  |
|
| UMCOR Armenia Emergency | Archives | Armenia Map | Photos | News |
VANADZOR, Armenia: Nelly Petrosyan is passionate and energetic. Her stature may be small, but she sure packs a punch. "If you come back to visit, she says, "I can show you all of the areas where the Diaspora can help Armenia. We only work with people who believe in what they are doing, and who make it part of their life and their heart." Petrosyan is the local organizer of the Noyan Tapan (Noah's Ark) program in Vanadzor " an UMCOR initiative that seeks to promote self sustainability among socially vulnerable families in order to prevent them from placing their children in orphanages and "boarding" schools. "Its kind of a long shot to think that these families will take their kids home, or not place them in an orphanage to begin with," explains Terry Wollen, the Head of Mission at UMCOR, "but we have already heard that one women has not put her children into an institution because she has milk now."
Ironically, after she started her involvement with UMCOR, Nelly Petrosyan began to rapidly lose weight. Apparently, at the beginning of Noyan Tapan, Petrosyan could not bring herself to eat while unsure of any success that the program might have in providing sustenance to vulnerable families in the region. Testifying to the success of the program, she is now eating again.
"If the [Armenian] Diaspora wants to work in Armenia," Wollen continues, "they need to take a good look at NGOs that have accountability, and that have clearly defined work. A dollar spent should be just that " and a dollar well used. In many cases, people just send money to Armenia only to find that they never know where it ends up. Gyumri is a
perfect example of hundreds of millions of dollars that went for housing,
but still only twenty percent of the city has been rebuilt."
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the wing of the United Methodist Church that operates similar programs in countries as diverse as Tajikistan and Haiti. For sixty years, UMCOR has responded to the needs of countries devastated by famine, floods, hurricanes, and the resulting problem of refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs). "After the breakup of the former Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia in particular," Wollen says, "the United Methodist Church realized that it could join forces with United Nations and other donor agencies, and use both Church and international funds to engage in development programs."
Wollen explains that the largest program implemented by UMCOR to date is in Bosnia, with $15 million of activities focused on the area of construction, reconstruction and development. That work has now spread to Kosovo and Macedonia, with plans to develop similar programs in Albania, and other areas where the conflict spread. "Construction, reconstruction, emergency housing, and schools are particularly needed after conflict," he says, believing that the lessons learnt by UMCOR in the former Yugoslavia can benefit those other parts of the world in similar situations.
Coordinated from a central office based in Washington DC, UMCOR regional offices are now located in the three South Caucasus republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
When UMCOR officially registered in Armenia during the spring of 1995, its primary concern was in the area of healthcare. Regional clinics and medical centers needed to be repaired and cleaned, and pharmaceuticals freely distributed among the socially vulnerable. Since then, UMCOR has diversified into other areas such as micro-credit, humanitarian relief, and the self-perpetuating problem of families having no other option but to place their children into orphanages and institutions because of the poor socio-economic situation in the country. Wollen however, only took his position as Head of Mission three years ago, and a staff of thirty in their Yerevan office has since grown to ninety, with several international members of staff including a Lebanese Armenian from the United States. The majority are local Armenians who certainly appear diligent and enthusiastic in their work, unlike some employed by international agencies that draw large salaries but in fact do very little. In Vanadzor too, UMCOR has a number of volunteers that assist them in their work. When asked why, two volunteers answered simply. "If foreigners want to help Armenia, then we should too. It isn"t their country, but it is ours."
The problem of transition in Armenia has had adverse effects on contemporary society, and since independence, the extent of emigration, abortion, divorce and prostitution has risen alarmingly. Concerns raised in the past regarding the phenomena of international trafficking in women throughout the former Soviet Union has also affected Armenia, with some Armenian women working as prostitutes in the Middle East as well as in the republic. However, even if a crackdown on women traveling alone at Zvartnots Airport has reversed this trend, there are still those ready to exploit the vulnerability of the general population. The recently published US State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Armenia identified that girls in Armenian orphanages have been specifically targeted, and even without this problem, the necessity of removing children from the family unit can only result in severe problems for the future. At the same time "and partly due to an inability to sustain a family" many in Armenia are now reluctant to marry. Moreover, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Justice, divorce exceeded the number of marriages in Armenia last year, although many marriages and divorces still go unrecorded.
