Looking to the Next Generation in Armenia: FOCUS 2009 Honors Hye Geen Pregnant Women's Centers

Since 2001, each AGBU FOCUS weekend pays tribute to a specific AGBU program that has touched the lives of young Armenians. Looking to the next generation in Armenia, AGBU FOCUS proudly honors AGBU Hye Geen by dedicating its 2009 fundraising campaign to benefit the new Pregnant Women's Center in Talin, Armenia. The Talin Center will be the third of its kind in Armenia and the first in that city.



Established by the AGBU Hye Geen Committee of Los Angeles in response to the country's high infant mortality, lack of nutrition and the shortage of resources for potential mothers, the first Hye Geen Pregnant Women's Center opened its doors in Gyumri in 2002 with the encouragement of the Republic of Armenia's Minister for the Protection of Women and Children. Two years later, a second center in Vanadzor was opened. This year, the Hye Geen Committee plans to open its third center in Talin, which is in desperate need of help, as many villages in the region are poor and practically abandoned.



These community-based health resource centers provide critical pre-natal care to pregnant women who often suffer from malnutrition, lack the funds for proper medical care, and have little access to accurate health information. Expectant mothers who gather daily at the centers benefit from vital medical exams, a congenial social atmosphere, individual meetings with counselors, nutritious meals, and vitamins provided by Hye Geen. Center participants are recommended by local clinics and spend 4-5 hours a day at the facilities. Meals are prepared and served by the women themselves in order to encourage good nutrition habits which are taught by the trained center staff. Each center has three local employees on staff, including a social worker, who work with the women to ensure that their babies are born healthy. Various medical personnel are invited to the centers periodically, or as required, to monitor each woman's progress and needs. The superintendent of the centers, Nara Sahakian, who is a lecturer in psychology at Yerevan State University, travels from Yerevan for weekly visits to each center and ensures that each facility is operating at its utmost.



To date, hundreds of healthy babies have been born to the mothers who have participated in the programs at the AGBU Hye Geen Pregnant Women's Centers.



AGBU FOCUS believes that every child born in Armenia deserves a chance at a healthy life unfettered by preventable medical issues. Honoring AGBU Hye Geen's latest project, FOCUS has launched a large-scale pre-event fundraising effort to ensure that the Talin Center will open with all the resources it needs to carry out its mission of serving the pregnant women of Armenia.



To make a donation to the AGBU FOCUS 2009 initiative, please visit www.agbu.org/focus, email focus@agbu.org, or call 212-319-6383 x.128. Businesses interested in donating to this worthy cause may choose to purchase an ad in the FOCUS booklet. More information is available on the FOCUS website.



AGBU FOCUS is a biennial weekend event designed for young Armenian professionals from all over the world to congregate and share their international perspectives, as well as provide a venue to showcase notable contributions and achievements made by AGBU's diverse youth-oriented programs. Building on the impressive achievements experienced during the premiere weekend in New York in 2001, AGBU FOCUS has since united more than 1,500 young Armenians from cities around the globe, with weekends hosted in New York (2001, 2007), Montreal (2003), Miami (2005), and now heading west to Chicago. Additionally, well over $125,000 has been raised for many AGBU programs, including Generation Next, the Scholarship Program and the New York Summer Intern Program.



From July 16-19, 2009, FOCUS will welcome hundreds of Armenians to Chicago for this unique celebration. Rooms have been reserved at the Westin Michigan Avenue Hotel and a special discounted rate is available for reservations made only through AGBU beginning in mid-April. Plans have also been set to host the Gala Evening, the highlight of the FOCUS weekend, at the Art Institute of Chicago's new modern wing, which is set to open this summer.



Since 1994, AGBU Hye Geen in Southern California has worked to preserve and honor achievements of Armenian women, provide a forum for them throughout the world, promote their role in family and society through research, education, and advocacy, and provide overall support to empower Armenian women as carriers of the Armenian cultural heritage.