Armenia

In December 2018, Armenians celebrated the 2800th anniversary of their capital city, Yerevan. Earlier in the year, thousands of Armenians had taken to the streets of Yerevan to peacefully protest widespread government corruption and major class disparities. As a result, the country now has a new government and parliament. Armenians have high hopes for their country’s future with the new prime minister’s vow to fight corruption. However, Armenia is still plagued by deep gender inequality that causes many domestic violence issues for women and girls. And even with the positive governmental changes, the path to democracy and socio-economic transformation is still long and uncertain. Thanks to the support of our donors, vulnerable families’ lives are improving in our project areas. Our Caring for Equality project is encouraging families to value each child’s life, even those unborn, and training parents on raising their kids well. The program is also offering care for pregnant women through all stages of pregnancy, including the country’s first-ever postnatal depression screening. To keep strengthening young children’s development, our staff in Armenia produced eight educational videos teaching families about topics like healthy brain development in babies. Our partners’ support also helped train social workers and kindergarten teachers on creating nurturing environments for young kids. Together with USAID, we’re helping strengthen child protection systems and supporting young adults with professional skills training and job readiness. Children of all ages are empowered to be active change-makers in their own communities.