QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

Winter 2016, Issue 22

Never Give up on Your Dreams

Success Story of Naira Sargsyan, Syunik NGO Yeghegnadzor

Community Center Coordinator

When I was a student, I always searched for

opportunities to go abroad and learn in different
places as I believed deeply that by studying within the
Western system I would become more qualified both to
initiate and to administer the developmental reforms
my country needs in order to prosper in the future.
Unfortunately during my school years, Armenia didnt
have many programs for living or working abroad, and
thus having the chance to study abroad became my
overall life dream. Over the last five years, I almost
lost my hope for this dream to become a reality as
the scholarships and opportunities to go and study
abroad nowadays often have age-limits of up to 35
years old. As I am already 40 years old, I thought that
there would be no chance for me anymore. But, to my
great happiness, I came across the advertisement of
the ifas CrossCultural Internship Program. I filled in
the application form and prayed for its success. I did
succeed, getting to take advantage of ifas wonderful
opportunity to live in Germany for two unbelievably
miraculous months and experience daily life there.
My Internship took place in Berlin, in one of
the biggest organizations of Germany Bread
for the World (BftW). BftW is a globally active
development and relief agency supported by the
Protestant Churches in Germany and works in more
than 90 countries all across the globe, empowering

the poor and marginalized to improve their living

conditions. Being hosted in such a huge organization,
with many departments and so many different
humanitarian work projects, I felt at first unconfident
in my professional skills. However, thanks to the care
and thoughtfulness of my colleagues, every day my
confidence grew under support and appreciation.
During my two month Internship in BftW I learned,
improved, and developed many new sets of skills. My
supervisor at BftW, Claudia Hinderer, gave me timely,
valuable instructions and put me in contact with all the
various desks of the organization so that they could
involve me in as many activities as possible. I had
an opportunity to be in different desks, learn about
their programs, exchange information and contacts,
and discuss our future possible cooperation together.
At all these meetings, a lot of valuable information and
advice was shared that I know will be useful for my home
organization. I worked on many tasks from different
departmental desks, and I was always surprised
to meet so many highly skilled professionals who
wanted to share their experience and knowledge with
me. I grew not only professionally but also personally,
learning dedication, punctuality, transparency, and
openness from my colleagues. During my Internship
in BftW, I was not only learning from my colleagues,
but also was able to make many friends among them.
All these meetings and conditions have been a
source of inspiration for me to work hard in order to
improve my own professional skills, particularly how
to work on projects, how to search data efficiently,
how to create strong networks with people and
organizations, and how to learn as much as possible
in order to bring new knowledge back to Armenia,
especially to my home organization. Also, by working
through the internship independently in a new
country, I learned how to be more self-confident in the
creation of professional and personal relationships.

Opportunity Fair in Vayots Dzor Region

One of the primary issues of youth living in Armenias
regions is the lack of access to important information,
especially those that relate to educational
opportunities, internships, scholarships, employment
opportunities, and study abroad or exchange
programs. Although the Internet has provided
one way in which to find these opportunities,
access to Internet is not always possible and it
remains challenging to find concise, organized,
and clear information online. In order to fill this
gap, it can be useful for local non-governmental

and educational organizations to help organize

exhibitions, discussions, meetings and other events
for community youth to share these opportunities.
On December 10, 2015, a project entitled
Opportunity Fair in Vayots Dzor Region was held in
Gitelik University of Yeghegnadzor. The Opportunity
Fair was organized by Peace Corps Volunteer Brian
Saliba (who teaches at the Yeghegnadzor Branch of
the Yerevan State Economic University) with the
help of Syunik NGO. The event was successful in
helping provide information to Vayots Dzor youth
in an accessible and friendly atmosphere about the
many opportunities that are available for them.
Among the organizations that presented at the fair
were American Councils, British Council, Peace Corps,
the US Embassy in Armenia, United World College,
Teach for Armenia, American University of Armenia
(AUA Extension), and the Yeghegnadzor Branch of
State Economic University. The event was attended
by over 80 participants from Yeghegnadzor, Vayk, and
other nearby towns and rural communities. By helping
to support this and similar events, Syunik works
hard to widen the horizons of local youth looking
to enrich their academic and work experiences.

