Will you be a hero? You have to be a hero. #ArtsakhStrong 9 October 2020 By Nane Vardanyan 2 min read Hero. A new hero. Another hero. Do we want to have heroes? War touches everyone, no matter at the front or in the rear. It leaves us with hundreds of untold stories, hard goodbyes,…
A taste of China: when food brings cultures together 29 July 2020 By Nane Vardanyan, Photos by: Tigran Melkonyan 3 min read Summer is high time to improve culinary skills and improvise in the kitchen! Hayk Hakhinyan, 11, a COAF SMART Chinese program student from Odzun village, Lori Province, prepared a Chinese-style dim sum for…
COAFians master the art of anchoring 24 June 2020 By Nane Vardanyan, Photos by: Tigran Melkonyan 2 min read Since early spring, we have had multiple occasions to convene with our students, beneficiaries, and online community digitally. Our virtual events have included: INSTALIVE series on Instagram Live (talks with famous and successful professionals), Online SMARTConnects on…
Once upon a chocolate 21 May 2020 By Nane Vardanyan, Photos by: Tigran Melkonyan 3 min read Chocolate is the universal language of love. People all over the world fall in love with it at a young age. That love seems to never really fade. On May 15, we had a very delicious and sweet…
Startup world: think like a founder 16 April 2020 By Nane Vardanyan, Photos by Tigran Melkonyan 3 min read As the new coronavirus spread in Armenia, just like the rest of the world, we at COAF had a digital transformation. The shift was at first challenging, but quite smooth as most of our management and…
Dreaming with daring Armenian women 13 March 2020 By Nane Vardanyan Photos by: Knar Babayan 4 min read Some people grow up having role models, some people grow up not desiring to be like someone else and reshuffle their deck to have better outcomes. In all cases, we meet people who inspire us and make…
The backstage life of a front stage actor 26 February 2020 By Nane Vardanyan, Photos by: Knar Babayan 3 min read “How often do you go to the theater?” asks Narek Duryan. “There are no theaters for us to attend,” a response comes from the audience… Unfortunately, rural communities in Armenia are mostly devoid of…
The long and narrow letters of the country of mountains 19 February 2020 By Nane Vardanyan, Photos by: Knar Babayan 2 min read Stop for a moment and think of how often you use a pen and paper to take notes, write a thank-you card, a letter to someone, or to just mark down a…
Yoga in Debet? Absolutely! 5 February 2020 By Nane Vardanyan, Photos by: Knar Babayan 2 min read It took us about 2 hours to reach Debet through lofty and picturesque hills and mountains of Armenia. The weather was so nice that we spent some time outside enjoying the view, talking to each other, and taking…
Old and new stories from Mark Grigorian 24 January 2020 By Nane Vardanyan, Photos by: Knar Babayan 2 min read Welcome to the first SMARTConnects of 2020. This time our guest was Mark Grigorian, a longtime BBC Russian Channel reporter and the former Executive Director of Public Radio of Armenia. Mark was at SMARTConnects to…
