COAF Breaks Ground for Conference Center in Lori Province

A number of prominent guests and COAF representatives attended the groundbreaking ceremony, including Lori region deputy governor Gayane Markosyan, COAF board of trustees chairman Richard Bezjian, COAF founder’s representative and senior advisor Erik Gyulazyan, COAF senior advisor Haig Boyadjian, Kanaka construction company director Hayk Hovivyan, mayor of Debet Ashot Ghazaryan, former mayor of Debet Ararat Kocharyan, architects from d’Arvestanots studio Arsen Karapetyan and Grigor Haykazyan.

The ceremony had a lively turn-out when all the guests were offered to wield shovels to mark the territory where the Center would be constructed, after which the deputy governor Gayane Markosyan expressed hope that collaboration between COAF and regional administration would be long-lasting. “You are doing a great job by having your input into the advancement of rural communities,” she said. “The center will hopefully attract more and more visitors to Lori region.”

“And let’s not forget about the core idea of the building,” Koryun Khatchadourian added. “The construction itself might be fascinating but what’s more important is the “content” that is has to offer to visitors.”

The Conference Center by COAF will be designed and constructed by d’Arvestanots architecture studio and Kanaka construction company. The construction will be completed, and the conference venue will be fully operational by the end of 2020.

The “Children of Armenia” Charitable Fund (COAF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that employs community-led approaches aimed at improving the quality of life in rural Armenia, with a particular focus on children and youth. COAF’s target development areas are education, healthcare, social and economic development. COAF launched its programs in 2004, starting in one village and expanding to 51 villages in Armavir, Aragatsotn, Lori, Gegharkunik, Shirak and Tavush regions.

Since 2015 COAF has developed and started implementing a new vision – COAF SMART Initiative. COAF SMART is designed to advance a generation across the rural world through education that will benefit individuals, societies and the environment. COAF SMART will become an exemplary model of development and will be replicated in other regions and communities throughout Armenia. The first COAF SMART Center was inaugurated on May 27, 2018 near the village of Debet, Lori Region, with an outreach to over 150,000 rural residents.