PRESS RELEASE
Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) – Yerevan Office
53-55 Pavstos Buzand Street, 0010
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
162 Fifth Avenue, Suite 900,
New York, NY 10010, USA
Contact: Samantha Wagar
Tel: 212 – 994 – 8234
Fax: 212 – 994 – 8299
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
The New Community Center of Karakert
How did community life change with the opening of the Community Center?
March 5, 2008, Karakert, Armavir District ¾ On January 7, 2008 the
Community Center of Karakert opened its doors to the local residents as
well as to the neighboring communities of the Model Cluster. The
complete renovation of the building was made possible through COAF’s
partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and
United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Upon
completion of the renovation, COAF fully equipped and refurnished the
Center, while working with the local municipality in developing the
program and services needed by the community and necessary for a
sustainable operation. This remote village of Karakert, once famous for
its national champions in martial arts, now has the opportunity to
regain its renown in sports and cultural activities.
Perj Khachatryan, the current director of the Community Center, states
that "Until recently, the desire to have a place for events and social
gatherings was but a dream. Today, we are all thrilled to have this
building where we can get together for games, events or simply to
socialize. Our children are so happy to come here for dance lessons or
to train in martial arts. They are lucky to have this opportunity. I
must confess that we are fortunate that our village was first in COAF’s
rural development project. We have put our lives back together in such
a short time and can now enjoy an active community life."
Indeed, the village center is testimony to the active life in Karakert.
The renovated Community Center stands in the heart of the village
center, connected to the village Health Clinic via a completely new
public park built by COAF in partnership with a local entrepreneur and
with the generous donation by Shen-Concern CJSC. The Public Park and
Café cover an area of 1,665 sq. m., landscaped to include a pond,
benches and tables, and rustic lighting that accentuates the rural
setting. The Community Center covers a usable area of 1,600 sq. m.
allotted to the community library, Internet/computer room, gymnasium,
performance hall/movie theater with a capacity of 320, an exhibition
hall, and two games rooms. The Center also serves as home for the local
NGO, Women Supporting Community, where the members come together for
meetings or other non-profit ventures.
In the words of Dr. Aida Muradyan, President of the local NGO, Women
Supporting Community, "Our organization finally has a home, where we can
come together and implement our plan of activities for 2008. Our
members are very enthusiastic with this room, which the management of
the Community Center has allocated to us. We plan to cover part of the
expenses through the proceeds of our fundraising activities."
A visitor to the Center will immediately notice the posted community
announcements about classes in Internet search, computer software, and
English language. Other announcements include titles of movies to be
shown in the theater, practice hours of the dance group and schedule of
classes in martial arts.
Romik Manukyan, a fifteen-year-old avid player of draughts and chess at
the Community Center expressed his enthusiasm. "Hours spent here fly by
so quickly that we often forget that we have to go home." Another young
man, Armen Nersisyan, enjoys playing table tennis and says "It’s such an
exciting experience to be playing games here, in our own village,
without being driven to get to the city to find a place where we can
play. Now, we are eager to come to the Community Center in the
afternoon as soon as we are done with school and our daily routine. And
more … we are thrilled that we can also organize contests among
competing pairs and celebrate the best players amongst us."
Arthur Adamyan, 18 years of age, will soon be called for military
service, but he is looking forward to his return in two years. He says
"Most of all, I will miss the time spent in this Community Center with
my friends. This center is the perfect place for socializing, which we
all did not have for such a long time."
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