YEREVAN, August 16. /ARKA/. For several months, four children with special needs from the Arvestaran educational and cultural center have been actively engaged in the Loshik social entrepreneurship program.
Thanks to this initiative, they produce flatbreads, pancakes, crackers, and lunch boxes, which are subsequently sold in supermarkets and cafes, thereby providing employment not only for the youth but also for their parents.
The Arvestaran educational and cultural center has emerged as one of the recipients of the annual grant program from the Stepan Gishyan charity foundation. This funding has enabled the re-equipping of the kitchen, allowing the youth to increase production capacity and boost sales, as reported by the press service of Acba Bank.
“The Arvestaran public organization is addressing a significant social issue. There are few organizations that recognize the importance of integrating children with special needs into society, particularly through their participation in the workforce. Organizations like Arvestaran have taken a crucial step in this regard,” stated Anna Gishyan, Director of the Stepan Gishyan charity foundation.
“Initially, we faced numerous challenges: transferring skills was quite difficult, but now the children have achieved a level of independence. Thanks to the Stepan Gishyan charity foundation, we have made significant progress, as we previously lacked the necessary equipment to handle these products, relying instead on manual preparation. Such support provides us with tremendous opportunities, and we are now moving forward with great enthusiasm,” remarked Hasmik Tangyan, Founder of the Arvestaran NGO.
The Stepan Gishyan charity foundation was established by Acba Bank, French Credit Agricole, the National Federation of Credit Agricole, and the Gishyan family. The foundation’s initiatives focus on strengthening Armenian-French relations, enhancing and refining socio-economic, scientific-educational, cultural, and media aspects.-0-
