Ani and Robert Mgdesyan live in the small town of Ninotsminda in Georgia’s Javakhk Region with their mother and grandparents. Robert, 10, and Ani, 7, are both students at the #2 Russian School, where their mother, Amalya, teaches Georgian.
Last year, both children were accepted into FAR’s Children of Armenia Sponsorship Program (CASP) and will receive support in the form of annual stipends until they turn 18.
Extremely outgoing, Robert started attending English, singing and dance classes when he was five. He studies hard at school, earns excellent grades, and is already fluent in English. He loves to sing and he participates in various dance competitions as well. Robert also loves to write poems, some of which are dedicated to his parents and grandparents.
The more introverted Ani is also a diligent student. She loves very much to play with her dolls and even posts lessons on how to make clothes for them on her own YouTube channel.
Their father, Onik, who was a police chief in Ninotsminda, died in a car accident in 2012. He made a good salary and since his death, Amalya has struggled greatly to try to make ends meet. In this way, CASP has been a great help, enabling her to be able to afford winter clothes and firewood to heat the house, which helps the family to survive the brutal Javakhk winters.
CASP currently helps a total of 539 children and their families. This year, 86 of those children are from Javakhk.
Implemented by FAR, CASP is sponsored by the Women’s Guild Central Council of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern).