Newly built community center of Mushkapat, Artsakh. (Photo: Armenia Fund)

MARTAKERT—On May 28, a Hayastan All-Armenian Fund delegation, led by Executive Director Ara Vardanyan and comprising close to 40 trustees, representatives of affiliates worldwide, and benefactors, arrived in Artsakh to visit the sites of various projects implemented within the past year and to unveil a number of newly completed projects. As the delegation traveled to Artsakh via the Vardenis-Martakert Highway, delegation members got a first-hand look at the progress of the route’s construction and along the way visited the village of Getavan, in the Martakert Region, where the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is building a community center.

On May 29, the delegation officially opened the newly built community center of Mushkapat, a village in the Martuni Region. The construction of the facility was made possible by the financial support of the fund’s French affiliate, with additional support from the government of Nagorno-Karabakh. Subsequently, the delegation visited the village of Karmir Shuka (Martuni Region), where the fund is building a community center, likewise through the support of French-Armenian donors. In the past eight years, French-Armenians have sponsored the construction of eight such community centers throughout Artsakh. These multifunctional, two-story structures typically house a mayor’s office, an events hall, a health clinic, a library, a computer room, and a playroom, providing a wealth of services and leisure activities for beneficiary communities.

On May 30, the delegation officially opened the newly built kindergarten of Ivanyan, a village in Artsakh’s Askeran Region. The construction of the kindergarten was sponsored by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s Toronto affiliate, with additional support from Artsakh’s government. Ivanyan, which has a population of 1,450, has welcomed its new kindergarten as a wonderful and long-awaited present. The village has lacked a proper kindergarten ever since its liberation in 1992. Featuring a vibrant design and a complement of modern amenities, including central heating and a sizeable, fenced playground, the new facility provides a fun and nurturing educational environment for more than 60 children.

Following the kindergarten’s opening ceremony, the delegation visited the nearby site of Ivanyan’s future community center, currently under construction and likewise sponsored by the fund’s Toronto affiliate.

Also on May 30, the delegation visited Stepanakert’s No. 9 High School, which is undergoing an extensive renovation. The ambitious project is sponsored by the fund’s US Western Region affiliate, with a major donation from Armenian-American benefactors Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Turpanjian, as well as additional support from the state. The No. 9 High School is a multifunctional institution that provides not only primary and secondary education, but also inclusive education for special-needs children and specialized classes for hearing-impaired children. Today the school has 438 students, including 53 kindergarteners.

Subsequently the delegation visited the construction site of Stepanakert’s Oncology Center, which is being built with the co-sponsorship of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s French affiliate and the government of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. When completed, the state-of-the-art facility will offer the full complement of oncological diagnosis, surgery, and treatment services.

On May 31, the concluding day of its Artsakh visits, the delegation will familiarize itself with Shushi’s Yeznik Mozian Vocational School, which has admitted students from throughout Artsakh since opening its doors in 2015. The only educational institution in the republic to specialize in construction and related trades, the Yeznik Mozian Vocational School was modeled after French trade schools and built through the sponsorship of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s French affiliate, with a bequest by Yeznik Mozian, as well as additional financial support from the state. The school is designed to accommodate up to 450 students. After completing a three-year course of study, which comprises both vocational and general education, graduates will go on to enter Artsakh’s workforce, helping meet the republic’s significant demand for qualified construction professionals.