Armenia Displacement Crisis 2023, Vardenis

Our Hero is Vardenis Area Project coordinator Zorik Karapetyan, who has been a World Vision hero for almost 20 years, who also had a crucial role during Armenia displacement crisis in 2023.

Armenia Displacement Crisis: Facts, FAQs and how World Vision is helping

"World Vision Armenia are prepared, have capacity in place and will mobilise resources and our staff to respond to the needs of forcibly displaced people as they arrive to Armenia," - Raffi Doudaklian.

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Armenia

World Vision Armenia

World Vision serves in more than 100 countries around the world to support the well-being of millions of children and their families.

World Vision started its operations in Armenia right after the devastating earthquake in 1988 by delivering humanitarian aid. Later, along with the humanitarian support, World Vision started implementing development projects.

In 2000, World Vision started helping the community in Gyumri with their 'Child Sponsorship' program for long-term development.

World Vision focuses its efforts on border communities of Armenia where tens of thousands of children directly benefit from the organisation’s development projects.

Currently, WVA has 8 Area Offices in 5 regions (Marzes) of Armenia: Tavush (Ijevan, Noyemberyan), Syunik (Kapan, Sisian), Gegharkunik (Tchambarak, Vardenis), Lori (Alaverdi) and Aragatsotn (Talin). Besides these five regions (Marzes), WVA carries out development and relief activities in other regions of the country through state and non-state partners.

For years our ministry priorities in Armenia have been:

Age-appropriate child development and health
Comprehensive child rights protection
Youth empowerment and employment
Economic empowerment of families and poverty reduction.

Our Impact

years in Armenia

650,000

Children supported

200

Community

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Child sponsorship

This programme is designed to reach out to Armenia’s children, experiencing hardship and in need of support from each one of us. Families are selected according to vulnerability criteria, and World Vision staff members regularly monitor and assess their progress.

World Vision’s ‘Child Sponsorship’ programme is an opportunity for each of us to invest in shaping an intelligent, educated and self-standing generation. You can also join World Vision’s ‘Child Sponsorship’ programme, become a sponsor for a child living in one of Armenia’s remote communities and improve his/her life.

To join the programme․․․

With a small monthly donation, you help the child and his/her family overcome extreme poverty. Thanks to your donation, the family receives economic support to have a steady source of income, and the child will receive school supplies, warm clothes, games, and other age-appropriate essentials.

By becoming a sponsor…

You will receive an info pack about the child (child’s social history, a photo from the child) within five working days. You will witness how your sponsorship changes the sponsored child’s life, by staying in touch with him/her. You will receive individual reports three times during the year. You may wish to send letters, and presents to the child and even meet him/her. To become a child sponsor, you will be kindly requested to donate 8,000 AMD per month, which will help to improve one child’s life.

To join the programme, please register on www.donate.am website or email at worldvision_armenia@wvi.org or call +37495005772.

Link: https://donate.am/en/become-a-sponsor

Our Areas of Focus

Displaced children in child friendly space

Early Childhood Development

A child's early years are important for their health, physical growth, and development of thinking and social skills.

Poor nutrition, neglect, and lack of education hinder children's growth. This affects both their physical and mental development. As a result, they are unable to reach their full potential in adulthood.

World Vision Armenia supports parents and service providers in enhancing the development of children under five. They aim to create a healthy environment that fosters their growth.

Child Protection

World Vision Armenia's goal is to assist vulnerable children by preventing and addressing exploitation, neglect, abuse, and other forms of violence. They aim to provide protection and support to children, families, communities, and partners.

Armenia has made recent efforts to consolidate laws on child protection. It has also established government bodies to monitor and protect children's rights.

The main problems in the country's child protection sector are child abuse, neglect, and violence.

The Child Protection program focuses on government decision-makers to improve the childcare system in Armenia. It aims to reduce the use of big institutions by creating community-based social services. The program uses a systems approach to protect children, making their environment and themselves safer.

Youth Empowerment

World Vision Armenia's Youth Empowerment program aims to provide a supportive space for young people. This space allows them to actively engage in and pursue their goals, dreams, and concerns. These goals, dreams, and concerns are related to development and well-being. The program thinks that young people with enough money and resources can make jobs and assist others in being productive.

In Armenia, society views young people aged 14-29 as a vulnerable group. They face poverty, lack of education, unemployment, inequality, and environmental problems. Many young people still lack access to information, equal opportunity to receive quality public services, sufficient skills and knowledge to pursue career goals and benefit from opportunities in the labour market.

National Response to the crisis in Nagorno Karabakh

Caring for Equality

People in Armenia prefer boys and value them more in society, resulting in around 1,400 girls not being born each year.

A report on sex-selective abortions in Armenia shows that since 1993, there have been more boys born than girls. The normal ratio is 102-106 boys to 100 girls, but in Armenia, it has increased to 110-120 boys to 100 girls. Armenians favour boys, causing 1 in 10 abortions due to a preference for males.

Economic Development

When economic fairness improves, parents make more money and have more assets. This, in turn, leads to better financial situations for families.

World Vision works to incorporate and strengthen economic development initiatives as part of its integrated programming approach. These initiatives help people have stable income, save and grow their assets, and have different ways to make a living. This makes households, communities, and the country stronger and more resilient.