2022 Annual Report
Education
FAR’s Education Program takes a holistic approach by providing educational opportunity to children and youth, strengthening the capacity of educators, enhancing accessibility to educational opportunity, and through the provision of educational resources.
FAR contributes to making decent education more equitable for all in Armenia, which has the potential to be life-changing and transformative on both the individual and collective levels.
Many schools in the Tavush and Sisian regions of Armenia received support to build and refurbish science labs, update their curricula, and help build staff capacity--all in an effort to make science an exciting experience for students.
In Sisian alone, the laboratories opened new possibilities for hundreds of students between grades six and nine.
Gayane Barsamyan, a chemistry teacher with more than 36 years under her belt, noted that the new labs had increased the interest of schoolchildren in natural sciences, which could be a prerequisite for them to continue their path in the field. “We used to do very few experiments at the lesson before and would often watch YouTube videos to understand what and how. Now, not a single lesson passes without a topic-based experiment,” she said.
Mary Asryan
Ninth grader Mary Asryan has always liked studying the natural sciences. She just didn’t always have a place where she could learn about these topics apart from her textbooks.
This recently changed thanks to our STEM Education in Rural Armenia initiative.
Mary is a student at one of the four schools in the Sisan Region of Armenia, where FAR has helped to renovate and refurbish school laboratories. With the new labs came modern equipment, and teachers were trained on how to be able to use it in the best way.
"We used to concentrate on theory during our lessons because we had no capacity to do experiments, but now we do and it will help us better understand the subject and remember the formulas. Thank you for establishing such a beautiful classroom and laboratory for us; it’s bright, warm and it motivates us to learn more than ever before,” Mary said.
Highlighted Beneficiary
FAR Scholarships
With a portfolio made up of 15 separate awards, FAR’s Scholarship Program and the Gulamerian Vocational Training Program enables 500 students per year to start or continue their quests to obtain higher educations. During 2022, 90 young Armenians were awarded full or partial scholarships for the first time. As these students come from low-income families, the assistance helps students to realize their academic aspirations while also significantly lowering their family’s financial burdens.
Included in these 500 are 56 students who were also assisted by FAR’s Gulamerian Vocational Training Program, which helps to support older orphans with university studies or vocational training.
In addition, 20 new students were awarded Sayan Stipends to study at the Sayan Conservatory.
Throughout their studies, FAR also offers support and mentoring to these students. In addition, FAR also fosters their awareness of community service through volunteer excursions and civic education programs.
Together for Healthy Generations
Together for Healthy Generations aims to improve educational infrastructure and to create better access to education and improved quality of life for children living along the Armenian-Azerbaijan border, specifically in the Berd and Ijevan regions of Armenia’s Tavush Province, and in the Goris and Kapan regions of Syunik Province.
In 2022, in partnership with UNICEF, renovations of school bathrooms at four schools in Syunik Province brought clean hygiene facilities, which ultimately impact 1,723 children and 235 faculty members. This was followed by online workshops in basic hygiene practices for students and faculty. Hygiene kits were also distributed at the four schools.
In addition, the renovation of a preschool in Goris benefitted 110 children ages 3 to 5.
1958
people benefited from school renovations
(Doctors for Artsakh)
1,970
children and staff attend 5 newly renovated schools
(School Rehabilitation)
27
research groups received ANSEF grants
(Support for Artsakh’s Displaced)
500
students supported through academic scholarships
{FAR Scholarships)
