FAR Blog

[FAR Scholarships]: Mathevosian Students Enrich School Libraries in Karabagh.

May 15, 2012 1:00 pm

By Rima Sargsyan

Several of FAR’s Anoosh Mathevosian Scholarship Program beneficiaries took the initiative to begin a small library for several schools in the Kashatagh region in Nagorno-Karabakh. The students collected several books by different Armenian, Russian and foreign classic writers, in addition to several historical reports and dictionaries. This new resource will help to enrich the selection of books in the libraries, and the children will have a chance to be exposed to classic works and become better acquainted with Armenian history. All the collected literature will be on loan until the end of May.

*Rima Sargsyan is one of this year’s Anoosh Mathevosian Graduate scholarship recipients.

Mathevosian scholarship students classify the books.
Credit: FAR Staff

[ANSEF]: Armenian National Science and Education Fund Fights Armenia’s Brain Drain.

May 11, 2012 12:48 pm

For the past 12 years, the Armenian National Science and Education Fund (ANSEF) has enabled Armenia’s scientists to pursue cutting-edge research. This support has contributed to innovation and advancement in Armenia as ANSEF has enabled many to strengthen and broaden their work without having to leave their native country. A recent article by Florence Avakian in The Armenian Mirror-Spectator highlights the importance of this program through interviews with Cornell University professor Dr. Yervant Terzian, an ANSEF founder, along with many others. A major forum will be held at the Academy of Sciences in Yerevan on September 24 to celebrate the more than a decade of success of the ANSEF program.

Click here to download the article in PDF.

[FAR Health Programs]: CME Doctors Participate in Maternal and Child Health Seminar.

May 10, 2012 1:39 pm

By Hambartzum Simonyan

A two-day seminar on maternal and child health protection was held at the end of April in Tsakhkadzor. Neonatologists, obstetricians and gynecologists who are involved in the FAR Training of Provincial Doctors Program, or CME, participated in this seminar by attending professional lectures given by leading specialists. Lectures covered important topics, which pertained to both practical medicine and health strategies in maternal health.

The rapid development of medicine demands that doctors be prepared to treat patients in the best way possible by possessing the latest knowledge about developments in the field. The CME program is testament to the fact that FAR values the importance of continuous medical training in Armenia. In addition to spending one month in Yerevan for training, CME participants are continually able to participate in seminars to keep up on the latest advancements, and to connect with other medical professionals.

The maternal and child health seminar was approved by Armenia’s Ministry of Health, which also granted participants certificates of completion.

Neonatologists, obstetricians and gynecologists gathered
in Tsakhkadzor to participate in a seminar on maternal
and child health protection.

Credit: FAR Staff

[GTech]: Mobile Technology Now Taught at GTech.

May 9, 2012 11:06 am

By Arpine Sargsyan

Gyumri Information Technology Center’s MLab, a program supported by Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF), began its mobile technology training courses this spring. The aim of the trainings is to develop mobile programming skills in the Shirak region.

During a two-month pilot course, which was held during GTech’s winter break, students were taught program design by experts from Yerevan-based programming companies specializing in iOS/iPhone, Blackberry, and Android application program development. Forty students who are mostly from Gyumri and the surrounding Shirak communities are currently involved in the program.

Through the work of the students, two mobile applications have been developed and with the support of EIF, both have been made available for download in the Apple App Store. GTech is in the process of organizing a “training of trainers” where Blackberry programming experts from abroad will teach mobile technology skills in an effort to create more local specialists.

Similar to GTech’s Web Technologies Department, the new Mobile Technologies curriculum requires students to complete two years of coursework, which includes lessons in C++ and Java programming, as well as project management and various other related specialized subjects.

“The final goal of the new Mobile Technologies Department is to create a business team that can work on the many mobile-focused development projects that we have been receiving from abroad,” says GTech Director Amalya Yeghoyan.

