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In 1988 a group of volunteers united to help the victims/refugees of the
disastrous earthquake and war. Within 20 years the spontaneous humanitarian
activities have grown into a powerful non-governmental structure, which due to
its experience and knowledge has gained a special place in the social support
sphere of Armenia.
In the hardest times for Armenia, Mission Armenia created, implemented and
developed a comprehensive system for providing community-based
social-healthcare services, which up to now have no parallels in either state or
public sectors. This system enabled the elderly, the disabled, refugees, and
other vulnerable groups to access a variety of social and healthcare services in
their homes and communities according to their personal needs and abilities.
Today, Mission Armenia has founded about 50 infrastructures that provide a
comprehensive set of community-based services to over 12,000 beneficiaries in 22
cities/towns in 8 regions in RA.
The services are provided through the community-based social-healthcare model
developed by Mission Armenia, which has traditional social work at its base. In
2007 the model was licensed by the international ISO 9001-2000 Quality
and Administrative Management System, as well as in 2008 RA Ministry of Labor
and Social granted license to Mission Armenia for social service provision.
Having adopted a systematized approach of assisting the vulnerable groups the
organization not only provides services to beneficiaries but also strives to
contribute to the overall improvement of social policies and the development of
social partnership.
Mission Armenia's community-based model has found wide recognition not only in
Armenia but also in the whole Caucasus region, having been introduced in
Georgia, Azerbaijan and Dagestan.
Mission Armenia is also:
- Founder of International Union of Black Sea
NGOs comprised of 50 NGOs from 12 states of the Black Sea region, the
secretariat of which is permanently based in Armenia and is headed by
the Mission Armenia NGO.
- Founder/member of different local, regional and
international networks dedicated to poverty reduction and social reforms for
the elderly, disabled and refugees
Mission Armenia Funding
Mission Armenia realizes its activities
collaborating with the Government of Armenia, local self-governing bodies, USAID,
UNHCR, a number of other international organizations as well as the Mission
Armenia branches in Australia and the United States.
Since 2007 a portion of funding necessary for the realization of Mission Armenia
activities has been provided by the Armenian government's Medium-Term
Expenditures program as well as by local self-governing bodies through
cost-sharing agreements.
Strategic objectives
- To ensure conditions necessary for vulnerable people to live an
independent and fulfilling life without segregating them from their familiar
environment and communities;
- To address their multifaceted social and health needs through community-based
services (health, care, food, social assistance, consulting, household repair
etc);
- Promote the formation and operations of self-help groups among the
elderly/vulnerable and initiate public awareness and advocacy campaigns;
- Help vulnerable locals and refugees to escape their status as passive
recipients of humanitarian aid and the hopelessness of such a situation;
- Ensure different income-gaining opportunities for them and provide the means
for competitive participation in the current conditions of market economy
(vocational training, consulting, interest-free micro loans, temporary
employment opportunities, etc);
- Lobby for national strategies and legislative frameworks to tackle core issues
of poverty;
- Always consider the preferences of the beneficiaries regarding the provision
of services and prioritize those activities that are considered most important
and beneficial for them.
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