Training on Facilitation
Facilitation includes any activity that makes
tasks for others easy, or tasks that are assisted.
Facilitation is the art of guiding meetings and
workshops to be both purposeful and time-efficient.
The effectiveness of teamwork, group discussions,
trainings, meetings and seminars is largely
dependent on having effective communication skills
with other people. These skills include learning
how to make joint decisions through compromise,
navigating sensitive or tough topics, and coordinating
a wide-range of different personalities and goals.
From the 18th-22nd of January, Syunik-Development
NGO organized a weeklong training in Aghveran for
future facilitators and leaders who were given the
opportunity to develop effective communication
skills and gain experience in problem-solving in
the role of a facilitator. Leaders of the Youth for
Peace project and staff of partner organizations
SHEN and ART participated together in the training.
The training was organized and financially
supported by the Swiss HEKS Organization

and was conducted by international facilitation

expert Ernst Bolliger from the ARGIDEA Facilitation
Center and Naira Harutyunyan, Syunik NGOs
Community
Development
Project
Manager.
Over the past month, Syunik NGO staff completed
an Armenian translation of Ernst Bolligers popular
book, Facilitation as a guide for the training
and a resource for the Armenian community.
Copies can be made available upon request
in the office of Syunik NGO in Yeghegnadzor.

Engagement of Young People in Peace

Building Existing Situations and Challenges
On December 19th, 2015, a closing and summary
conference was held by the Charity Foundation
Lazarus of the Patriarchate of Georgia and the
Regional Network for Peace and Reintegration as
part of the overarching Youth for Peace in the South
Caucasus project that aims at building a sustainable
peace in the South Caucasus region. The conference
was entitled Engagement of Young People in Peace
Building Existing Situations and Challenges. The goal
of the conference was to discuss the existing situation

related to peace in the South Caucasus region and

the ways in which to increase the engagement of
young people, the media, and other interested sides
in peace building processes. Over 25 representatives
from
governmental
and
non-governmental
organizations took part in the event, discussing the
existing conflict situation in South Caucasus, the
actions needed for conflict transformation, potential
tools of influence, means of peaceful resolution, and
practical approaches for the peace-building process.

Health Seminar for Local Nurses and Women

The promotion and strengthening of healthy lifestyle
choices and general conversations about health is
an important goal for the entire world and Syunik
NGOs Social Development Programme (SDP) works
to promote awareness of this important topic
through its social development programmes health
component. Financially supported by Bread for the
World (bftW), Syuniks health component has existed
for seven years and done lots of seminars in the region.
In the rural Vayots Dzor region, preconception care
is one of the most important topics for women
due to lack of access to health care facilities and

basic health education. During this past February,

Syunik NGOs SDP team organized a health seminar
in Yeghegnadzor both for local nurses as well as all
interested women living in remote areas. During
the seminar participants had the opportunity to
ask questions about their concerns and get answers
on topics they cared about. This particular health
component is an important part of Syunik NGOs
SDP as it empowers womens particiation in social
and economic development at a local level through
raising awareness about one important area of health
that has great impact on a womans day-to-day life.

German Embassy Supports a Local

Kindergarten in Yeghegnadzor

Syunik NGO benefits from a long and healthy

relationship with the German Embassy. Over the past
few years, the strong cooperationship has included
mutual visits, cultural events, and productive joint
development of projects. Recently Syunik NGOs
project to improve a local Yeghegnadzor Kindergarten
(called a Clever Baby Center) was approved within the
small funded project initiative of the German Embassy.
Funding from the Embassy helped to provide a
well-equipped and accessible outdoor playground
for the Yeghegnadzors Clever Baby Center as
well as necessary educational materials that will
improve the childrens ability to learn and develop
their skills in a lively and healthy environment.
Before approving Syuniks project for funding,
representatives from the German Embassy visited
the center and became acquainted with the
conditions before beginning corresponding activities.

On January 28, Syunik NGO staff and the Clever

Baby Center children hosted Annemarie Kulman,
the
Cultural and Press Affairs and Development
Coordinator from the Embassy of the Feberal Republic
of Germany in Armenia. Archbishop Abraham
Mkrtchyan, Vardan Avagyan, the Deputy Mayor of
Yeghegnadzor, and Annemarie Kulman had their
welcoming speeches during the event. Students of
the Clever Baby Center performed songs and dances
for the guests. More than 65 children who attend the
center are already making use of the opportunities
provided by the program as the weather warms and
outside play becomes a part of their everyday routine.
Syunik NGO and the Clever Baby Center staff express
their deep gratitude to the German Embassy whose
continued support has already helped to change the
lives of many children living in the Vayots Dzor Region.

New Year Celebration in Chiva Community Center

The Clever Baby Center operating within the Chiva

Community Center was established based on
proposals from community members. The center
provides children with a basic education for entering
school at the same time it promotes employment
for young mothers. On the 20th of December, Anna
Demirtchyan, the Community Center Coordinator,
together with students from the Chiva Community
Center organized a New Year celebration for
parents, children, and other members of the

community. During the event children performed

songs, dances, and poems and also presented an
Armenian tale. These performances brought joy
and a festive mood into the hearts of local parents
and children. An exhibition for handicrafts was also
part of the New Year event. At the end of the event,
children received gifts not only from Santa Claus
but also from the Syunik NGO Social Development
Program Manager as part of the holiday festivities.

