United Nations Director Kalman Mizsei Visits Armenia

United Nations Names Largest Public-Private Partnership Project to Date With The Children of Armenia Fund

The Armenian Reporter International

New York—October 29, 2004—The Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) and The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have entered into a formal partnership, creating the United Nations’ largest public-private partnership project to date, “A Comprehensive Rural Development Project.” This unprecedented partnership has focused its resources on the urgent needs of rural communities in Armenia that are in immediate danger of extinction and trailing behind the cities in economic development. Many of the children in these communities are faced daily with malnutrition, no drinking water, no heat in schools, and inadequate health care. Mr. Kalman Mizsei, Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Europe and the CIS, visited Armenia this week to participate in COAF’s Rural Armenia Initiative Plan and the United Nations Day Celebrations in the village of Karakert, which constitutes UNDP's largest public-private partnership project.

As the first major rural revitalization effort, the village of Karakert has been selected as the pilot for COAF’s comprehensive rural development program. COAF’s economic development plan for Karakert will provide the prerequisites to unleash economic momentum through the generation of jobs, clean and safe drinking water, irrigation and agriculture. Providing heated schools, passable roads, and medical assistance, with an emphasis on education and prevention, is also part of COAF’s integrated approach to community revitalization. COAF has implemented community mobilization programs such as a potable water distribution, Farmers Union, garbage removal, a parents’ organization, prenatal care, pediatric vitamin and nutritional supplements. Focusing on these priorities will provide Karakert with the essential resources necessary to become a safe, productive, and economically sustainable community. While the focus is on the youth, COAF’s overall strategy is an integrated one. This strategy reflects the realization that childrens lives cannot be improved unless there is a master plan to eradicate the root cause of an area’s problem. Isolated actions, such as rebuilding a school, although very useful, are only a part of the whole solution. Measures must be implemented that address the needs of the community as a whole. With a successful endeavor in Karakert, the pilot plan will form the basis for COAF’s efforts towards improving conditions in over nine hundred remaining rural villages. There is an ever-growing gap in living conditions between these villages and urban areas. If conditions in these villages are not improved, one of the possible consequences is increased out-migration. Thus, the emphasis must be on the youth, and the priority given to improving life in their community. This would enable many of them to remain and become productive citizens of a sustainable, stable community. The hope of COAF is that its efforts will lead to a safe and healthy life for children in the village of Karakert and throughout rural Armenia. A program for a second village will begin soon. Also, through its association with the United Nations, COAF’s hope is that its pilot program would become the prototype for similar villages throughout the world. The goals of education, infrastructure improvement, employment, and governance would benefit people of all nations. As with all of its projects, COAF approaches its rural renewal effort with proven methods and resources. It draws on the combined expertise of a cross-section of local, national, and international agencies; likewise, it works in cooperation with established institutions with proven records of promoting positive change in developing nations. COAF programs are designed to strengthen and sustain the long-term viability of Armenia and its children.

Time is not on their side. The next five years will be critical for us to help catalyze a process of sustainable recovery. It is essential that our collective efforts dramatically improve the quality of life for the children of Armenia. With your participation and support, COAF can deliver on its commitment to Save a Generation to Preserve a Nation.