Therefore, one particular area of interest for UMCOR is to address the problem of children in institutions in Armenia. Quoting World Bank and UNICEF statistics, Terry Wollen believes that there are about ten thousand children in institutions in Armenia, but that ninety percent actually have families. "Because there is not enough money to buy clothes, shoes or even food, it has become necessary for the family to instead send their children somewhere better. The Ministry of Education, UNICEF, and the World Bank have been cognitive of this problem, and if you get a chance to see the Children's Initiative [A World Bank study of the problem] it is a very sobering read." As a result, UMCOR began to develop its activities in this area in conjunction with other non-governmental organizations, and began to involve itself in the reconstruction and refurbishment of orphanages and institutions.
However, UMCOR then began to notice some very interesting "if alarming" trends. When work at the orphanage in Vanadzor started in November 1997, there were just 32 children, but now that number has risen to over 90. If that represents little improvement in the standard of living of many in the republic, UMCOR instead decided to direct its efforts towards addressing the problem at its source. Through the Noyan Tapan (Noah's Ark) program, UMCOR now focuses its activities towards community development and vocational training.
"The idea came when the Director of the Vanadzor Orphanage came to us to ask for some help. Being an agriculturalist, my reaction was to suggest a cow, or some other way of putting eggs, milk or meat on to the children's table," explains Wollen. That initial idea now forms the basis of Noyan Tapan, with an approach modeled on a similar initiative undertaken fifty years ago by an American non-governmental organization, Heifer Project International. In this approach, community principles are developed in the areas of sustainability, gender, and ecology, with a fundamental component of the strategy know as "passing on the gift."
Livestock is supplied to families that have put their children into institutions, or that may be considering doing so, and the recipient's obligation is to then "pass on the gift." The program started in Lori Marz last year, with the provision of ten diary cows to socially vulnerable families so that they could produce their own milk on the understanding that they must then pass on the first calf raised to other disadvantaged families. One group of families received fifty laying hens, beehives will be allocated to others, and potatoes planted. All of these initiatives take into account both the needs of the family, and the requirements of the local market for agricultural and dairy produce. Lori Marz for example, is reliant on an insufficient number of eggs produced locally, and poorer quality eggs imported from Iran. Interestingly enough, eggs were in shorter supply than normal this winter, and the laying hens of the Noyan Tapan program were the only source of fresh eggs in the region. Not only is livestock distributed to families in the program, but also more efficient and ecologically sound farming practices are taught. Terry Wollen is obviously very pleased. "Just to give an example of how successful this program can be," he explains, "Heifer Project International passed on their one-millionth animal in China last year, and it shows what can be achieved with good management over time."
As part of this need for education in more productive farming methods, another key component of Noyan Tapan is vocational training. Based on the principles of 4H (Head, Hand, Heart and Health) that was developed by the United States Government in the early 1900s because of the need to introduce new farming and homemaking techniques, experience has shown that it is easier to introduce new methodologies among the young. "In the United States today," explains Wollen, "training may concentrate on computers, but in a developing country such as Armenia, it is instead focused on agriculture." Furthermore, by including this as part of a strategy directed towards orphanages, children have the opportunity to develop new skills that can be beneficial after they eventually leave the institution the age of eighteen.
"In Lori Marz, we have two programs - Yedem [Eden] and Pyunic [Phoenix]," he continues. "The kids chose the names themselves and even developed their own logos. We provided chickens, and the kids raised them, holding exhibitions and talks at the end of the year. They learnt a great deal about responsibility, leadership and public speaking, and in addition to having a lot of fun. The kids receive a percentage of the proceeds with the remainder supporting the infrastructure, and when they leave the orphanages they have skills and savings that they can go away with." There is still a constant danger however, that by creating a better environment in the institutions, some families are still eager to place their children in environments where they can be better looked after. As a result, UMCOR enforces a strictly observed balance between programs initiated in the orphanages, and those implemented in local schools. "Our basic philosophy is that the family is a better place for a child to be raised than an institution. If a family does not have enough to eat, kids do not go to school. Therefore, we are making a conscious decision to spend our money helping families provide food for their children."
Terry's wife, Judy -- also a member of staff at UMCOR -- adds her own opinion. "If the [Armenian] Diaspora really starts to think where it wants to contribute, it can make a real difference to whether children will end up in institutions or in families where they can be supported. Children coming out of multi-generational families in Armenia are capable and happy, but we are finding that families cannot support their children as well as the institutions can. How can a family compete with that? A mother looks at the institutions and resigns herself to the fact that the institution provides better food, clothing and education than she can. It is wrong, it is wrong, it is wrong."
