Here on the Bosporus
An Armenian-American poet honeymoons in Istanbul
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December 05, 2008
Young Professionals of Yerevan Help Gyumri Orphans
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In front of the National Gallery of Armenia, YP Yerevan members and Gyumri orphans were all smiles as they spent a day together in Armenia's capital city. -
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YP Yerevan sponsored a trip to the capital city for children at the Gyumri orphanage, including a visit to the National Gallery. -
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An exhibition of children's art work from the Gyumri orphanage raised over $4,000 to fund a new computer room at the center.
Watch a Video Report of YP Yerevan hosting Gyumri orphans HERE (2:43)
On November 2, 2008, the AGBU Young Professionals of Yerevan (YP Yerevan) organized a trip to Armenia's capital for 70 orphans at the Nansen Orphanage in Gyumri, Armenia. YP Yerevan members hoped to give these children a taste of Armenia's capital city and the trip would later serve as inspiration for an art project fundraiser.
The children enjoyed walking around Yerevan, visiting outdoor spaces, a newly renovated Lover's Park, restaurants, and spending the afternoon in the National Gallery of Armenia. In the evening, the YPs treated the children to a circus performance, which made a strong impression on the young visitors.
After an exciting day in Yerevan, the orphans returned to Gyumri inspired by their journey. YP Yerevan asked the children to create art based on their impressions of the capital with the goal of selling the work during a fundraising event for the orphanage.
Established in 2000, the Nansen Orphanage of Gyumri was created to help parentless children who continued to feel the impacts of the 1988 Spitak. In 2002, the orphanage came under the administration of the Republic of Armenia's Ministry of Social Welfare. Today, the Nansen Orphanage provides art, sports, dance, vocal and foreign language instruction to dozens of children.
Helping the Orphans
On November 16, YP Yerevan hosted a fundraising event for the orphanage at the Yerevan Puppet Theater. The theater's auditorium was filled with special guests, including famous singers and artists, bankers, businessmen, and local celebrities, all of whom toured the display of art that was inspired by their day in Yerevan. The children also returned to the capital and gave several song and dance performances, which created a festive atmosphere for the theater guests. A video of the event is now available on AGBU's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/agbuvideo.
The exhibition sale raised over 1,239,000 AMD (more than 4,000 USD), greatly exceeding the organizer's expectations. Proceeds from the art sale will be used to build a computer center at the orphanage. Several YP Yerevan members have IT training and plan on teaching the children how to use the equipment. YP Yerevan plans to use any additional funds from the event to hire English-language teachers to assist the children to improve their language skills.
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