On November 22, RA Deputy Minister of Diaspora Serzh Srapionyan and Head of the Department for Armenian Communities of the Near East and Middle East at the RA Ministry of Diaspora Levon Antonyan participated in the inauguration of the Skills and Knowledge for Youth Economic Empowerment project at LOFT Center. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of State and is being carried out by World Vision Armenia.

The goal of the project is to help young Armenians displaced and devastated by conflicts become integrated in Armenia.

Serzh Srapionyan transmitted the welcoming remarks of RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan and stated the following: “The activities of World Vision Armenia are different from the activities of other similar organizations in that World Vision Armenia helps prepare young people to confront disasters and solve other issues. It is nice to see that Syrian-Armenians are also engaged in the project this year. Thanks to World Vision, they will become integrated more quickly. The Ministry of Diaspora is willing to collaborate in order to carry out this major project.”

Greeting the attendees, Director of World Vision Armenia Zhirayr Edilyan happily mentioned that World Vision Armenia had finally developed a special project, the direct beneficiaries of which will mainly be young Syrian-Armenians who have moved to Armenia.

Afterwards, WVA Youth Programs Director Liana Sargsyan gave a more brief presentation of the project for the youth, emphasizing that the goal of the project is to help young people displaced and devastated by conflicts become integrated in Armenia and help provide the resources required for living and working by helping them choose professions and participate in courses and by providing opportunities for practice and employment. She added that the beneficiaries of the project are young people between the ages of 14 and 35, 70% of whom will be refugees and 30%-locals. Such a proportion will contribute to more speedy and effective integration of young Syrian-Armenians in Armenia.