By Christopher Crowson
The Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) unveiled its new fleet of minibuses last week. The initiative is meant to provide children from rural communities safer transport and access to the foundation’s one-of-a-kind SMART Center.
The event took place at the SMART centre itself, nestled in the forested mountains of Lori province near to the villages of Chkalov and Debet. Attendees included COAF staff, the foundation’s and the minibuses’ principal donor Jack Youredjian as well as the minibus drivers themselves.
“We have 16 new buses that will help us create more equal opportunities for students to come and go [to the centre]. It is free and will serve around 2000 students from around 30 communities from Lori province,” Talin Saghdasaryan, the SMART Center’s Educational Program Development and Evaluation Lead, told CivilNet.
COAF was founded in 2004 by Dr. Garo Armen, with the mission of revitalising Armenia’s rural regions and providing increased opportunities to rural youth. Beginning with the renovation of a school in the village of Karakert, Lori province, the foundation has developed into an ambitious and holistic initiative aiming to eliminate rural poverty. COAF now delivers world-class educational programs, healthcare resources, social services, career training and economic and infrastructure development projects throughout Armenia.
The COAF SMART Center is one of the most innovative and tech-savvy education hubs in rural Armenia, if not the entire country. Having opened its doors in 2018, the center is COAF’s largest investment in the Lori region since the foundation’s establishment.
Ani Mouradian, COAF’s Communications and Content specialist, explained to CivilNet that the SMART Center “is the first of its kind with regards to the programs and the curriculum that it provides. It offers free of charge, after school education for students and youth in underserved communities who could really use it to broaden their horizons and discover their potential.”
The cheerful event included a presentation in the center’s modern and well-lit auditorium.
Attendees gather in the SMART Center’s auditorium for a presentation on the in and outs of the center’s updated transportation system. (PHOTO: CivilNet / Christopher Crowson)
While the SMART Center offered free transportation before, the 16 new minibuses offer safer passage through mountainous terrain.
The drivers also went through an intensive vetting process to maximise security for the children.“There were several interview stages, after which the drivers still had to take a driving test. You may ask why would we do that? But it was to ensure that we know for a fact that they are good drivers who also care about being safe on the road,” Mrs. Saghdasaryan explained.
COAF’s new minibuses in the SMART Center car park, Lori Region, Armenia (PHOTO: CivilNet / Christopher Crowson)
The implementation of this improved transportation system was another essential and innovative step for the COAF foundation and its operations in the Lori region.
“It was pretty important for us to have an in-house transportation service just so we can be sure that you have drivers who know what they’re doing and that if something goes wrong, we have all of the necessary tools to course correct. Furthermore, since we now have all of the data, we can also ensure that over time we’re continually improving the system”, said Mrs. Saghdasaryan.
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