ARMENIA
2017
On June 28th and 29th, 2017, we visited a series of orphanages near Yerevan, Armenia with the Society of Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR) to visit the kids, dance, talk, and play. There, we discovered bright, young individuals with great talents. Caretakers encourage them to pick a passion and dedicate their time to perfecting it so that they may have a secure plan for the future; therefore, many could draw and dance (above), while others specialized in craft or had an academic pursuit.
Despite what some may assume, most of the kids still have parents. Though they're alive and nearby, they don't have enough money to support or take care of their own children. Some centers offer day care programs or housing and support for both parent and child, but these opportunities are rare.
We believe that the most important ideas for these kids to hold onto is their creativity and individuality. When they're put into orphanages, so much of those values can be discarded in order to provide what they need. So we decided to give a group of kids the opportunity to express themselves by bringing some plain drawstring backpacks and markers to color them. They drew things like hearts, people, cars, and homes. As soon as they finished coloring, we brought them a journal to color in, a teddy bear, some socks, and Legos to put into their bags. They quickly loaded them up with their new goodies and slung them across their backs, running around the room with big smiles, showing one another their art. It appeared that they didn't get to express themselves like this every day. Now, they have a backpack and knick knacks to call their very own.
OUR
EXPERIENCE
"One word: beautiful. Geghets’ik. I don’t speak Armenian, but I made an attempt to learn this one word during our trip there this summer. It was the only word I could think of that could possibly describe these kids. Everything about them is beautiful. They are kind, talented, and bright individuals. So when I was looking at their radiant, smiling faces from behind the camera lens, beautiful was the only thing that could come to mind.
Every single one of them is different from the next. Even though they live in rooms with several other kids, every bed is decorated differently. Every child has a favorite activity. A favorite trade. They’re all beautiful, but they’re all different.
If we can encourage these kids to express themselves, I truly think it would change their lives. I want to encourage them to do what they love to do and to succeed at it. That’s the whole point of Yes oo Tu to me: encouraging and promoting each child’s inner beauty in its own, unique way. I’m more than grateful I was able to see that in them, and they deserve for other people to see it, too." - Ariana Megerian
"This was one of the most moving experiences of my life and it has allowed me to connect with amazing children and faculty. These children are all marvelous in their own ways and deserve so much more than they are given which is why I feel it is important to do all we can to help them. Our project promotes individuality, which is often lost in group settings such as an orphanage. I love Armenia and I love these children and I hope that our mission is able inspire others to help us make a change." - Lena Bardakjian
"Coming back from Armenia I realized how little my friends and family in the Armenian community know about the orphanages in Armenia. Through our mission with SOAR we are hoping to spread the word to as many as possible. I hope that in the future we can be able to foster growth and awareness in SOAR. These unique, talented and vivacious children deserve a chance to have their dreams be fulfilled." -Kristina Chevian