Talk of families in Armenia then unavoidably leads on to issues of gender and the upheavals in Armenian society that have occurred as a result of the poor economy. "We believe that there is a certainly a gender issue in Armenia," she continues. "The collapse of the Soviet Union has radically changed the way women and men relate to each other in this culture, and will do so for some time to come. In some ways, there are benefits, but in others, there are serious problems. We also think that it is more constructive to examine the issue of gender in a friendly, supportive and non-confrontational way. Very often, language instead becomes very strong and confrontational, and a different methodology needs to be introduced. Abortion is rampant, and while the United Methodist Church has a pretty open opinion on abortion, we are attempting to assist mothers through their financial difficulties. With Noyan Tapan, in some cases we are also dealing with single mothers [Note: Many women have been abandoned by husbands working abroad], and our Community Health Care Department has introduced various reproductive, family planning and women's health programs.. There is also the huge problem of depression among men who are now unemployed, and feel powerless. This is a huge issue that needs to be addressed in a caring, understanding and supportive way. Family values are very strong here, and we should preserve the values that we want to remain in the country."
Terry Wollen is also quick to point out that UMCOR's interest in Armenia has nothing to do with the fact that the country is a Christian nation. "When we return home and report to the Church," he says, "congregations are of course interested in the work that we are undertaking in Armenia. However, when we work in Moslem, Hindu or atheist countries we still find acceptance and support for our work back home. Religion does not seem to be a problem. The United Methodist Church believes that all people are valuable as creations of God, and are worthy of help in times of need. UMCOR is simply the arm of the Church that is assisting the people of Armenia as they work through the transition to a democratic and market-oriented society." Despite this, there are also some interesting developments in the relationship between the United Methodist and the Armenian Apostolic Church. According to Richard Bryant, post-graduate research student at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, the Methodist Church has established a local NGO called AGAPE with the Armenian Church in conjunction with UMCOR and others, primarily in the Republic of Nagorno Karabagh and the Lachin corridor. According to Bryant's research, the relationship represents the basis on which "a deeper theological dialogue can shape the role that the church plays in an independent Armenia, and in its relationship to the Armenian government, and policies toward Nagorno Karabagh and Azerbaijan."
"The problems associated with working in Karabagh were a real issue when we first arrived in Armenia," explains Wollen. "US money could not get into Karabagh, and programs were limited. However, later congressional approval that allocated funds for 'victims of the conflict' released about $8 million for work in the republic through USAID," although Wollen also points out somewhat ironically that many of those victims now live in the high rise apartments of Baku, and in refugee camps scattered across Azerbaijan. "Reconciliation is also part of the strategy," he continues, "and programs in Bosnia and Georgia included the establishment of 'youth houses' that can provide a stimulating environment where youth can meet, and where educational, vocational and recreational programs can be provided for young people. We thought that it would be kind of neat if the kids in the youth houses here and in Azerbaijan could exchange stories by email, but many concerns were raised instead." Judy Wollen explains that while the governments in both Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh were receptive to the idea, in 1998, the UMCOR office in Azerbaijan found reluctance among government officials to encourage a program involving email contact. "We continue to be interested in joint Youth House programs however," she adds, "and there are many benefits to be gained from children in similar situations communicating with each other."
Regardless, youth houses in Yerevan and Stepanakert are still planned, even if the requirements of the two Armenian republics are somewhat different. "In Karabagh the main areas to concentrate on will be conflict resolution, whereas in Yerevan, the problem has more to do with the problem of street and vulnerable children." Judy Wollen also explains that key components will be to teach life skills to Armenian youth, and in particular skills such as punctuality, English and computer proficiency that are necessary for employment in an urban setting. Both Terry and Judy however, resign themselves to the fact that a sizeable number of youth in Armenia still want to leave the country to seek a better life abroad. "In my opinion," Wollen says, "the real needs of Armenia concern issues of poverty, employment and income generation. As a result, UMCOR has started to address those needs with credit programs. One program that operates in Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh is the 'AREGAK' Micro credit program - the largest program of its type in the NIS (Newly Independent States).
