On July 10, the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia and the Davitian-Mariamian Educational Foundation, attaching importance to the development of the Armenia-Diaspora partnership and the implementation of cultural, educational, disciplinary and advocacy programs, signed a memorandum of cooperation.

Praising the pro-national activities of the educational foundation, Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan attached importance to the programs aimed at solving the issues related to preservation of the Armenian identity and language in the Diaspora. The minister also expressed her gratitude to the U.S. government for carrying out the Armenian language instruction programs at 29 schools in 7 cities. “The Davitian-Mariamian Educational Foundation stays true to its mission, that is, to instill the spirit of Armenians in the nearly 10,000 Armenian students attending American public schools by providing them with Armenian education and upbringing. I would also like to thank the parents for their active efforts and motivation, as well as their love for and faith in this foundation. There are 300 Armenian children attending Thomas Jefferson School alone. The Davitian-Mariamian Educational Foundation is involved in solving the issues related to preservation of Armenian identity and language in 29 schools of California. The Ministry of Diaspora has been collaborating with the Davitian-Mariamian Educational Foundation for the past six years, and this memorandum is simply helping us enshrine what we have done and try to move forward. We will continue to collaborate to solve the issues related to preservation of the Armenian identity and language and to increase participation in the programs of the Ministry of Diaspora. I would like to see the Foundation have more schools,” the minister particularly mentioned.

Expressing gratitude for the trust and high appreciation, Mr. Tsaturyan mentioned the following: “I would like for us to work harder so that we can engage more children in our educational programs.’

The Davitian-Mariamian Educational Foundation was established in 1987 by a alumni of the Kushesh Davitian-Mariamian Educational Foundation of Iran.

Currently, there are nearly 30 educational foundations based in seven different cities across the United States of America, the largest branch of which is in Glendale. The Davitian-Mariamian Educational Foundation teaches culture, as well as Armenian language and history. The Foundation has Armenian song, dance and poetry clubs, the members of which learn about Armenian arts, culture and traditions. The courses are organized at U.S. public schools.