According to UNICEF’s 2012 Report, “It’s about Inclusion,” 21% of children with disabilities do not attend school in Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province. Martuni is one of the largest cities in this region, and is surrounded by 17 villages. There are 307 registered children with disabilities in the Martuni area. Unofficially, there are about double that amount of children in this region with disabilities that have never been diagnosed.

Voskeporik Development Center was established in 2017 and aims to educate and develop artistic skills in children. However, a short time later, the Voskeporik team discovered that there were a huge number of children with special needs in this region who were deprived of any sort of rehabilitation and physiotherapy treatments. This situation forced the team to change the direction of the center.

Since 2018, Voskeporik has operated as a children’s rehabilitation center and now has 450 beneficiaries. Moreover, the center recently received the state qualification as an ambulatory pediatric rehabilitation center from Armenia’s Ministry of Health, which means they now have the capacity to accept more beneficiaries.

The operation model that Voskeporik’s team uses has proven effective on many levels, even during the hardest period of the COVID-19 pandemic, when everything was closed. Besides kids’ initial basic and intensive therapies, Voskeporik also trains the children’s parents so they can execute their children’s therapies on their own under the supervision of specialists. This unique approach encourages parents to be fully involved in their child’s treatment, to team up with their children and the specialists, and evaluate every little step. And during the lockdown, it enabled parents and caretakers to help the children continue their therapy.

Voskeporik is a community-based rehab center. Through the educational aspect that the center implements, it is not only children with disabilities who get involved in society but the aim is to raise the level of awareness of the population so it will take greater responsibility for children with disabilities and accept and include them in society.

Located in Martuni, the Voskeporik Development Center serves roughly 450 socially vulnerable children with special needs from 17 surrounding villages. The center lacks an accessible vehicle to transport the children. With your support, we helped them buy one.” to this one “Located in Martuni, the Voskeporik Development Center serves roughly 450 socially vulnerable children with special needs from 17 surrounding villages. The center lacked an accessible vehicle to transport the children. With your support, we helped them buy one.

After visiting the Voskeporik center, the Ayo! team decided to support it through the purchase of an accessible van that will provide a safe, regular mean of transportation for 200 children with disabilities. Moreover, once Ayo! can purchase the vehicle, the Martuni city government will start covering the costs of fuel, car maintenance, and driver fees, which will make this initiative even more sustainable.

By supporting this program, we will have a positive impact by promoting the rehabilitation and integration of children with special needs, the process of educating parents, and by contributing to a positive shift in society’s values.