Model Village Pilot Project: Revitalizing Karakert

Infrastructure | Economy | Health care | Social development

Social development

COAF’s social development programs aim to identify vulnerable groups in rural areas and realize projects that address their needs. Although COAF pays particular attention to the social needs of children, our target population also includes disadvantaged and single-parent families, the disabled and the elderly. The principal components of our social development program are:

Implementation of projects to address social issues of importance to the community, such as:

• Establishment of a non-governmental organization (NGO) responsible for identifying issues of concern and/or interest to women and assistance in finding appropriate solutions;
• Identification of youth-related problems existing in the community and implementation of activities that aim to resolve those problems;
• Provision of psycho-social services and assistance;
• Provision of humanitarian assistance to the disabled, the elderly and the vulnerable.

Development of programs that aim to strengthen community bonds and capacity, including:

• Events geared toward the development of the entire community;
• Sports and cultural events specifically designed for youth;
• Vocational trainings;
• Rehabilitation of community center.

Accomplishments

COAF’s educational and training programs aim to provide opportunities to obtain a superior education and apply individual talents, ingenuity and resourcefulness to economic and cultural enterprises. These programs have focused on:

• Mandatory enforcement of guidelines and state-of-the-art educational methods for all educational institutions, faculty and administrators;
• “Textbooks for Karakert Schools” – a project through which educational institutions are provided with updated teaching materials, dictionaries, library facilities and modern textbooks;
• Educational seminars organized by COAF, as well as national and international organizations, on business, English as a second language, and economics.

COAF has also implemented humanitarian assistance projects because many children and adults suffer from malnutrition, lack of drinking water, and the absence of basic conditions to live in human dignity. In an effort to alleviate these problems and provide a safety net for the impoverished residents of the community, COAF’s programs include:

• Distribution of nutritional support, clothing and drinking water to 2,500 impoverished families;
• Provision of wheelchairs for disabled members of the community;
• Provision of warm clothing for the elderly;
• Assistance with registration for citizenship and obtaining of necessary documents for the receipt of social benefits;
• Support for disabled and vulnerable children to integrate into the community through the “Special Needs” program.

To facilitate community participation and communication, COAF has put a special emphasis on implementing programs that aim to mobilize the community through activities such as:

• Overall census, focusing on the unemployed and socially insecure stratum, to create a database of the entire population (1,030 families);
• Periodic bulletins informing residents about employment, scholarship and grant opportunities;
• Town hall meetings to encourage community participation in identifying development needs.

COAF has also designed environmental awareness programs to provide a safe and healthy life for each child living in Karakert and for future generations. These programs include:

• “Clean Karakert” campaign, an environmental and educational program, that encourages sustained waste management throughout the village;
• Community participation in tree planting, and infrastructure maintenance;
• “Public Works” program that involved the removal of more than 5,000 cubic meters of garbage accumulated over 20 years;
• Purchase of garbage trucks, teaching protocol for waste management, and distribution of garbage cans to families and in public areas, resulting in substantial improvement in the village’s sanitary conditions.

To help the residents of Karakert preserve their cultural values, COAF has implemented the following activities:

• Youth excursions to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, for exposure to educational exhibits and participation in youth seminars;
• Promotion of talented youth with a focus on artistic, musical, athletic and academic activities;
• Recognition of especially talented and dedicated youth through awards on both national and international levels.

Current Activities

• Technical assistance and training for local governing bodies on local ordinances, budgeting, development planning and program management;
• Development of a “Resource Facility” to provide residents with computer skills and Internet access;
• Bi-weekly newsletter containing updates on programs in development and community participation.