AREGAK provides loans of $300 to women in the villages of Armenia and Karabagh, and there are currently around eight thousand such loans out in the regions of both republics. Currently, AREGAK has service centers in Yeghegnadzor, Massis, Goris/Kapan, and Nagorno Karabagh. In January, a further two offices were opened in Armavir and Kotayk to provide credit to rural producers, processors and industries in order to generate business. According to Wollen, one of the core philosophies of UMCOR is not to become an entity that operates in Armenia forever, and an exit strategy exists through cooperation with local non-governmental organizations and agencies within the government in order to eventually transfer the work on to them. This year, AREGAK will become an independent financial institution with UMCOR on the Board of Directors, with the hope that it will become a fully sustainable institution operating under the laws of Armenia within two more years.. One method of achieving that sustainability exists already. A Monetization program develops the Armenian market for Armenian and American Agricultural products and channels the proceeds into investment in Armenian agriculture, and the strengthening of the primary health care system. In particular, according to UMCOR, a $2 million Monetization program for 1999 is intended to be channeled into the AREGAK Micro Credit Program.
Questions regarding the distribution of loans to women are answered simply. "Why women?" Terry answers rhetorically. "Well, after providing loans in the region of $5-30,000, when we looked at the records, we discovered that of 162 loans only two were to women. Women however, are quite often the ones that actually operate small businesses, and we also find that women are generally better in business than men." Judy Wollen is more direct. "There are statistics. Women pay loans back!" UMCOR's experience has certainly shown that to be the case, with a repayment rate of 97 percent. Terry Wollen is also quick to point out that because these loans are to women there are also other benefits. "We find it prevents divorce," he explains, "and keeps the family together by involving the men and children in the work. It does not destroy families." Because of the lack of collateral in some businesses however, new approaches to securing loans have to be realized. "We use a methodology called 'group lending' in which five people come together and guarantee the loan with each other. If one defaults on the loan, the others are responsible for repayment, and as a cohesive group lending methodology it has proven very successful, with some villages actually becoming very proud of the number of loans that they may manage to secure." Not everything is that simple, however. While there may be significant interest in the villages of Armenia, and the larger villages and towns in Nagorno Karabagh, some of the more rural villages in Karabagh find that they have no need of loans because they do not have any money whatsoever. Living in a system where bartering is prevalent, there is therefore no need for finance. Wollen also explains that these small loans only go to those with established businesses, but not necessarily limited to the agricultural sector, even if his own personal history might suggest the opposite. A veterinarian by profession, Wollen does however admit that his background in the animal health industry developing drugs for the livestock industry has proven to be very useful in Armenia.
"I began to understand that agriculture and healthy livestock could have a positive impact on countries such as Armenia," he says.. "So, when our kids were on the other side and I felt that I had achieved my goals in the organization that I worked for, I decided to come to Armenia with my wife, but by growing up in the middle of the United States, my knowledge of the former Soviet Union was of course very limited.. While I was aware that the Caucasus was a region with a deep well of history, I was certainly not aware that Armenia was a Christian nation as compared to the Georgian and Azerbaijani mix. However, over time, we have learnt a lot, and we understand the importance of this region." He also says that while other Heads of Mission may or may not have a background in agriculture or animal husbandry, the most important qualification necessary is simply the ability to objectively identify the needs of the country. Despite his comments that restricting UMCOR"s attention to one area may prove counterproductive, Wollen"s experience is certainly very useful. Upon visiting recipients of the Noyan Tapan Program, he identified poor yields from animals that had been distributed to two families, and the need for further assistance in the area of vocational training. One cow was producing five liters of milk, whereas Terry Wollen believed that between fifteen and twenty liters was possible.
Back at the UMCOR office in Yerevan, Judy Wollen invites me for lunch in the UMCOR canteen located in the basement, and practices her excellent Armenian with the women who produce one of the best spreads of local cuisine in the city. As we talk about the problems of encountering local strongmen in Armenia and Karabagh - and success in laying down the law with local authorities to stop the theft of loans paid to local women " it is apparent that UMCOR is well aware of the problems facing the two Armenian republics. Indeed, that open and honest approach in identifying the needs in Armenia and Karabagh gives some hope for the future. It is also interesting to note that when one UMCOR volunteer from Ghana worked in Vanadzor, a large industrial town with nearly total unemployment, he considered that the situation was far worse than that facing many living in Africa. "People don't have money in Africa, but they know the means of living," he observed. "In Armenia the people had always been reliant on the former Communist state for their needs."
Certainly, while humanitarian assistance is still vital, the need for responsible and sustainable development must also be high on any list of priorities for the Armenian Government, the Diaspora, and those international organizations operating in the country.
This story originally appeared in The Armenian Weekly, March 4, 2000. Onnik Krikorian is a European photojournalist.
The map(s) are in the public domain, adapted from one(s) obtained the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection.