YEREVAN — It was February 17 in Zvartnots airport, and two young men shared the stool at the red piano and played with energy and passion. It was before the Coronavirus pandemic had brought international travel to a halt, and they were expressing their excitement about their imminent flight.
Raphael Martirosyan and Vardan Ayvazyan were among the six students who were travelling with their mothers to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates for a three-day stay. The students came from Armenian centers for people with disabilities: the Autism National Foundation’s My Way Educational, Rehabilitation and Vocational Training Day Care Center for Children and Teenagers with Autism, and the Yerevan My Love Foundation’s Louse’ Center for Special Needs Children. The visit took place from February 17-20, and offered the Armenian guests the opportunity to visit facilities of the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS), their host.
The SCHS is an independent organization in the Emirate of Sharjah dedicated to providing care for people with disabilities in the UAE. The Director General of the SCHS is Sheikha Jameela Al Qasimi, a person of exceptional capabilities and commitment.
The invitation came at the end of last year, on the occasion of the UAE’s National Day (December 2, 2019), and in the framework of the Year of Tolerance. Upon the initiative of Mohamed Al Zaabi, UAE Ambassador to Armenia, and with the support of Emirate companies in Armenia (Fly Dubai, AirArabia airlines, Carrefour Armenia, Euromotors CJSC, Garden 5, Leaves Garden, Al Khazna Farms and Bainouna International), six students from Armenia were awarded the visit, three from each center.
Following joint preparatory work with the facilities’ management and the Embassy’s specialists, a program was defined to provide both guests and hosts the opportunity to engage in fruitful exchange, comparing their experiences and approaches, to the benefit of the youngsters as well as their parents. From the Louse’ Center were Kristine Hambardzumyan and her son Gor, Maro Avetisyan and her son Sargis Nalbandyan and Gayane Melkonyan and her son David Baghramyan. From My Way, there was Board Member Mariam Ginosyan and her son Vardan Ayvazyan, Board Member Sona Petrosyan and her son Raphael Martirosyan and Marine Maleryan and her son Gagik Galustov. Two caregivers, Marine Torosyan and Teymine Balinyan, and two specialists from My Way were added to the group, thanks to the support of the ANF, the Embassy and the host organization. The specialists were Suzanna Petrosyan and Narine Vardanyan, managers of the Vocational Training Program and the Early Integration Program, respectively.