Day: May 21, 2024

AKHURYAN, Armenia—The Assarian Vocational Training Program has launched a new round of training at the Lentex Textile Factory in the village of Akhuryan just outside of Gyumri, Armenia. Part of the Paros Foundation and the Debi Arach Children’s Center in Gyumri, the Assarian Vocational Training Program has launched a new segment of training classes on sewing for 15 participants, including two women who were forcefully displaced from Artsakh last year. At the end of their training, it is expected that all of the participants will be hired as full-time employees at the Lentex Factory. 

The Paros Foundation Team with the 15 Lentex Textile Factory Assarian Vocational Training Program participants.

This new round of training follows the successful 2021 training sponsored through the Assarian Vocational Training Program. Participants then took part in sewing classes at the Lentex Textile Factory headquarters in Gyumri. This training proved to be successful, as all 12 participants were hired full-time following completion of the classes. Today, they are still gainfully employed at Lentex. 

“The Assarian Vocational Training Program continues its mission of providing real world vocational training for people who want to work,” said Peter Abajian, executive director of The Paros Foundation. “Within two short months, these participants are training and will have secured meaningful employment and a way of supporting their families.”

Since the beginning of the Assarian Vocational Training Program, the goal has been to provide young adults with a set of skills and tools to secure employment and help break their family’s cycle of poverty. In 2016, with the support of the Dr. Gary and Linda Assarian Family Foundation, the Debi Arach Children’s Center launched their vocational training program, offering technology-centered courses teaching web design and web programming. Identifying an opportunity to grow the program, in 2019 instruction for cosmetologists, hair stylists, make-up artists and manicurists was added. In 2021, the Hianali Beauty Center was launched as a salon that offers training classes for students, as well as public services. Furthermore, vocational courses are also now offered at Digital Pomegranate and the Lentex Textile Factory. Almost 75-percent of the participants who have been trained through one of these programs are now gainfully employed within their chosen field and are earning an income to support their families. 

The Hianali Beauty Center and Vocational Training Program was launched in 2021 and is operated through the generous support of Dr. Gary and Mrs. Linda Assarian (MI-USA).

The Dr. Gary and Linda Assarian Family Foundation, whose generous donations underwrite the vocational training programs, has spearheaded this program’s efforts and seen to its continuous growth. In 2019, the program was renamed the Assarian Vocational Training Program in honor of their support. They are dedicated to the mission of empowering Armenians through practical training and finding new ways to grow the program. They are also helping fund the construction of a new housing facility in Gyumri, an extension of the Debi Arach Children’s Center, and a space for vocational training in the garment industry that will train and employ 50 participants a year. 

Dr. Gary Assarian said, “We are committed to creating a diverse number of opportunities for people. So far, it is uncanny how successful program participants have been. Through vocational training, people are able to have employment opportunities, because they now have a marketable trade. The vocational training covers a vast span of local industries, giving people an opportunity to live free and prosper where they currently reside. Part of our mission is to instill opportunities for local Armenians to be able to earn a living in Armenia and stay in Armenia.”

The Paros Foundation was launched in 2006 and has implemented almost $16 million worth of projects in Armenia through its unique model of philanthropy and community partnership. These projects are located throughout the country, with the majority of work focused in Gyumri and in the Tavush and Syunik regions, along the border with Azerbaijan. All administrative expenses are underwritten, allowing 100-percent of donor contributions to be allocated in their entirety to the projects. To support this and other projects of The Paros Foundation, please visit www.parosfoundation.org.

Author information

The post Assarian Vocational Training Program resurging at the Lentex Textile Factory appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.

Trashland

By Denis Donikian

Translated by Christopher Atamian

Nauset Press, 2023

In Trashland, we first meet Gam as he watches over a funeral. We find out that the funeral is for his mother, whom he had not seen nor spoken to in years. While away from his family, he has been working at a trash dump in Armenia. 

Throughout the book, we get to meet different people that Gam directly or indirectly interacts with. We see their common struggle to survive, their innermost thoughts and their political commentary. 

Relatable and heartbreaking, Trashland exposes the dichotomy of experiences in Armenia, from those trying to escape poverty to greedy politicians. Through the lens of an Armenian in the diaspora, we are presented with political and cultural commentary, inviting the reader to reflect on the post-Soviet Armenian experience.

Capturing us from the first words of the book “Der voghormia” to common phrases and curse words, Donikian’s usage of Armenian words and phrases at the right place and time transported me into the world of Armenians. The strategic choice of these words helps the reader place themselves in the shoes of its characters and to understand their experiences.

Translated from French to English by Christopher Atamian, the book still has some words that are not translated, particularly an exchange between two characters, Lala and Mauricette, in which Lala shares that she knows some vocabulary in French for private parts. She says that she knows a woman’s private parts as “veurgé, pé-nisse, couillé, mont dé Vénussé, glitéris, betite leuvré, grand leuvré” as well as a man’s “As-peurgé, manhir, sucrre d’orrgé, fluté de pan-pan, tourloutyutyu, baobabé, membré virril, zizi, zigounetté…” As a fluent French speaker who learned it as an adult, I recognized some of these words but found the choice of not translating these words to English strategic on the part of the translator – perhaps because sex, sexual private parts or anything related to sexuality are all taboo topics in Armenian culture.

One of Donikian’s strengths is unveiling Gam’s internal dialogue. In one scene, as Gam wakes up in the morning, he says to himself, “Hey you slacker, how long are you going to sleep?” Throughout the book, we hear this internal dialogue, which allows us to truly see Gam and relate to his struggles.

Donikian also exposes a common experience that we see with Armenians – discussion of politics to dissect current circumstances. At one point in the book, the elders are caught criticizing politicians during Gam’s mother’s funeral. They exchange bold statements about poverty and criticism of corrupt politicians. One of the elders comments, “So, they stole a bit of iron or copper from abandoned factories to sell it. What’s the harm in that? They have to feed their families, don’t they? They didn’t steal to buy themselves a Hummer or jet plane or to go gambling in a casino. It was to feed their families. I call that moral theft, while our elected looters continue to grab the bread from our mouths with complete impunity.” We also hear about a widow, Artemis, whose husband never visited a doctor despite having a severe cough, because “he has his household to provide for.” 

As an Armenian woman, I found it interesting that Donikian criticizes the way women are talked about and treated. In one chapter, we see a group of women protesting as an elderly man walks by and calls them “latchar feminists,” followed by a chapter where these same women are conversing about what to buy and cook for their husbands. I also enjoyed the cultural commentary through the stories of its many other characters, notably that of Zara, a journalist who exposes the corruption of the “rich and powerful.”

I recommend Trashland for its creative dialogue and political and cultural commentary.

Author information

The post Book Review | Trashland appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.

International Policy Digest publication highlights lasting peace opportunities in South Caucasus  News.Az

Who is Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s acting foreign minister?  Al Jazeera English

On May 21, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky called President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

As the press service of the Azerbaijani president reported, during a telephone conversation the heads of state discussed issues of regional security and bilateral cooperation in energy, trade and other areas.

It was…

Sadettin Tantan, the former Minister of Internal Affairs of Turkey, recently shared his views on the recent helicopter crash involving former Iranian President Ibrahim Reisi. In an exclusive interview with Turan News Agency, Tantan discussed the incident, highlighting the shortcomings in state security protocols and reflecting on broader regional dynamics….

Armenia News  NEWS.am

Armenian American Museum Hosts Sold Out Horizon Gala  Armenian News by MassisPost

Protest Leader Meets Karabakh Armenians  Ազատություն Ռադիոկայան

President of Ukraine makes phone call to President Ilham Aliyev  Trend News Agency