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To read the story of a featured child, click on their name. If you wish to sponsor a child, click on the button marked sponsor.
Child Sponsorship Program in Armenia, Karabagh & Georgia
General Information
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Child Education Program in the Middle East
General Information
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Hrachia
I was born in Yerevan, Armenia, on August 11, 2005. I don’t attend school yet. I have light brown eyes and fair hair. My father, Haroutun, is unemployed.He has kidneys problems.He is my guardian.My mother, Aringa, is a housewife. She underwent a surgery on abdomen.My grandmother, two aunts and uncle live with us. My aunts and uncle are students.We receive government allowance but our income is not enough to support us. I attend Apostolic church.We live in a 3-room apartment in the basement. It is damp and dark. The water-pipes in the toilet and bathroom do not work. The furnishing is very old.
(AR01-772)
Lilit
I was born on May 2, 1994 in Stepanakert, Karabakh. I am attending secondary school #8 and am 5th grade. Armenian is my favorite subject at school. My eyes and hair are brown. My father, Yeghishe, isn’t able to work: he is 2nd degree handicapped. He lung and leg were wounded. My mother, Zvart, is a recorder in a bakery. Besides my mother’s salary we receive a little from government as a stipend, but our monthly income is not enough to support us. I have three sisters, ages 14, 12 and 5. My guardian is my mother. We live in a 3-room house, which is half-renovated. The house belongs to my aunt and she has temporarily given it to us, as we don’t have one. The bathroom greatly needs renovation
(K7-288)
Diana
I was born in Ichevan town in Tavoush region, Armenia, on March 8, 2004. I don’t attend school yet. I have brown eyes and light brown hair. My father, Albert, is unemployed. He suffers from epilepsy from childhood. My mother, Liana, is a housewife. She is my guardian. I have 3 brothers (1, 9 and 11 years old) and a 4-year-old sister. We receive government allowance but it is not enough to support our family.We have no house of our own and we rent an old rundown house. Even the entry to the house is in the emergency state. The furnishing is very old and shabby. Living conditions are not satisfactory.
(AR7-243)
Ani
I was born in Yerevan, Armenia, on January 8, 2007. I don’t attend school yet. I have dark brown eyes and light brown hair. My father, Andranik, doesn’t work since he is disabled of 2nd degree. He has a piece of iron in his leg and he needs a surgery. My mother, Vardouhi, is a laborer. We receive Government allowance which is not enough to support us. I attend Armenian Evangelical church. We live in a 1-room apartment. The walls are blackened. The apartment is damp. The bathroom and the toilet are in a very bad state. The water pipes are out of order. Furnishing is old and broken. The room smells bad due to the absence of detergents.
(AR01-761)
Ardak
I was born in Saralanj village, Armenia, on January 31, 1997. I am attending Saralanj secondary school and I am in the 6th grade. My favorite subject is Math. My eyes are green and hair is fair. My father, Melik does farming and can support the family partly. My mother, Diana is a housewife. She takes care of us. Our income is not enough to care our needs. I have 3 brothers (ages 10, 7 and 8). We live in a stone made house, which needs repair. There is a kitchen and a sitting-room inside. We do not have a bathroom. The toilet is outside. The furnishing is old and poor. There are satisfactory living conditions.
(AR15-029)
Artiom
I was born in Yerevan, Armenia, on January 10, 1999. I attend secondary school #177 and I am in the 5th grade. My favorite subject at school is English. I suffer from short eyesight and pain in the gall-bladder. I have light brown eyes and fair hair. My father, Armen, is a oridnary laborer. He suffers from heart neurosis and thyroid gland disease. He needs a surgery on thyroid gland. My mother, Eugenia, is a housewife. She suffers from kidney disease. I have a 13-year-old brother. My grandmother and grandfather live with us. My grandmother suffers from diabetes. We receive government allowance but our income is not enough to support us. I attend Armenian Evangelical church. We had to sell our apartment to cover medical expenses and now we temporarily live at the 3-room apartment belonging to my grandmother’s sister. The furniture was bought long ago.
(AR7-351)
Nelly
I was born in Shirakamut village, Armenia, on June 20, 1995. I am attending secondary school after Hambarian and I am in the 9th grade. My favorite subject is Math. My eyes and hair are brown. My father, Norair is a manual worker and can support the family partly. My mother, Margarita is a housewife. She takes care of us. My parents are in good health. Our income is not enough to care our needs. I have an 11-year-old brother. I attend Evangelical church. We live in a 4-room stone made house, which is in normal state. There are utilities at home. The toilet is outdoors. The furnishing is poor. We have only a table, chairs, a wardrobe and beds.
