From volunteering to permanent residence: AVC brings volunteers from around the world to Armenia

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. More than 1100 foreigners – both Diaspora-Armenians and other nationalities, have visited Armenia to do volunteering thanks to the program Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC). Some of them have decided to stay in Armenia, others have not stopped the contacts with Armenia after the completion of the program, they visit the country very often and engage in different projects.

The program has deep roots. It all started when a former Peace Corps volunteer came to Armenia. After the completion of the program he decided to create a similar project. And in the year 2000, AVC was founded. Since 2006, under the auspices of H. Hovnanian Family Foundation, AVC provides individuals outside the Armenian Diaspora aged 21 and Diaspora-Armenians and individuals outside the Diaspora aged 32 with an opportunity to come to Armenia to make volunteering. Meanwhile, Birthright Armenia organizes volunteering programs for Diaspora-Armenians between the ages of 21 and 32.

AVC offers the following volunteering programs:

Junior Corps for individuals between the ages of 21 and 32

Professional Corps for individuals between the ages of 32 and 59

Senior Corps for individuals 60 or older

AVC Executive Director Arina Zohrabian is also one of the alumni of the program. She made her first trip to Armenia for volunteering back in 2002. And now, already as the Executive Director of the AVC, she is telling about the details of the program, the achievements registered and the expectations. Zohrabian says volunteering is a way to change life. “Volunteering is not about giving only, they also get and learn many things”, she said, reminding their slogan “Come Move Mountains”.

Arina Zohrabian (AVC Executive Director)

Many volunteering programs around the globe require large sums of money, but as AVC is operating under the auspices of H. Hovnanian Family Foundation, it does not require funds from volunteers for a volunteering for a period of 1 month to 1 year, as well as, in addition to organizing volunteering programs, the organization is also providing support on different matters, as Armenian language classes for free, host-family living arrangements, networking, forums so that volunteers will have a better understanding about Armenia and will adapt quickly. Arina Zohrabian says their mission is to help volunteers better know Armenia, have a positive experience and a productive activity in the country.

“Individual approach is provided to the applicants, the project managers are trying to understand their knowledge, capabilities and interests. Importance is mainly attached to the desire and what contribution a person can bring to Armenia. People are selected who can bring even a little positive change to Armenia. Then, they consider the needs of more than 1300 partner organizations in Armenia, where the project participants do volunteering, and connect each other”, she said.

Volunteer Leana Correiapinto (France)

AVC partner organizations represent different areas – business, education, culture, art and IT. Volunteers also work in governmental agencies, for example, the Tourism Committee, the Office of High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, the Ministry of Health, schools and universities.

“This year is the first year when more than 100 volunteers came to Armenia within the framework of the project. As of this moment, 109 volunteers have arrived in Armenia, 18 others continue their volunteering since last year. 41% of them are from the Diaspora, the others are individuals outside the Diaspora”, the AVC Executive Director said.

Within the frames of the project, volunteers visited Armenia from 26 countries, particularly from USA, France, Russia, Argentina, Canada, Australia, England, Germany, the Netherlands, India and many more countries. Many volunteers preferred to stay in Armenia after the completion of the project and some others returned back later for a permanent residence.

“When I was interviewing a boy from Brazil, I asked him why Armenia?” He said that in high school he read a lot about the Holocaust, about different countries, but there were only two short paragraphs about Armenia, the Armenian Genocide, which raised his interest to learn more about Armenia. In other words, the lack of material about the Armenian Genocide caused him to study Armenia more and fall in love with the country. After the completion of the project he also studied in Armenia for several months. Now he plans to return to Armenia to share his professional skills and maybe stay here permanently”, Zohrabian said.

Volunteer Peter Van Der Deen (Netherlands)

Volunteers visiting Armenia from different countries are bringing with them their experience, as well as a new approach, creative ideas and positive changes.

