Community Development

Background

Around 29.8 % of Armenia’s population still lives in poverty. The 2008 Economic crisis led to a steep increase in these numbers. Many Armenians continue to  flee to Russia in search of seasonal jobs. 

Challenge

 This is due to the high unemployment rates, broken agriculture system and lack of job opportunities. Rural communities bear the most burden of these circumstances.

SBB Intervention 

We work with the local communities to empower them and encourage them to make the best utilization of the available resources. If you are a creative soul that wants to learn about some of the challenges of rural life, if you want to have an input in some of the community’s smallest issues you are most welcome to join. We have previously seen wonderful projects led by volunteers which helped to build local libraries, waste segregation, recreational youth clubs, plantation of new trees and many more.

    Main tasks of the volunteers:

  • Do some sessions with students and adults to identify the biggest issues in the Community
  • Come up with solutions that require least possible resources to obtain in the rural environment (getting materials from Yerevan or nearby city is also possible)
  • Hold meetings with the active youth and students of the village and come up with implementation strategy
  • Implement your project and make an impact in the community that will remember you for long

  1. Program Base: Armenia

  2. Project duration: 1 week-month

  3. Joining dates: Throughout the year 

  4. Arrival date: Saturday or Sunday are preferable, if not weekdays will be managed 

  5. Arrival airport : Zvartnots International Airport

  6. Drop to Hostel in Yerevan for two night to take rest and then be shifted to the project location

  7. Working days: Monday to Friday, Weekends are off 

  8. Weekends: Free to do sightseeing or travel

  9. Requirements: Basic English

  • Pre-arrival assistance
  • Detailed pre-arrival orientation and cultural awareness info
  • Pick-up from Zvartnots International Airport
  • A detailed orientation about Armenia, project, cultural responsibility and things to remember in India, SIM card assistance
  • Accommodation with host family (single or dual occupancy) or volunteer house
  • All meals (Authentic Armenian meals) Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
  • Resource materials to use on project
  • Weekly market visit to shop for your necessities
  • Cultural workshops
  • Airport drop at Zvartnots International Airport
  • Logistics & program assistance if required
  • Emergency support

Host family: Armenian local family which is ready to receive you like a family member, share food and space with you is considered host family. Chances of having single or dual occupancy are there as we don’t keep more than 3 people in one room in host families. Host family accommodation is best to discover the local culture and to enjoy home-made Armenian food. Food includes breakfast, lunch and dinner made by the host and includes vegetarian authentic dishes and from time to time non-veg food. Each family is carefully chosen to ensure the family has the basic standards of living required for our participants. All participants need to know that in rural Armenia living standards are lower and chances of now having a shower but a bucket of hot water are there. Similarly in rural Armenia toilets are not always within the house but outside and it’s more a squat rather than a toilet with seat. As each village is different and we send volunteers based on the demand of the specific time, we inform our participants in advance which village they will visit and if there is western bathroom standard available or no. It’s important to mention your readiness to cooperate with the rural conditions as based on that we can select the village you will work with. We work in more than 50 villages of Armenia and we usually don’t send more than 2 volunteers at a time to the same village as we want more villages to benefit of the volunteering program.

Facilities include:

  • Shared bedroom (max 3 people-chances of single room available)
  • Western or rural toilet (if you are not ready for a squat which is most common toilet type in the villages out of the house, then this may not fit you as a volunteer option)
  • Drinking water
  • Hot & cold water (possibly heated on gas)
  • Common Fridge
  • Common washing machine
  • Kitchen access to cook food if wished so
  • Family environment
  • Comfortable & safe stay option
  • Celebration of festivals together

MEALS:

During the program we provide breakfast, lunch and dinner in the village (in Yerevan you are free to choose your food as there are so many restaurants and cafes). All the volunteers in the villages will have Armenian meals as we believe food is a part of cultural immersion. Armenian food is not spicy but it will definitely be different from what you may be used to. Breakfast is usually tea or coffee, bread, cheese, jam, egg, etc. Lunch and Dinner are similar as it may include one vegetable fried or cooked, some lentils or rice, some Armenian soup or salad. We realize that from time to time participants would like to eat non-Armenian food so it is possible to cook your preferred food in host family upon availability of the ingredients. You may need to know that rural Armenian dishes are simple so you can’t expect mushroom, avocado or any similar ingredient to be available. Besides, many vegetables are seasonal so you may discuss the food details with our coordinator staff prior or during your stay. We will do our best to accommodate vegetarian diet (Armenians are mostly non-vegetarian and it’s sometimes even culturally difficult for rural Armenians to understand how it’s possible to survive without meat).

  • Air fare
  • Visa
  • Insurance
  • Local transportation (mostly on walking distance or support from coordinators)
  • Personal expenses

For costs and further details please contact us on info@stepbeyondborders.org