(AR15-011)
Christine
I was born in Hartagyugh village, Armenia, on June 19, 1999. I am attending Hartagyugh secondary school and am in the 4th grade. My favorite subject is Math. I used to cough. My eyes and hair are brown. My father, Gevorg is a cattle-man and can support the family partly. My mother, Shoushik is a housewife. She takes care of us. My father suffers from kidney problems. Our income is not enough to care our needs. It includes poverty allowance. I have 2 brothers (ages 18 and 4) and a 16-year-old sister. We live in a stone made house, which is separated between 2 parts. The one part is occupied by my family, the other one by my uncle’s family. It is in bad state and needs repair. The toilet is outdoors. We do not have a bathroom. The furnishing is old. We use it until we will be able to buy another one.
(AR15-031)
Movses
I was born in Yerevan, Armenia, on September 4, 1999. I am attending secondary school #132 and I am in the 4th grade. My favorite subject at school is Math. I have brown eyes and brown hair. My father Set works as a guard. He serves at the Evangelical church. My mother, Hasmik, works at the post-office and delivers newspapers. She has low income. I have a 15-year-old sister. Our income is not enough to support us. I attend Evangelical church and Sunday school. We live in a 2-room apartment which needs renovation. The wires need to be changed. The furnishing is modest and old.
(AR01-759)
Apo A.
I am eleven years old. I am in the fifth grade. I have two sisters. One graduated from university and is trying to find a job, and the other is working. My father is a farmer. He plants vegetables. He has difficulty in selling his harvest because the fruit market in Lebanon is very bad. My mother stays home and takes care of our big family. She has to do house work and look for the lessons. We live in Ainjar in a private home middle in size. I am trying to do my best in my lessons. I like sports and hunting. I attend Sunday school.
(AINJAR-17343)
Arpa A.
I am thirteen years old. I am in grade eight. . I have another sister in grade 8 and one in the kindergarten. My father sells crops. Every morning at five o’clock he has to drive 60 km to Beirut to sell his crops. He has rented a shop in Beirut and he has to pay rent monthly. My mother is a science full time teacher in the school. In this way she tries to help my father. Also she is taking some courses at university to improve her training. I am a hardworking student and bright in my lessons. I like drawing and playing piano. Also I sing in the school choir and I attend Junior group and church regularly.
(AINJAR-16118)
Christine A.
I was born on August 30, 1993 and am currently in grade nine. My family consists of three members. I live with my mother and grandmother. My parents have divorced and we do not receive any support from my father. My family’s current situation is so harsh that we even cannot afford to pay the rent of a small apartment. We currently live in the Armenian Old-peoples’ home where we have been given a room. It is in the same center too where my mother works as a cook. At the end of this current school year, I will be sitting for the Brevet official exams, for which I am trying my best to pass with good grades.
(SHAMLIAN TATKIAN-17703)
Azadig A.
I am a student in grade 12 (Sec. III Life Science section). I was born on August 10, 1989. My family consists of four members: my father, mother, me, and a younger brother, who is in grade 8 in another Armenian Evangelical school. At the present, my father is working at home, as a goldsmith. He earns according to the demands of the market, which is really not much these past few years. My mother, with her poor health, takes care of the family at home. She has Rheumatism and takes a lot of medicine. Recently, and to make ends meet, my mother, who doesn’t have a higher education and in spite of her poor health, started working as a helper in the KG of my school. We live in a small apartment near the school. In addition to our daily basic needs, we have a lot of medical expenses. This year, I will be sitting for the official Baccalaureate exam. I am doing my best to pass the exams well and continue my higher education in a university.
(SHAMLIAN TATKIAN-15761)
Child Sponsorship Program in Armenia
Directly after the devastating earthquake of 1988 in Armenia, the AMAA began conducting relief operations providing basic health & nutrition support to orphans and impoverished children in Armenia. In 1991, the AMAA began a sponsorship program in order to help these children and their families on a regular basis. AMAA is dedicated to safe-guarding the future of the children of Armenia by ensuring their survival. The program began with just 37 sponsored children. Over the years, as unemployment and inflation have impoverished more and more families, the number of sponsored children has swollen to 2,819 (as of May 2006). Unfortunately, children are the first and the defenseless victims of this crisis., The sponsored children and their families are supplied with necessary provisions and cash through scheduled year-round home visits by AMAA's local relief workers. The AMAA provides basic food-stuffs, clothing, personal hygiene and health items and school supplies. The AMAA also provides special-event programs for children during Christmas/New Year and Easter holidays.
FAQ: Armenia
What Will It Cost Me if I decide to sponsor?
Sponsoring a child in Armenia costs U.S. $250.00 per child per year.
Can I Pay In Installments?
Yes. You may pay quarterly (U.S. $60.00 per quarter) or monthly (U.S. $21.00 per month).
Is My Payment Tax-Deductible?
