May 15, 2012



The reforestation activities in 7 ha in Chambarak started on May 13, 2012. More than 15000 saplings of oak, plane tree and maple will be plant.ed during the current week.

The project was initiated by the "Council of Deceased Soldiers' Mothers and Wives" local NGO. UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), ATP Charitable Foundation as well as Shen NGO joined the project.

The head of the Gegharkunik diocese, His Eminence Markos bishop Hovhannisyan blessed the commendable initiative and immediately joined the planting activities with priest Ter Psak Mkrtchyan. The planting activities were implemented with the help of 4 schools in Chambarak, the young ecologists club of School No 4, the youth club of Martuni and the Chambarak military unit. The project has provoked such huge enthusiasm that the entire community got actively involved.


April 26, 2012

Visit of the Rural Development Project in Malishka





In the framework of the Orange Foundation Armenia partnership with Shen NGO supporting rural development projects in the most vulnerable and often most remote villages, a monitoring visit of Mary Lisa Durban, Coordination & Development Manager, Europe, Middle East and Asia, Orange Foundation and Nazareth Seferian, Secretary General, Orange Armenia Foundation was organised in the village of Malishka on April 18th, 2012.

Shen NGO Syunik field office representative Grigor Ohanjanyan and the Mayor of the village Mher Movsisyan warmly greeted the guests at the entrance to the newly renovated and equipped gymnasium, which is part of the Malishka village community center. The guests were very impressed by the cleanliness and order in all of the rooms inside the gymnasium, including the changing rooms and showers. The young boys and men were very busy doing their exercises on the mats, as well as practicing climbing ropes and using heavier body-building equipment in a separate training room. There were several trainers present who were clearly giving instructions and encouraging the young people to do their best.

The guests found gymnasium to be very popular with the youth from the Malishka village, as well as with youth from other nearby villages who also send their young people for training.

Monitoring group suggestion to the Mayor was to develop a gymnastics training course for young girls and women, because they too need physical exercise for their well-being in the village. The village authorities promised to solve the issue.



April 25, 2012



The first English lesson in Argina community was held by the resident of the village - young teacher Armine Stepanyan - in April, 2012. Shen hurried to share the news with the Swiss benefactor Eric Lupi who paid Armine's tuition for studying in "Gladzor" University for 5 years and then the tuition for participating in the special courses in the American University of Armenia.

In 2006 Argina community Civic Action Group asked Shen to prepare an English teacher for teaching in the community because the absence of an English teacher made the young families leave the village.

Today not only the schoolchildren but also the older residents of the community want to learn English in order to be able to use the computer and to access the opportunities provided by the internet.

                

A Major Community Developer in Armenia



Vision - To become a reliable partner for vulnerable rural communities in their endeavour to create better life.

Mission Statement - Shen promotes social and economic development and empowerment of remote and vulnerable communities with active involvement of community members. Through transferring new knowledge and skills, promotion of employment, improvement of community infrastructures, strengthening of community organizations, we strive to make those communities attractive for life and work.

The word "Shen" means a well-to-do, a prosperous village in Armenian. It is our goal that all the villages of Armenia will become "shens" in the foreseen future.

Shen NGO was created in 1988, by a group of professors and students of Yerevan Polytechnic Institute to address some of the urgent humanitarian problems that faced people of Armenia. As time changed, we made a shift from relief projects to integrated community development.

In 2008, Shen NGO celebrated the 20th anniversary of its establishment. This was a time of summarising our achievements. The cornerstone of all Shen development projects is long-term sustainability. This has been our vision since 1988 for all the implemented activities in over 250 rural communities of Armenia. This wouldn't be accomplished without the support of our sister NGO Shen France and the Armenian Diaspora. We would also like to acknowledge hereby our donors - World Council of Churches, Christian Aid (UK), IFAD, EED (Germany), ICCO (the Netherlands), Oxfam Novib (the Netherlands), EPER (Switzerland), KASA Foundation (Switzerland), UNDP, UNFPA, USDA, FAO, DFID, SDC.

Shen's mission is very appealing to Diaspora Armenians. In 1991 Shen-France was founded in Paris, and Shen-USA in 2000. In 2005 Shen opened a branch in Nagorno Karabagh. Shen has many supporters in Lebanon, Russia, Canada, Italy and UK. Their aim is to help their compatriots in Armenia to become well off and empowered to create their prosperity with their own hands. If this is also your dream, join us - following in the footsteps of Yalkezian Foundation (www.yalkezian.com).