From Kindergarten Kitchens to Healthier Communities: The Impact of FAR’s Nutrition Program

Four-year-old Ashot Saribekyan, who attends kindergarten in the village of Kosh in the Ashtarak community, has a clear list of favorite meals: harisa, dolma, and pilaf made with buckwheat and beef.

Five-year-old Ani Petrosyan, whose family was displaced from Artsakh and has since settled in Kosh, especially enjoys two dishes from the kindergarten menu—spas, a traditional Armenian yogurt soup, and an omelet with peas.

For children like Ashot and Ani, nutritious meals are more than just a daily routine—they are an investment in their health, development, and future.

The Fund for Armenian Relief currently implements a preschool nutrition program in five kindergartens in Aragatsotn Province and twenty kindergartens in Tavush Province. According to Hambardzum Simonyan, Healthcare Program Director at FAR, proper nutrition is one of the most important foundations of a healthy society.

“Healthy nutrition is the key prerequisite for good health,” says Simonyan. “The preschool years are when the foundations of both physical and cognitive development are established. It is critically important that children do not suffer from nutritional deficiencies during this period.”

Experts often refer to this stage of life as a ‘window of opportunity’—a crucial period when adequate nutrition can have a lifelong impact on health, learning, and well-being.

Simonyan notes that FAR’s involvement in preschool nutrition has always carried strategic importance.

“Our goal has been to help kindergartens improve their meal plans and align them with internationally recognized nutritional standards. At the same time, this initiative has had a broader cultural impact. Healthy eating habits introduced in kindergartens are often carried into families, creating a snowball effect throughout communities” ․

The program was first launched in Tavush in 2013. Following its success, the model was expanded to Aragatsotn Province in 2018.

Kosh Kindergarten No. 17 currently serves 126 children from Kosh as well as nearby communities including Avan, Aruch, and Nor Amanos. Director Armine Gharibyan emphasizes the significance of the nutrition program in the daily life of the kindergarten.

“There are many families who struggle even to pay the monthly fee of 7,000 AMD,” she explains. “It becomes clear that some children may not have access to meat every day at home. At the kindergarten, however, they receive their daily portions of meat, along with legumes, vegetables, and fruit”․

Under the program’s nutrition guidelines, children receive approximately 75 percent of their daily caloric requirements while at kindergarten, with the remaining 25 percent expected to come from meals at home.

The impact of the program is also visible at Byurakan Kindergarten No. 15, which serves 120 children. Director Hasmik Nikoghosyan says that children are often hesitant when introduced to new dishes but quickly grow to love them.

“One of their favorites is cabbage salad,” she says. “Parents often come and ask for the recipe so they can prepare it at home in the same way.”

On June 1, International Children’s Day, FAR organized a small festive treat for children attending participating kindergartens. Alongside their regular nutritious meals, children enjoyed fresh fruits and a small selection of sweets to celebrate the occasion.

Looking ahead, Simonyan considers one of the program’s most significant achievements to be the introduction of standardized preschool nutrition guidelines at the national level. Beginning in January 2026, Armenia launched the process of implementing unified preschool nutrition standards across the country.

FAR played an active advocacy role in this achievement, organizing several major international conferences and bringing together key stakeholders, including UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), government representatives, and nutrition experts.