the Model Cluster and also develop inter-village relationships
and shared services.
The Cluster Press Club based in the Lernagog Municipality aims at
training 13 local youth in journalism for a period of seven months.
The participants will be trained in mass media principles and
legislation, the different genres of journalism, newspaper production,
freedom of speech and responsibility, and computer literacy.
The project will result in the establishment of a self-sustaining
small business that will publish the Cluster Monthly.
The Waste Management System is considered to be an innovative approach
to the collection and disposal of garbage. The systematic management
of waste will eliminate existing sanitary and hygienic issues in
the Model Cluster, thus further improving the lives of the 16,600
cluster residents. The children of these villages will live and play
in a garbage-free healthy environment. Hay Mshak, a Lernagog NGO,
recently established a limited company that aims to serve as the
revenue-generating arm of the NGO for ensuring the sustainability of
public operations, including the long-term maintenance and renovation
of public buildings.
The third Model Cluster project that COAF launched today is the
inter-village transportation system. The thirteen-seat van will
operate in the Model Cluster facilitating the movement of local
residents from one cluster village to another, whether to attend an
inter-village community event, utilize a service available elsewhere,
for personal business reasons, or for leisure. The transportation
timetable is set in a graphic that allows residents to connect with
other operating public transportation systems that connect to major
hubs, Armavir and Yerevan.
The Cluster Psycho-Social Services Center, launched today in Dalarik,
is dedicated to defending the rights of children to give them the
opportunity to live and grow in a safe and supportive environment.
Specifically, it aims at raising public awareness of child’s rights
in the community, with emphasis on training parents and educators
on the rights of socially-disadvantaged or disabled children. By
making psycho-social services available to the cluster communities,
COAF intends to secure the integration of disadvantaged and disabled
children and their families in the larger society. This project is
co-funded by UNICEF.
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Hay Mshak NGO is a Lernagog-based non-profit organization, which
aims at ensuring a healthy and safe environment for the youth and
at contributing toward the balanced development of children and
adolescents. Recent achievements of Hay Mshak NGO include organization
of various cultural events both in Lernagog and through the Armavir
District of Armenia.
–Boundary_(ID_PwFfMxb53wGcSAwGwV0ynA)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
