Capital: Yerevan
Area: 29,800 km²
Population: 3 million (July 2005)
Ethnic groups: Armenian, Azeri, Russian, others
Official language(s): Armenian
Religion(s): Armenian Orthodox
Currency: 1 dram = 100 luma
SOS Children's Villages' activities in the country
Following the devastating earthquake in Armenia on December 7th, 1988, SOS Children's Villages decided to offer immediate aid to the children who had lost their parents. In co-operation with the Armenian Lenin Children's Foundation it was soon possible to find a suitable plot of land in the town of Kotajk, just outside the area that had been destroyed and about 15 kilometres from Yerevan. Construction was started on the first Armenian SOS Children's Village and in 1990 the first children were able to move into their new homes together with their SOS mothers.
There were no pre-school facilities in the vicinity and so a provisional SOS Kindergarten was initially set up in one of the family houses. This was replaced by a purpose-built SOS Kindergarten in 1995. In February 2001 an SOS Youth Facility was set up in Yerevan for the youths who had outgrown the SOS Children's Village. Here they are looked after until they are able to live on their own.
In April 2006 SOS Children's Villages Armenia started to operate Family Strengthening Programmes, which enable children who are at risk of losing the care of their family to grow within a caring family environment. To achieve this, SOS Children's Villages Armenia works directly with families and communities to empower them to effectively protect and care for their children, in cooperation with local authorities and other service providers. In December 2007 construction works for Armenia's second SOS Children's Village were taken up in Idjevan, a town located in the north-eastern part of Armenia.
At present there are one SOS Children's Village in Armenia, one SOS Youth Facility, one SOS Kindergarten and three SOS Social Centres.
Contact:
SOS Children's Village Armenian Charity Foundation
5a Tpagrichneri str. apt.3
375010 Yerevan
Armenia
Tel/Fax +374-10 52 09 96