Armenia

World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Armenia to improve their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their children, families, and communities. World Vision’s child sponsorship program plays a vital role in this partnership, with donors from the United States sponsoring more than 7,300 girls and boys. In addition to sponsorship, World Vision operates other programs that benefit communities in Armenia. Highlights include:

• Assisting communities to develop disaster preparedness programs.
• Distributing medical supplies and winter clothing to encourage school attendance.
• Providing thousands of people in villages with primary healthcare services.
• Supporting community centers to provide professional assistance to more than a thousand children and their families.

In December 1988, World Vision began ministering to the people of Armenia after a devastating earthquake. World Vision quickly responded by delivering more than $1 million in medical supplies to survivors in the most severely impacted areas. Since then, some of World Vision’s major accomplishments have included:

• Providing food staples and blankets to struggling families after Armenia’s independence in 1991.
• Delivering donated food to thousands of hungry people and improving houses for hundreds of families during the early 1990s.
• Offering small loans and business training to small and medium-sized business owners in the late 1990s.
• Improving mother and child nutrition, HIV and AIDS prevention, and disaster relief since the beginning of the 21st century.

Geography and people

Armenia is a small landlocked country that sits between the Black and Caspian Seas on the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Georgia, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkey border this mountainous country. A plateau with little forest growth makes up the terrain.

Lake Sevan, located in eastern Armenia, is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world. The lake is a popular tourist spot, as well as a source for electricity, irrigation, and fish.

Natural resources include small deposits of gold, copper, zinc, and bauxite.

The Armenian people have lived in the Southern Caucasus region since about 2,500 B.C. Today, about 98 percent of the population is ethnic Armenian. Most people speak the official language of Armenian; however, the Yezidis and Russians speak their own languages.

Armenians value close family ties. Parents also place high importance on learning and work to give their children the best education possible.

History

In ancient times, Armenia ruled itself for two centuries then fell under the rule of the Romans, Persians, Arabs, Byzantines, Mongols, and Turks. Armenia became the world’s first nation to adopt Christianity as its official religion in A.D. 301.

In 1920, Russia incorporated Armenia as one of its socialist republics. Years later, a five-year war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the late 1980s, leaving 35,000 people dead and 900,000 displaced. Azerbaijan and Turkey closed their borders to Armenia after the war’s end in 1994.

Armenia declared independence in 1991 and seceded from the Soviet Union, joining the United Nations a year later. The next decade saw massive food and energy shortages, which sparked several protests by Armenians.

Armenia has recently approached Turkey to resume diplomatic discussions.

Please pray for:

Economic stability so Armenians do not have to leave their families and look for jobs outside the country.

The protection and care of children in Armenia.