25th Anniversary of Caritas in Georgia and Armenia  Excellencies, Dear Presidents of Caritas Georgia and Armenia, Reverend Fathers and Reverend Sisters, Partners of Caritas Georgia and Armenia, Dear Friends of Caritas Georgia and Armenia,          We have celebrated 25 years of the beginning of Caritas Georgia and Armenia.  Caritas Georgia and Armenia are members of the Caritas Internationalis, a charitable organization of the Catholic Church, founded in 1897.  Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of over 165 Caritas agencies working in over 200 countries and territories around the world.

The basis of the powerful state is the educated generation. Stressing the importance and role of education, as well as the right of each child to get educated and be included in the society, Armenian Caritas with the support of its partners continues to support beneficiaries with educational needs. This time also the willingness to support our beneficiary children was expressed by our partner Austrian Development Agency. Beneficiary children with disabilities and target kindergartens of the project ”My Right. Inclusive Education in Armenia and Kosovo” funded by Autrian Development Agency, got computers based on some predefined criteria. In a situation of the state of emergency,

An awareness campaign was held in Gyumri on the initiative of the volunteer corps of the Armenian Caritas to prevent Covid-19 epidemic. The action was carried out in “58” district of Gyumri. Volunteers from the “9 Steps to the Labor Market” program also joined the action. The action was called “Wear a mask”. The aim of the campaign was to keep the public in the center of attention by observing the rules of safe behavior during the coronavirus. While distributing the masks, the volunteers reminded citizens of the established rules: to wear a mask, to maintain social distance, to disinfect hands,

“Armenian Caritas” BNGO, “Caritas Georgia” and “Caritas Germany” organized an online conference “Supporting inclusive education in schools” in the frame of the project “Inclusive and equitable quality education for all” funded by German Federal Ministry for economic cooperation and development through Caritas Germany.  The conference took place on July 23, 2020. The aim of the conference is to contribute to the positive development of inclusive education in Armenia and Georgia. Therefore, the conference brought together international and local experts, stakeholders and actors involved in the field to discuss the advantages and challenges of the inclusive education, share best practices and discuss adaptability in local settings.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has provided Armenian Caritas with food commodities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The two agencies will provide food assistance to vulnerable individuals across the daycare center “Little Prince” in Gyumri, Artashat and Vanadzor cities, as well as Center for Children and Youth with Multiple Disabilities “Emili Aregak”. Over 360 beneficiaries in Gyumri, Artashat, and Vanadzor benefitted from additional food items from WFP within Caritas food baskets, which Caritas provides to the vulnerable families in Armenia on a regular basis to support their food security and livelihood. Thanks to such partnerships it becomes possible to ensure a more comprehensive response to COVID-19.