Fruitful Armenia Fund Begins Distributing Thousands of New Laptops to Students in Artsakh

AGBU Provides On-the-Ground Support for Global Education Movement Toward New Technologies

The Argentinean-Armenian entrepreneur and philanthropist Eduardo Eurnekian has officially launched the New Educational Strategy (NUR), one of the most ambitious education initiatives in Nagorno-Karabakh. With AGBU's support on the ground, Eurnekian, through the Fruitful Armenia Fund, his non-profit organization in Armenia, has begun to distribute over 3,500 brand-new laptops in elementary schools across the region. The project, which is part of an international movement that is bringing cutting-edge technologies to disadvantaged students, was kicked off at a special ceremony held in Stepanakert on April 2, 2012.

The partnership between Eurnekian's NUR and AGBU has put the innovative XO laptop, which is already being used by over 2 million children and teachers worldwide, into the hands of first through fourth grade students in three Karabakh schools in Stepanakert, Shoushi and Qarin Tak. The device, which is developed by the educational program, One Laptop per Child (OLPC) at MIT University in Boston, is the first of its kind, with durable hardware and interactive software that give students the opportunity to both play and learn, emphasizing creativity over instruction. Environmentally-friendly features allow the students to enjoy the XO outside, where they can read its screen in direct sunlight and power its batteries via solar energy. The laptop also gives them the freedom to work in groups and individually; when together, they can easily tap into a peer-to-peer network, or use the computers at home at their own pace.

Students were presented with the XO laptop at the ceremony attended by Arayik Harutyunyan, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic's (NKR) Prime Minister; Vladik Khachatryan, the NKR Education Minister; Sebastian Arias Duvall, the NUR Project Coordinator; Sassoun Baghdasaryan, the AGBU Armenian Representation's NKR Projects Coordinator; and Ashot Ghazarian, the Chairman of the AGBU Armenian Representation Managing Committee. Addressing the children, Duvall stated, "our goal is to provide the young generation with high quality education. We are pleased to present these computers to you. Despite their size, these are very powerful tools that will help you reach new heights," highlighting the laptop's small dimensions and light weight, which are part of its broad appeal.

At the event, it was made clear that the NUR project promises to bring new opportunities not only to the youth of Karabakh, but to the region as a whole, marking a new chapter in its history. As Eurnekian remarked last January when signing the memorandum of understanding that launched the project, "the world sees Nagorno-Karabakh within the context of war and regional conflict. People fail to take notice of the children who are born and live there. These children are entitled to the universal right of education and access to information. Through OLPC, I intend to bridge the gap and give the children of NKR the opportunity to receive the best education the world has to offer." To help Eurnekian realize his vision, over the past few months, teachers and students have attended various training workshops, learning how to use the XO and take advantage of its programs. Now that the laptop distribution has commenced, the government of NKR, in collaboration with NUR, will soon take a much-anticipated next step, providing high-quality internet connection in each of its schools. As wireless access is secured, they will continue to distribute the computers, aiming for every elementary schoolchild of Artsakh to own one by the year 2014.

With the deployment phase well underway, the youth of Nagorno-Karabakh have much to look forward to. The OLPC has a proven track record of success, and it joins a rapidly expanding global community, now equipped with the resources and tools to succeed both within and outside of the classroom.

To learn more about the AGBU and New Education Strategy (NUR) Project, please visit: http://www.nurarmenia.org/