Stephen Bridges from the United States came to Armenia “to move mountains”. He is in Armenia for already 3 months as part of AVC. He is doing volunteering in the Tourism Committee of Armenia as a content writer. “My work entails writing content for the first state published maps of Armenia. Specifically, we are making tourism brochures for each region in Armenia. Moreover, I write content for the Committee's new website as well as all of their social media outlets”, Stephen Bridges says.

Stephen Bridges (USA)

Stephen is actively involved in AVC’s community service projects, which, he says, serve as great opportunities to help local communities and network with fellow volunteers. “I applied because I wanted to do an internship abroad during the last semester of my master’sdegree. I also wanted to see Armenia with my own eyes, as I have grown up around Armenians and Armenian culture. Participating in AVC has given me a respectable and useful place in Armenian society and has given purpose to my time in Armenia”, he notes.

Stephen says AVC has provided him with a strong social and professional network. “AVC has given me insight into life in Armenia from the perspectives of locals and expats, and has shown me the fulfilling, substantial impact we can have on Armenia through meaningful service”, he adds.

Senior Corps volunteers

He considers “absolutely” possible his permanent stay in Armenia after the completion of the program. Stephen currently does not speak much Armenian, but says that being immersed in a professional Armenian environment has undoubtedly added to his knowledge of the Armenian language.“I have not yet started officially studying the Armenian language, but I have learned a handful of words and phrases from the constant exposure to the language”, he says.

By the way, Upasna Dutt from India, who has been living in Armenia since 2019, knows Armenian better, and when she meets Armenians who cannot communicate in English, she says: “vochinch yes hayaren hascanum em byts mikhich khosum em” [It’s okay, I understand Armenian, but I speak little]. And the reaction of these Armenians helps Upasna Dutt learn new words and communicate even better.

Upasna Dutt (India)

“Being an Indian, I don’t think the language will help me much but yes I can proudly say that I know Hayaren when I meet other Armenians around the world”, she says.

Upasna Dutt is currently working in the Dental department at the American Armenian Wellness Centre 3 days a week and the rest of the 2 days at the NKR NGO. “My work mainly deals with helping organizations with various projects such as fundraising as well as new project implementations for their upliftment. After completing the desired projects, I am looking forward to adding one more job site to my voluntary work”, she states.

As for why she decided to apply to the program and do volunteering in Armenia, she explains that being an active youth worker, she did not get a chance to serve the people of Armenia, due to her academic schedule. “As soon as I finished my first Masters’ degree program, I immediately applied to volunteer with AVC. It gives me “Happiness to my heart’s content” in other words this is where I see myself throughout my ambitious career. To be a youth worker and help bring about change in the generation today. I’m sure someone would ask me but what am I gaining from this in the professional field? I would say that networking is what helps an individual ascend in their career and here I am giving my best to receive the best”, she says.

Upasna says she cannot stay in Armenia permanently, but states: “I will keep coming back to my people in Armenia and as an AVC alumnus”.

The motivating stories of AVC alumni abound. One of them won a scholarship program after the completion of the project and is currently conducting trainings for teachers of various schools in Gegharkunik province. There are different motives for coming to Armenia for a volunteer work within the framework of the project. For instance, a woman from Colombia came to Armenia for a volunteering because of her high interest towards the country, because of the stories she heard from her Armenian friends. Another one came to Armenia because her daughter married an Armenian, which inspired her to better know the country and its people. One of the program participants, a foreigner outside the Diaspora, married an Armenian and is now preparing videos about the historical sites of Armenia, translates them in Arabic in order to spread them globally.

According to Arina Zohrabian, the good environment, people, culture, history, the sense of safety and the hospitality of Armenians as well bring volunteers to Armenia. Almost all volunteers fall in love with Armenia.

The AVC Executive Director says during the activities of the project of all these years they have managed to achieve the goal put from the very start. This project has helped spread the culture of volunteering, people have started to understand the importance of volunteering more. Every year, the program is more and more in demand both by Diaspora-Armenians and individuals outside the Armenian Diaspora.