Waterworld, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian /ASTP-PADCO

No sooner than I posted the previous entry, ASTP-PADCO sent me a link to their page of photos for the 2005 annual outing by the kids from the Vanadzor Children’s Home (Orphanage) to Waterworld in Yerevan (UPDATE: now offline since their project ended in Armenia).

This is the fourth year we organized this event and the kids look forward to it throughout the year. From the early sleepy – headed morning tumble into the hired buses at Vanadzor to the exhausted collapse into their own bunks at midnight the kids had an action packed day. An early start ensured that everyone had a full day at the waterpark. As they do every year Waterworld management gave a special entrance rate for all the kids and their minders. The kids tried every water slide at least twenty times- rode every exciting flume rides ten times, dared each other to face ‘The Edge Rapid Slide’, swam against the artificial waves, rode the ‘Torpedo Tube’ and the more adventurous endured the ‘Rapids Descent! Swimming can be therapeutic but these rides had the adrenalin flowing and the kids had a great day out.

A larger collection of images can now be viewed online here.

ISSC, Vanadzor, Lori Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian /ASTP-PADCO

The Armenia Social Transition Program (ASTP) - PADCO has just updated its site with news that the Annual Conference of the Europe and Central Asia Regional Network of Social Investment Funds will be held in Yerevan on 12-14 September 2005.

The Conference will be hosted by the Armenia Social Investment Fund who celebrate their 10th year Anniversary this year. ASTP will provide assistance in holding the conference. At the Conference the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues will present the Integrated Social Service Center concept a.k.a. “One Stop Shop”. Representatives from more than 20 countries will attend this prestigious conference. The target audience of the conference will be key stakeholders from Armenia and the Region. It will include representatives from central and local government, social fund/CDD program staff, donors, local government associations, NGOs and academics.

The conference was due to be held earlier in the year and ASTP-PADCO had commissioned me to produce a set of photographs of the Integrated Social Service Centers (ISSC) that they had established along with the Ministry of Labour and Social issues for display. Some of those photos can be viewed on my own web site along with others taken for PADCO at Waterworld and more recently, in Karakert.

Squat, Shengavit, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia

Emil Danielyan, the English language editor for RFE/RL’s Armenia Service web site, writes for Eurasianet that western donors are upbeat on economic growth in the country. Emil writes that “A consensus is building among economic experts that the tiny South Caucasus state is finally emerging from its post-Soviet doldrums.”

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Karakert, Armavir Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / ASTP-PADCO

On Friday I visited the village of Karakert with the Armenia Social Transition Program (ASTP)-PADCO. The village situated in the Armavir region has been chosen as a pilot site for a rural development program by the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) supported by international organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

From May through July, however, ASTP-PADCO in cooperation with COAF and the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues assisted 100 residents of Karakert to apply for new passports and social security cards. The latter are now necessary for anyone seeking employment in the Republic of Armenia and to apply for and receive social benefits.

The ASTP organized the changing of passports from the old Soviet type to the new Armenian passports for the most vulnerable people in Karakert village. Almost 100 inhabitants of the village were involved in this project: they have been photographed; applications for passports and Social Security Card applications were completed and processed. As a result of this project already 90 citizens have received passports of the Republic of Armenia and Social Security Cards.

More information can be found on the PADCO web site and for background information on the pilot project in Karakert, the COAF web site. John Hughes, who also does some freelance work for COAF, recently wrote an article on their project for Armenia Now.

Hripsime Martirossian, ASTP-PADCO Consultant, Karakert, Armavir Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / ASTP-PADCO

Distribution of Passports and Social Security Cards in Karakert, Armavir Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / ASTP-PADCO

Until I manage to upload a full selection of images shot yesterday for the Armenia Social Transition Program (ASTP) - PADCO, some info from their website.

ASTP organized the changing of passports from the old Soviet type to the new Armenian passports for the most vulnerable people in Karakert village. Almost 100 inhabitants of the village were involved in this project: they have been photographed; applications for passports and Social Security Card applications were completed and processed. As a result of this project already 90 citizens have received passports of the Republic of Armenia and Social Security Cards.

This project will serve as a model of collaboration between the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues and International and local donor organizations and communities which can be replicated in other regions of Armenia and ensure that the most vulnerable in society can access their social rights.

Incidentally, don’t know who shot the photos for this page but I’ll blog more on the visit later as the whole issue of social security cards in Armenia is interesting. Actually, at times it has also been quite controversial.

Agarak, Aragatsotn Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia

Following on from a previous post regarding poverty in Armenia, I also picked up the Social Snapshot and Poverty in Armenia Household Suvey from ASTP-PADCO today. The survey by the National Statistics Service of the Republic of Armenia is produced with PADCO’s support and contains lots of interesting information about the situation in Armenia.

For example, the number of people occupying one room is 1.4 persons and only 13.9 percent of families in rural areas have proper kitchen facilities, running water, sewage system and a bath whereas this rises to 55.3 percent of households in rural areas. Over 97 percent of urban households have access to safe drinking water whereas 71.3 percent have access in rural areas.

Of those that have water running into their homes, 19.9 percent of households have water for three hours a day, 22.2 have water from three to four hours a day, 12.7 percent have water from five to six hours a day and 27.8 percent water from seven to twenty-two hours a day. It would appear from this 2003 survey of 5,000 households in Armenia that none have a 24-hour water supply.

Regarding poverty, it gets a little more interesting. According to the survey, 42.9 percent of the population live below the national poverty line set at 12,629 drams (about $30 a month) which leads many to suggest that benchmarks are set too low. In fact, according to the survey, if the poverty line was raised by 10 percent, poverty in Armenia would increase to 48.8 percent. However, raise it by 20 percent and poverty would stand at 56.8 percent or by 25 percent, 59.8 percent.

Using the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) of the dollar which equates to 140.96 drams (about 30 cents), 9.9 percent of the population had per capita expenditures of 60 cents per day and 66.4 percent, 90 cents.

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Agarak, Aragatsotn Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian

Contrary to yesterday’s comments made by Agustin Carstens, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) poverty did not fall to 33 percent of the population in 2003. Instead, according to the Social Snapshot and Poverty in Armenia Household Survey for 2003, the level of poverty stands at 42.9 percent which includes 7.4 percent living in extreme poverty. Nevertheless, the figures are a significant reduction compared to 2002 when poverty stood at 49.7 percent including 13.1 percent in extreme poverty.

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Water World, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian /ASTP-PADCO

Finally, I’ve managed to get 70 photos from my recent visit to Water World with the kids from the Vanadzor Children’s Home (Orphanage) together on a CD and dropped off at the Armenian Social Transition Program (ASTP)-PADCO. This was my second outing for PADCO to photograph for them. The first was photographing Integrated Social Service Centers (ISSCs) in Vanadzor and Massis and I should also be doing some more work for them later this week. Anyway, a few of the pics from Water World can be found here.