Promoting the Inclusion of Displaced Children with Disabilities

Focusing on the inclusion of children with disabilities, we collaborated with the Development and Cooperation Foundation and the Lusastgh, we have met with two 13-year-olds, Valentin and Arsen, who were both displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh and now reside in Yerevan and Vanadzor, respectively.

Valentin, who has cerebral palsy, faced significant challenges with walking, and his speech development was delayed. His mother, Valentina, shares, "My dream was for Valentin to be able to speak and become independent." Thanks to a tablet, a special application, and work with a teacher, that dream has become a reality.

Beyond caring for her son, Valentina aspired to start a business in Nagorno-Karabakh to better provide for Valentin and her other two children, aged four and six. Despite being in Armenia now, she continues her efforts by preparing and selling "zhingyalov hats" (herb-stuffed flatbread) in small quantities from home. She recalls being deeply moved upon learning about the support programme and the application that now enables Valentin to communicate.

The "ARMAV" application is a free, Armenian-language alternative communication app for tablets, designed for children, teenagers, and adults who are unable to speak. It includes around 2,000 words and allows users to create an unlimited number of words or symbols.

Within this project we have provided psychological and rehabilitation services to displaced children with developmental disorders from Nagorno-Karabakh and their families. A total of 11 families, comprising 33 members, have received over 580 services through this initiative.

Lusine Babayan, Chair of the Board of the Development and Cooperation Foundation, highlights the importance of our collaboration, emphasising the significance of the content and the sustainability of the project. "We highly value PIN’s working approach not only in terms of funding but also in terms of work culture and values. We have adopted the same principles when working with our other partners and deeply appreciate the connections and values embedded in the operations of civil society organisations."

Lusine further notes how the project successfully engaged the private sector, in addition to partnering with state education institutions. "We collaborated with two private rehabilitation centers, and beyond their dedicated and effective contributions within the project, they have now independently introduced new services at their centers beyond the project’s scope."

Meanwhile, Arsen, who now lives in Vanadzor, has also made significant progress. He has improved his ability to express emotions and communicate more effectively with those around him. Arsen's mother, Ruzanna, says that for him, the Lusastgh centre feels like a school.

"We received a call from 'Lusastgh' NGO informing us about a support program. The center's specialists started working with Arsen, and he is always excited to attend."

Ani Gabrielyan, President of Lusastgh, says that during a need’s assessment, they discovered that the number of displaced children with disabilities in Vanadzor was quite high. Thanks to the sub-grant project, more than 50 children from displaced families have received six months of free therapy services, including kinesiology, speech therapy, psychology, art therapy, and pedagogy, helping them gradually overcome numerous challenges.

At the same time, the children's parents participated in carpet weaving and doll-making workshops, unlocking their creative potential and acquiring new skills.

These sub-granted projects were implemented through our "Reinforcement of Migration Management System in the Republic of Armenia - ReMMAr" project. Among the project participant 19 CSOs, 4 of them (Lusastgh, Development and Cooperation Foundation, Inclusion Armenia, Astghavard) have been directly working with children with disabilities and their parents. In total, jointly, we could help 119 disabled children living in the regions of Armenia.

ReMMAr is co-funded by the European Union through the Migration Partnership Facility (MPF) implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).