Amalya also mentioned that students are signing contracts, which require them to work in Gyumri after graduation even though the present employment situation is bleak. With the formation of the Gyumri Technopark, however, she hopes that all of the graduates will be able to stay in Gyumri and help build the local economy.

A new GTech curriculum aims to boost the capacity
for mobile technology development in the Shirak region.
Credit: FAR Staff

[FAR Yerevan]: FAR Participates in International Conference on Social Reforms.

May 7, 2012 12:34 pm

By Veronika Mkrtchyan

FAR, in partnership with Armenia’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, and several other local and international NGOs, recently helped to carry out an international conference entitled “Social Work in the Context of Current Social Reforms: Reality and Perspective,” which was recently held in Yerevan. Prime Minister Tigran Sarsgsyan delivered an opening speech emphasizing the importance of social reforms and the perspectives of social services. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Artur Grigoryan, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) Rory Truell, President of the IFSW European Region Nicolai Paulsen, and representatives of international and several local NGOs were also present.

FAR also held an exhibit on its educational, child protection and social services projects, including the Children of Armenia Sponsorship Program, its soup kitchens, the Vanadzor Old Age Home and the FAR Children’s Center. Staff also spoke about projects where FAR has provided direct assistance to kindergartens in the villages of Aygepar, Chinar and Zangakatun. Projects relating to the support of special schools and orphanages were also highlighted.

Prime Minister Tigran Sarsgsyan delivers the opening speech.

FAR’s exhibit allowed visitors to learn more about its
educational, child protection and social service programs.

Staff members like Veronika Mkrtchyan, who works with
FAR’s educational programs, talks with visitors.
FAR Educational and Scientific Programs Coordinator
Eduard Karapetyan answers questions from visitors.

Country Director Bagrat Sargsyan speaks about FAR’s diverse programs.

Credit: Eduard Karapetyan

[ANSEF]: Profile – Natela Aghamalian.

May 4, 2012 1:32 pm

By Eduard Karapetyan

Natela Aghamalian is someone who has devoted her life to improving scientific development of her mother country. The Institute for Physical Research at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia is one of the country’s leading science centers. Each year more than five research groups from this institute are awarded ANSEF grants. Natela Aghamalian, a leader of one of these groups, received ANSEF grants in 2007 and 2012. In addition, she has received ANSEF grants four times for her individual work. Engaged in research for more than 38 years, she is a member of the Armenian Crystallographic Association and the Armenian Optical Society. Her current ANSEF project focuses on the study of electrical and optical properties, which is important for the development of new chemical and biological sensing applications.

Natela Aghamalian talks with FAR Educational and
Scientific Programs Coordinator Eduard Karapetyan.

Natela Aghamalian (left) has devoted her life
to scientific development in Armenia.
Credit: FAR Staff

[FAR Scholarships]: Children From Gavar Orphanage Learn How They Can Advocate for Themselves.

May 4, 2012 11:18 am

By Eduard Karapetyan

For more than a month, recipients of the Jerar Nishanian Foundation Scholarship Program have organized rights trainings for the children of Gavar orphanage. The goal of these trainings is to increase the children’s general knowledge about law and judicial issues pertaining to children, particularly for those without parental care. The Gavar students, who are all studying law, are able to relay the information through cartoons and other similarly digestible formats. For example, during one of the discussions on educational rights, children were informed about their access to education, including higher education. In addition, the children are introduced to FAR’s scholarship programs.

The trainings were initially devised by Armine Aghoyan, a third-year law student at Gavar State University, who during the conversation with me emphasized the following, “I think the organization and implementation of such seminars are very effective because children are able to get informed about their rights and responsibilities, and as a result, they are able to become advocates of their own protection and become more self-confident.”

Armine Aghoyan, a law student at Gavar State University,
has helped to implement trainings at Gavar orphanage
where children are able to learn about their rights.
Children participate in discussion.

Credit: FAR Staff

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