“I love it here at the camp. It’s my sixth summer. I’ve made friends and I feel I can better face challenges,” said Gyumri native Elena Varosyan after her three-week stay at Aragats Summer Camp in August. Elena was just eight when she first came to Aragats with her older sister. Now 14, she is starting to dream of a future career in business.
For years, the summer camp program at Aragats has helped many young Armenians who are orphaned or who come from disadvantaged families to find a community where they can forge friendships, develop team building and communication skills, and find a recreational outlet. And as we have seen with the recent unprovoked and blatant aggression from Azerbaijan, such support is more crucial than ever as the next generation grows up in the face of this conflict.
This summer more than 250 children supported by our projects, including the children of Artsakh War veterans, Syrian-Armenian children who receive our assistance, and those supported by Ayo! and CASP, spent part of their summer vacation at Aragats in Armenia’s Kotayk Province.
“These children and their families do not have the means to enjoy summer vacation, so we do our best to provide them with that opportunity,” said FAR Education and Science Program Director Eduard Karapetyan. “Through the well-designed and comprehensive camp program we help them to play, to relieve some psychological and post-war stress, and make some happy memories.”
Helping children find community and psychosocial support is a big part of our Child Protection Program. To make a difference for the children supported by FAR, consider donating via our secure website today.