Yes. Your payments are fully tax-deductible.
Can I Choose The Child I Wish To Sponsor?
You may state your preferences (age, sex, etc.), and we will take them into consideration when assigning children to sponsors.
Do I Get Information About My Sponsored Child?
Yes. You will receive a recent photograph of the child, and information about the circumstances of the child and his or her family.
Can I Sponsor The Same Child Year After Year?
Yes. You may continue to sponsor the same child as long as you wish and as long as the child remains in the program. Children are dropped from the program when they reach the age of 16 or 17 or graduate from a secondary school.
Can I Write To My Sponsored Child?
Will I Get Letters From My Sponsored Child?
Every sponsored child gets older and eventually grows out of the program, and gets replaced by another child from the waiting list. When your sponsored child leaves the program, another child will automatically be assigned to you and your sponsorship will continue without interruption.
The names and addresses of indigent families with children are obtained from government offices, individuals, and other relief organizations. AMAA representatives then visit and interview each family to ascertain the pertinent facts. The only criteria applied in the selection process are the degree of poverty and the presence of one or more children under the age of 17.
Can Two Or More Children In A Family Be Sponsored?
No. Only one child per family may be included in the sponsorship program. In this way the benefits of the program can reach more families.
How Long Does A Child Remain In The Program?
How Much of A Sponsor's Payment Reaches The Child's Family?
100% of a sponsor's payment in the form of goods and cash reaches the sponsored child's family.
Child Education Program in the Middle East
Established during the 1960's by the AMAA, the Child Education Program in the Middle East aims at making it possible for underprivileged, poor Armenian children to acquire a meaningful primary and secondary education in a Christian environment. A sponsor's entire contribution is applied to the tuition of a sponsored child selected strictly on the basis of need. In the Middle East, an acceptable education, as a rule, is available only in private schools, which, of necessity, charge tuition. Because our organization considers it unacceptable for an Armenian child to be denied a proper education because of poverty, this program was set up to provide educational opportunities for underprivileged children who might otherwise be deprived of a basic education.
This is the only Education sponsorship program in the Middle East to identify underprivileged Armenian children at risk of missing out on an education, to find sponsors for such children and to guarantee an education for sponsored children.
Why Don't The Children Attend Public Schools?
In most of the Middle East, public schools are substandard and often geared to Islamic values. The only academically acceptable schools are private ones, and such schools are sup-ported primarily by tuition fees.
How Does the Program operate?
How Many Schools Are In This program?
How Many Children?
There are 12 schools in this program: eight in Lebanon (one of them a boarding school) and four in Syria. Currently there are about 845 sponsored children in these schools. Since the program's inception in 1946, more than 36,000 children have been helped.
How Are Sponsored Children selected?
Selection of the children for this program is made by the administrators of the schools. Children are selected strictly on the basis of need. Currently, about 90% of the sponsored children are Armenian Apostolic.
How Long Does A Child Remain in The Program?
As long as a child has a sponsor, that child remains in the program until he or she completes secondary school.
How Much of a Sponsor's payment is Applied to the Child's Tuition?
A sponsor's entire contribution is applied to the tuition of a sponsored child.
What will it cost me to sponsor a child in the Middle East?
The cost of sponsoring a child in this program is U.S. $240.00 per child, per academic year.
Is my payment tax-deductible?
Yes. All sponsorship payments are fully tax-deductible.
Can I choose the child I wish to sponsor?
Not exactly. You may state your preference (age, sex, etc.) and we shall take that into consideration when assigning available children to sponsors.
Do I get information about my sponsored child?
Yes. You will receive a recent photograph and a letter.
Can I sponsor the same child year after year?
Yes. You may continue to sponsor the same child as long as you wish, and as long as the child remains in the program.
Can I write to my sponsored child?
Yes. Your letters should be sent to the AMAA office; they will be forwarded to the Middle East and delivered to your sponsored child at the child's school.
Will I get letters from my sponsored child?
Each sponsored child is urged to write to his or her sponsor once a year. Letters are collected by a teacher, and sent to AMAA's office in the United States for delivery to the sponsors.
Can I send gifts to my sponsored child?
No. We discourage such gifts in the interest of perceived fairness by the children, because some would receive gifts and others would not. Since contact with the children is through the schools, such disparities would become immediately apparent.
What happens when my sponsored child leaves the program?
Every sponsored child gets older and eventually leaves the program, to be replaced by another child needing a sponsor. When your sponsored child leaves the program, another child will be assigned to you, and your sponsorship will continue without interruption.
© 2010 AMAA (Armenian Missionary Association of America, Inc.)
31 W. Century Road - Paramus, NJ 07652
Tel. 201-265-2607, Fax: 201-265-6015, E-mail amaa@amaa.org
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