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
Multi-Pronged Health Care Program
Villages of the Armavir District Benefit from
Training in Reproductive Health & Dental and Eye Care Program
Armavir District, Republic of Armenia, July 24, 2006 –¾ The
Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) continues to upgrade and expand the
healthcare component of its Integrated Rural Development Program in
Armavir. During eight weeks in June and July 2006, the communities of
Argina, Dalarik, Karakert, Lernagog, Myasnikyan, and Shenik were the
beneficiaries of the scheduled screening stops by the dental and eye
care mobile clinics. Also in this period, COAF conducted training
in all six communities in reproductive health and rights. These
three projects were implemented through partnered agreements with
the Armenian Dental Society of California (ADSC), Armenian Eye Care
Project (AECP), and Counterpart International (CI), respectively.
The first of these recently completed initiatives is the dental
care project that benefited 233 schoolchildren. In a series of
scheduled stops on the school grounds of each of the Model Cluster
communities, these children were diagnosed and treated in the mobile
dental clinic. The two dentists and nurse on board of the ADSC mobile
clinic are highly qualified and experienced in providing the needed
screening and treatment in a confined environment. Similarly, the
AECP Bringing Sight to Armenian Eyes initiative brought the Mobile
Eye Hospital to the Model Cluster villages to identify eye problems,
screen patients and provide follow-on treatment, as needed. In this
year’s program, 433 adults and 1,143 children were examined. Of those
examined, 192 adults and 87 children were diagnosed with problems and
treated and 31 adults and 55 children were referred to specialized
hospitals for follow-on treatment. Additionally, 46 adults from
socially disadvantaged families received free subscription glasses.
The third project is an integral part of COAF’s Community Health
Education (CHE) program. Raising Awareness of Women in Reproductive
Health and Rights was realized with funding from CI. The goal
of the project was to improve the quality of life of women in
the Model Cluster communities. Specifically, the project aimed
at identifying reproductive health risks and violation of women’s
rights and raising their awareness on reproductive rights, behavioral
risks and prevention of gender-based violence. During the project
implementation period, COAF conducted focus group discussions and
surveys, developed educational materials for training 30 trainers,
who subsequently held training sessions for larger groups throughout
the Model Cluster. In addition, information pamphlets were published
and distributed widely. The project benefited around 1,400 women from
COAF’s six communities.
Through these partnered initiatives COAF continues to fulfill its
commitment to Save a Generation to Preserve a Nation.
The Armenian Eye Care Project is a non-profit organization dedicated
to providing ophthalmologic care to the Armenian people through five
primary programs. These include 1) direct patient care; 2) medical
training and education, including training in Armenia and U.S.
ophthalmology fellowships; 3) public education and awareness; 4)
research; 5) strengthening the Armenian eye care delivery system
through capacity building. The organization is governed by a volunteer
board of directors.
The Armenian Dental Society of California (ADSC) was founded in 1993
and since its inception has undertaken various projects both in the US
and Armenia. One of ADSC’s major undertakings for the past few years
has been its Sponsor a Smile Project. With the aim to address the
lack of access to dental care in Armenia and through the acquisition
and conversion of a bus to a mobile dental clinic, ADSC has been able
to reach out to distant communities in Armenia providing dental care
to thousands of schoolchildren.
Founded in 1965, Counterpart International (CI) is a non-profit
organization dedicated to building a just world through service and
partnership. CI’s program areas include agriculture, civil society,
public policy and advocacy, social, rural and urban development. The
representation of CI in Armenia focuses primarily on the protection
of human rights and humanitarian assistance. It has also an important
grants program to support the activities of local non-governmental
organizations.
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