Beekeeping Club Project in Shatin and Hermon Communities

Syunik NGOs new initiative on beekeeping was

recently brought to life in the Shatin and Hermon
communities of Vayots Dzor region. The Beekeeper
Club was launched under Syuniks Social Development
Programme with the goal of providing information on
beekeeping to people interested in both the traditional
and new technologies and practices of beekeeping.
The first club meeting was held on February 18, 2016
and during this time participants were introduced
to the general characteristics of beekeeping, honey
export opportunities, access to markets, as well

as to new hive technologies and their advantages.

Ten beekeepers from Shatin and Hermon
communities participated in the meeting. Club
meetings will take place over the next few months
and at the end of the course the best participants
will be given one beehive as an acknowledgment
of their hard work. Taken together, the Beekeeping
Club initiative will help participants to increase their
level of entrepreneurial activity while gaining specific
skills and knowledge related to beekeeping work.

Needs Assessment In Yeghegnadzor

The United Nations Childrens Fund in Armenia,

with the help of Youth Policy Labs organization
experts, organized a series of meetings with different
focus groups for a needs assesment of girls living in
Yeghegnadzor. On January 20th, 2016, a meeting was
held in Yeghegnadzors Gitelik University with the
help of local partner Syunik NGO. Syunik NGO was

asked to support the organization of the meeting and

set up a focus group to be studied. With the help of
Syunik NGO, Arsen Simonyan, the study facilitator,
met with local young girls between the ages of
13 to 18 to better understand the strengths and
weaknesses of Armenian young people as well as what
resources they have and what resources they lack.

Syuniks visit to the Women for Development NGO

On February 4th, 2016, the Syunik NGO Social Women for Development NGO located in Gyumri,
Development Program Team paid a visit to the Armenia. Both Syunik and Women for Development
are financially supported by the German organization
Bread for the World, which provides funding to help
create community centers in both urban and rural
areas of the Vayots Dzor and Shirak regions. The aim
of the visit was therefore to learn about the projects
implemented by the partner organizations sharing
a similar scope of work and to share experiences
and information between the two Armenian NGOs.
During the visit, Syunik and Women for Development
discussed not only all their current project initiatives
but also possible collaborations for the future.

Children Living in Sers and Bardzruni Border Villages Receive

Financial Support from the Canadian Diocese of Armenia
By the initiative of Canadian Diocese of Armenia a
fundraising has been organized in Vancouver and other
cities for children in border communities of Armenia.
The collected amount was donated to 100 children
living in Sers and Bardzruni communities of Vayots Dzor
region. The donation, especially the attention from
Armenian Diaspora of Canada was very important
for the residents of the remote communities. An
event by Vayots Dzor Diocese in collaboration with
Syunik NGO was organized to deliver the donations.
The event was attended by many high ranked guests
including Abraham Archbishop Mkrtchyan, Head of
Vayots Dzor Diocese, Mels Harutyunyan, Vayots Dzor

Deputy Governor, Nerses Prist Arshakyan, Pastor

of Vayk city, as well as Syunik NGO staff members.
Many thanks to Armenian Diaspora of Canada,
who did everything possible in order to develop the
living conditions of the people living in bordering
communities of Vayots Dzor region", said one of the
parents from Bardzruni community. During the event
children from the bordering communities made
greeting cards for their peers living in Canada. "This
and the same kind of initiatives will make friendship
and a very strong relationship between children living
in Canada and us", noted a child from Sers community.

Since 2000, the German organization Bread for the

World (BftW) has supported Syunik NGO in developing
the social sector of the Vayots Dzor region in order to
bring positive community change. Unemployment
remains a critical issue in cities and villages and finding
effective ways to promote job opportunities has
been a large goal of the combined work of BftW and
Syunik. Due to high demand in the region, a sewing
workshop was launched in Yeghegnadzor as a small

funded project of the Social Development Program

implemented by Syunik NGO with the financial support
of Bread for the World. This initiative will provide an
opportunity for at least seven women to work in a
sewing workshop, helping them to earn money and
support their families financially. At the same time,
it will also help to empower womens participation
in social and economic development at a local level.

Sewing Workshop

Office of International & Public Affairs

Syunik Development NGO
Momiki St.5, 3601 Yeghegnadzor
Vayots Dzor Province, Armenia

Tel/Fax:+374(281) 20409
Email: gevorg.syunikngo@gmail.com
www.syunikngo.weebly.com

Syunik NGO PR Manager: Gevorg Matevosyan

Editor-in-Chief: Nara Martirosyan, Sam Houston State University