Full Life NGO - Happy to be able to Serve in one of Armenia's Resources for People With Disabilities.

Full Life NGO - Happy to be able to Serve in one of Armenia's Resources for People With Disabilities.

After serving 2 Years in the Peace Corps in Armenia I am grateful to have been able to serve with such a good Armenian NGO Full Life NGO. The people in this picture are the ones who have made Full Life NGO not only successful in Stepanavan but have also enabled Full Life to expand their services to Tashir and through the leadership of our Director Suren and their new office in Yerevan to be able to become a Model Program for all of Armenia.   

When I started with this NGO our After-School Program had to shut down at Christmas Break because of a lack of funds and it didn't open up until we had received a Grant from UCom (Orange Telephone Co.) in April.  We started out with only one working Russian XP Computer and some laptops not connected to the Internet and got a grant that has allowed us to have 8 computers in the Computer Lab with Office Software connected to the Internet.   This has allowed not only our After-School Program Children to learn to type and explore the Internet.  But it has allowed us to create a Computer Lab to teach older children and adults to use computers to improve their Vocational Skills.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Through a USAID SPA Grant we were not only able to renovate one of our unused Camp Cabins into a fully functioning Handicapped Accessible Model Home to teach Independent Living Skills to Adults but we were able to use it to teach cooking and independent Living Skills to our camp children, make room for Handicapped Adults to be able to stay to become counselors, teachers, and role models during our Summer Camp Program.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

We were not only able to create a Physical Therapy Program for people within our Independent Living Program but we were also able to introduce our children in our camp program to being able to exercise and become physically fit to be able to overcome any physical disabilities that they may experience growing up. 

Not only have we made many physical improvements to the program in the last two years but Full Life NGO is preparing to make further improvements to their program in the future.  As I was preparing to leave we had another German Volunteer Group come to prepare another addition to our Camp Program by preparing the beginning of a Recreational Activity Building that would allow not only space for our traditional Bachi Ball tournaments but also space big enough for indoor Volleyball, football, and Basketball.  Of course even with good local and volunteer labor all of these projects have to wait on additional funding to finish the projects into they type of facilities that can improve our camping program and allow our camp program to function in all kinds of weather.                                                                                                                                   

The next step of the camp improvement program is to refurbish our last unused building into a cabin to be used to add room for up to 24 more children to attend camp to increase our camp capacity to 75 children a week.  This would allow us to not only serve the same amount of children more efficiently with less weeks of camp but also allow us to serve more children and adults during more weeks of camp.  This building could also include room to move our Exercise Therapy Equipment to while providing room for Wood Carving, Clay Molding, and Craft Classes to take place on their front porch rather than to be out in the open air where they could not take place when there was rain.                                                                                                                             

Now the Full Life has expanded their After School.Program to Tashir using the Psychologist, Speech Therapist and staff from Stepanavan for support.

But they also have through Governmental Support duplicated their program in Yerevan including a Social Worker, Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, and Speech Therapist to improve their program.

Full Life NGO has move beyond the stage where they need a Peace Corps Volunteer to make sure that their program expands and grows.  In ways the Staff of Full Life are able to do much more than I can do because of my language limitations but that doesn't mean that I have not been able to play a part in it's Program Improvements or that they cannot benefit from having a Peace Corps Volunteer.  Besides my involvement in making improvements within their program through creating a Computer Lab to use with the After School Program and the Independent Living Program.  Because of my experience in promoting Independent Living Skills for People With Disabilities we created a SPA Grant to do cabin renovation to create a Independent Living Training Program to promote teaching Physical Therapy, Vocational, and Independent Living Skills to Adults with Disabilities and our Children within our camp program.  I can be grateful for all the relationships I have been able to develop with the Children through the After School Program and Summer Camp.                                                                                                                                            

That is really the purpose of the Peace Corps.  We not only bring our experience and expertise to our organizations but we also create friendships and relationships with the Children and Adults that we work with.  It is those relationships that we take with us and what leaves their lasting mark on the people we have spent the last two years working with.  I do hope that Full Life NGO will request and receive another Peace Corps Volunteer in the future.  I can see many more things that a Peace Corps Volunteer can add to their Program to help it to grow and become better even though they may be very capable of maintaining their present programs on their own.  If nothing else a Peace Corps Volunteer brings new ideas and materials to their programs.  Instead of doing the same program year after year it is always good to have a new Peace Corps Volunteer to teach them to sing new songs, dance new dances, learn to cook new foods, and throw an American Football.  Exposing Children and Adults to new ideas and new people from outside of Armenia is the purpose of the Peace Corps.                                                                                                              

I have passed the torch on to my new Peace Corps site mate English Teacher Chibuzor Ejiaga to be our American Peace Corps representative to Stepanavan and Full Life NGO.  Although he has his own responsibilities as a Peace Corps English Teacher in Stepanavan hopefully He will be able to have some impact on the Children of Stepanavan and those who attend Full Life Camp.  Hopefully Tashir will eventually receive a Peace Corps Volunteer and one of these Summers Full Life will have a new PCV to help to leave their mark on the Children and Adults within the Full Life Program.  My time in Stepanavan has come and gone.  Now I must go on to new Ministries and challenges within my life.  Although I will return to Stepanavan to pick up some things that I have left behind I will always feel a part of the Stepanavan Community and take a lot of the relationships and experiences I have had there with me where ever I go.  I now move on from representing my Country in Armenia through the Peace Corps to going into Missions Training with Youth With A Mission to being able to be a representative of God in any new community I have the opportunity to work within. I will always be grateful to the Peace Corps to have the opportunity to get to know the Armenian people through my two years in Stepanavan.  Armenia has become a home and family to me and I will always look back at the friendships and relationships there with gratefulness.  I will continue to want to be a part of Armenia and take Armenia with me where ever I go.