Javakhk

There are three working youth centers in Javakhk. The Akhaltskha, Akhalkalak and Ninotsminda (formerly known as Bogdanovka) Armenian youth centers were inaugurated in 2006, 2007 and 2010, respectively. The three centers were bought and repaired by the ARS Javakhk Fund Committee of the Western USA. The Centers serve to strengthen & enrich the knowledge of the youth of Javakhk. Approximately 250-300 young people of different ages, from nearby Armenian villages attend different activities free of charge.

Programs & Projects

In 2001, the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) founded the Javakhk Fund program, and the ARS of Western USA established a Javakhk Fund Committee.  The high rate of unemployment, lack of rural access to healthcare and systematic governmental neglect has severely marginalized the Armenian population of Javakhk. In response to their alarming living conditions, the ARS Javakhk Fund has initiated several year-round programs focusing on health care, youth, education, social assistance and Armenian culture.

Health Care

Since the reforms in the mid 1990s, which led to further privatization of healthcare in Georgia, access to proper medical care for Javakhk Armenians became nearly impossible. The ARS Javakhk Fund allocated funding to remedy the situation created with lack of modern equipment, unreliable emergency generators, inoperable ambulances and the absence of accessible hospitals. The ARS Javakhk Fund assisted in providing ambulatories in 16 villages as well as organized a training for doctors and nurses in the Ninotsminda-Akhalkalak region to provide primary healthcare to the overall region.

Youth Centers

There are three working youth centers in Javakhk. The Akhaltskha, Akhalkalak and Ninotsminda Armenian youth centers were inaugurated in 2006, 2007 and 2010, respectively. The Centers serve to strengthen & enrich the knowledge of the youth of Javakhk. Approximately 250-300 young people of different ages, from nearby Armenian villages attend different activities free of charge. Both centers have a library and internet access. Here are a few activities that youth centers provide to the young Javakhk population:

Armenian courses – for Armenian students attending Russian schools:

• Courses in History of Armenia
• English language courses: English is considered one of the most important international languages of communication. The majority of the pupils attending the courses are Georgians.
• Computer courses: basic computer and internet courses are of great importance, creating an outlet to the outside world.
• Needlework courses
• Singing, Dancing and Theatrical courses
• Chess & painting clubs
• Tumo – Akhalkalak (was established in 2021)

Education

The lack of governmental funding to the region has led to the degradation of local Armenian schools. Schools had to turn to parents to provide funds for heating classrooms, and did not have adequate funds for schoolbooks and supplies. The ARS Javakhk Fund allocated funds to ensure better educational opportunities for youth, by funding school renovation projects, teacher-training seminars, writing workshops, and competitive opportunities for students.

Javakhk Coin Banks

The “Javakhk Coin Banks” program is organized every year by the ARS Javakhk Fund Committee. The campaign mobilizes school children from local Armenian schools to raise funds for the organization’s various humanitarian and youth-oriented projects in Javakhk. The Coin Bank Project’s aims are two-fold. Alongside raising money to provide humanitarian assistance in the region, the program also seeks to help educate our youth attending Armenian day schools and ARS schools about the needs of the children living in Javakhk.

In 2012, a children’s book titled, “Javakhk, A World That Cares”, was published written by Jennifer Salmassian and illustrated by Brittany A. Baughman. The book is intended as an educational supplement to teach schoolchildren at age levels six to ten about Javakhk. It provides expressive illustrations accompanied with vignettes of Armenian children around the world.