Her journey with COAF began at the age of 10 when she attended COAF’s summer camp at the SMART Center in Lori for the first time. Today, at 18 years old, Mariam Kharatyan is participating in her eighth SMART afterschool program while working as an intern at the COAF SMART Center and hosting her own podcast, aptly titled SMARTcast.
There aren’t enough drawers in his bedroom closet to fit all the wires, circuits and machine elements he’s collected. The only table in the room serves as a repair station where he gives a second life to what at first looks like useless junk.
Fourteen-year-old Sirak Gabrielyan from Dzoragyuh village (Lori region) has been fascinated with electronics since childhood.
You probably already guessed that his favorite after-school program at the SMART Center is mechanics, but that didn’t stop him from successfully completing nine other courses with great interest.
You will be astounded by the hundreds of games and toys you see when you first find yourself at the SMART Center’s Child Development Corner. The important thing is that you can play with all of them! Every week 140 children aged 3-6 from 10 villages of Lori province learn and discover the world through these games. They “climb mountains”, “build roads”, overcome their own fears and difficulties, help each other and have lots of fun in the process.
She has brightly colored hair, and equally bright and tasteful clothes. Her character is completed by unusual earrings and a bright smile. Meet the SMART Center’s drawing instructor Christina Avagyan, the walking color palette.
Christina arrived at Lori’s SMART on a “direct flight” from Armavir. Prior to that, she taught art for COAF’s educational program in the villages of Armavir.
The sister is obsessed with Asian languages and likes to take photos of clouds, and the brother likes to cook and play virtual football (as a musician he can’t play real football because he needs to take care of his hands). Two things unite them: SMART and music.
Fifteen-year-old Lilia is a pianist, and twelve-year-old Zhora is a cellist.
She adores animals. She has managed to participate in seven programs at the SMART Center and at the age of 13 she has already decided that she will become an actress.
“Besides being an actor, I really want to give performing arts lessons to children where there is a need for it,” says Araksya Apresyan from Odzun, who manages her own small business alongside the theater group.
The sun has been particularly generous this year. Its warmth is still palpable in the village, through the aroma of seasonal fruits, smoke from the fireplace, burning leaves, ash-roasted potatoes, and the flavors of sweet cherry compote.
It’s autumn in Yeghegnut, the best time to distill the last fruit vodka or eat khash (Armenian dish) with relatives in the morning.
Women at the core of hospitality industry development in Lori 30 November 2022 By Nane Vardanyan Photos by: Knar Babayan 3 min read Lori is known for being one of the most hospitable regions in Armenia. But how developed is the field of hospitality in the province, and what are the prospects of its further…
“Stand clear of the closing doors, please. This choo-choo train is headed for the Child Development Corner.” A line-up of little learners moves from the waiting room of the Child and Family Center in Hatsik Village to the Child Development Corner.
Seventy five kids, aged 3-6, attend the Center from the Hatsik, Myasnikyan and Khanjyan communities of Armavir province. The Center’s coordinator, Ms. Haykuhi Piloyan, tells us that the Child Development Corner is to expand with the addition of 50 more children from the communities of Noravan and Lukashin.
Sixteen-year-old Garik Ghazaryan from Debet Village is one of the SMART Center’s veterans. So far he’s managed to participate in seven programs. Prior to attending SMART, Garik was engaged in all sorts of activities, like karate, wrestling, dhol (Armenian drum), and Armenian folk dancing. Participating in the AgriTech program at SMART inspired him to delve into agriculture, specifically beekeeping.
2022 in review: COAF’s major infrastructure projects in Armenia 18 November 2022 By Nane Vardanyan 5 min read 2022 was a prosperous and exciting year for COAF—a slew of new initiatives, groundbreakings, and collaborations. Looking back, let us present COAF’s most large-scale infrastructure investments in education, healthcare, child and family services, and economic sectors in…
The faces of COAF SMART Center in Lori 13 November 2022 By Nane Vardanyan Photos by: Knar Babayan 4 min read If you have managed to tour the COAF SMART Center in the Lori region, you will probably have noticed the rooms and corners for various education programs, full of students’ works. If while tours,…
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