Meaningfulworld & ATOP Sponsor a Child In Armenia Project:
Partnership with the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR)
Children in Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, and Pakistan are also waiting

ATOP created a partnership with FAR (The Fund For Armenian Relief) to assist in bringing  early identification systems/ preventive care initiatives into place.  The mission of FAR is to provide preventative services for children and families who are struggling with issues of abuse, neglect, and family economic crisis, in order to keep families together and prevent children from being institutionalized (FAR).  Many of the children and families who are brought to FAR’s attention are suffering from physical and sexual abuse, on the threshold of abandonment, and or lack of family support systems.

Since the early 1990’s economic and social disruptions within country have led to a rapid decline in proper family structures, this has in large part led to many children suffering from abandonment and abuse, which in turn has increased the amount of children in institutions (World Vision Armenia).  Children in Armenia experience many of the same challenges that children around the world do: abandonment, abuse, economical hardships, and family disruptions, the government’s major response to these issues continues to be institutionalizing these children.  There are many factors that have contributed to the continuing practice of keeping children in institutions, the following are several of the most key: limitations of government social policy, deficiency of financial resources, shortage of educated staff (educated clinicians are migrating in large numbers to seek financial income elsewhere), and public perception of the issue lack of preventive services, gaps in referral mechanisms in data collection, and analyzing as well as lack of knowledge and motivation amongst governors.
The Fund for Armenian Relief Children’s Support Centre Foundation is seeking to aide these children in need through donations from you.  The center currently houses about 100 children.  The center serves as a school as well as offering services from a certified psychologist, occupational therapist, art therapist and teachers.  There is a great need to further support these children, most usefully through a monetary donation.

The major need is for systems and structures to be put into place that would allow for early identification and intervention in these types of situations, and ultimately prevention.  Your donation of $250 would allow a child to go to school and receive an education that is so important.  Please send your checks made out to ATOP Sponsor a Child and mail it to Dr. Kalayjian, 135 Cedar Street, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010-1003.