“The establishment of Oghak (Loop) Center NGO was a decision that was crystallized throughout the years, and I tried to make it possible. Being well aware of life in Armenia, I had always thought of doing something that would be helpful for Armenia. True, my small center can’t take care of all the needs of Armenia, but every Armenian needs to try to help the country with his potential and profession. For me, the implementation of such a program is one of the major ways of helping Armenia,” founder of Oghak NGO, Lebanese-Armenian Vera Siserian said in an interview with Hayern Aysor.

What is Oghak? Oghak is a center that is located in the Nork Marash District of Yerevan and reminds one of a cordial home that every woman can visit and participate in a free course of her choice. The organization was established in 2015 and is open for everyone. All a woman needs is the desire to step out of her house-something that is sometimes difficult, especially when a woman is unemployed.

The center has 7 clubs, including a dance club (for members between the ages of 6 and 15 and above 18), a fitness club, an English language club, as well as handicraft works, psychology, healthcare and book discussion clubs. The other courses (sewing, cooking, painting, floral design, German language, embroidery of Svaz and Marash, etc.) are organized according to the need and desire of the participants. After the three-month courses, the participants receive certificates.

The main sponsors of Oghak are Hrach and Elizabeth Siserian. Each club has a benefactor who provides financial support and the necessary tools and accessories. These benefactors are people who expressed the desire to support after being introduced to the center’s goals and activities and, most importantly, they trust the initiators. Some benefactors provide funds, while others provide necessary accessories.

“For instance, one of our acquaintances wanted to hold courses devoted to the embroidery of Svaz, while another acquaintance wanted to teach French. A woman from Cyprus, whose mother is a painter, wanted to allocate funds to open a painting club. In the summer, we organized painting lessons. Each club offers courses held by professionals. In December, an exhibition-sale of handicraft works will be held in Beirut. We purchase the materials required for the club with the funds that are allocated. Last year, on the occasion of Oghak’s anniversary, we held an exhibition in Armenia as well,” said director of Oghak Center and the Center’s dance instructor Sanan Kandaharian-Kerteshian, who repatriated from Lebanon to Armenia seven years ago, started a family and is doing the job that, as she says, is more than an ordinary job for her.

“Every morning I come to the Center, I feel at ease because I know that I can put smiles on the faces of 20-25 people. I also know that I have a warm and small corner in Armenia where I can have peace of mind by giving people something very small. Most importantly,, Oghak Center is not just about giving. Whatever we give, we get double in return because the support is mutual. Thanks to the members of the Center, I had the opportunity to become more familiar with life in Armenia and master the culture of being a simple and average person,” said Sanan and added the following: “When we opened the Center two years ago, we were 31 in number. Today, our family has grown and has nearly 374 members. In the beginning, many people were skeptical and didn’t know where they were coming. After seeing our work, they slowly started trusting us. Today, they not only come with pleasure, but also recommend that their neighbors, friends and relatives visit the Center. Every February, Oghak Center holds a mammography drive. In the first year, 50 women underwent checkups, and last year – 80. In February 2018, we plan on providing about 100 women with free checkups. Every woman has a benefactor who helps them get a free checkup at the Mammography Center.”

The past two years have seen a change in not only the attitude towards the Center, but also people’s approach to their persona. Whereas they used to be more self-presumed, were often in a bad mood, sad and sometimes felt depressed, today, they come to the Center with smiles, a good mood, dressed neatly and feel happy. This is simply because one of the key objectives of the Center is to make sure women and particularly Armenian women are in a great mood, have a healthy mindset and feel appreciated.

“When we were just starting out, we wanted Oghak to serve as first and foremost a place that would not only transmit skills or offer courses, but also have an impact on a person’s mindset. I am a psychologist by profession. Being aware of people’s psychology, I know that if a person tries to change his mindset and starts thinking differently, he will be able to act differently and have a more in-depth mindset. The main goal of our activities is to change people’s mindset, help them have self-esteem, acknowledge their capabilities, understand what they are capable of doing, how they can be positive and have an impact on their families with their positivity. Transmitting skills and offering courses serve as a way of accomplishing our main goal,” Vera Siserian stated as she provided details about Oghak’s goals.

Oghak has gathered family members and familiar people who try to work together to help one another materially and physically. At Oghak, the opinions of even the youngest members are respecte.

“Of course, the organization also has friends who are based in different parts of the world. They trust the organization and want to help.

Having great wealth is not always a necessity to undertake a task. We can carry out great acts, even if we take small steps. If you have the desire, goal and creativity, you can succeed, even with limited resources,” Vera Siserian stated.

The Center also helps identify women’s hidden capabilities that might have remained “unidentified”, if they hadn’t visited the Center. For instance, one woman said she couldn’t imagine learning a language could be so easy, while another said she couldn’t imagine that she could paint since she had never held a painting brush in her hand.

“I have been a member of the Center for one-and-a-half years. I participate in the dance, fitness, as well as handicraft and painting courses. I would never imagine that I could paint, and I discovered that through this Center.

If a woman is calm, happy and satisfied, her mood also has an impact on her family members. The atmosphere at the Center is always good when you open a door and are accepted as a family member. Here we feel that we can learn new things and spend an interesting day. We receive a lot of helpful words of advice during Mrs. Sona’s cooking class and use that advice at home,” said one of the women members of Oghak Center Gaiane Hambardzumyan, who has also taught German and added: “I tried it and it worked out. We will continue in December.”

At the same time, the Center is also a venue for interesting meetings. For instance, in the summer, we hosted members of the French team that participated in the Pan-Homenetmen Games. The meeting with Armenians from Armenia and the Diaspora was also very cordial and interesting. Through such meetings, we try to establish bonds between Armenia and the Diaspora so that the women attending the Center know that there are people abroad who think about them and so that the latter feel that they can help to the best of their abilities by visiting, providing funds and transmitting their skills from time to time.

“The important thing is to establish mutual ties. The goal is to not just help Armenia. Armenians in the Diaspora also need to receive ��?food’ from Armenia so that they can survive as Armenians abroad. Oghak serves as a unique bridge between Armenia, the Diaspora and Artsakh and helps them feel that they are not different, as they often say, but similar to each other. They simply live in different countries.

I am certain that even small steps can help us achieve our goal. We should talk about our similarities, not differences. I don’t believe there are differences. I try to see things that are the same or similar. For instance, when I hear a word in Armenian that my mother would use, I immediately get excited. When I hear a familiar story or fable, I try to focus on the similarities, not the differences. We want to unite, and to unite, we need to seek similarities, not differences. My daily concern is Armenia and the problems facing Armenia. If I can help 30 people think differently and stay clung to their homeland, this will be the greatest enriching factor in my life. With its big and small mistakes and hardships, for me, Armenia always comes first,” Vera Siserian said and continued: “You probably want to ask me what enriches me. My answer is everything that I do for Armenia. Even if I had the best job in the world, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am today. I wake up every day and walk on the streets of Yerevan, and I still can’t believe that I am on my land. Those who haven’t lived abroad won’t understand this. Those who have lived abroad have sought the national flag of their country in the books of maps and flags, and if they haven’t found it, they have always asked why and demanded an answer.

I am not an emotional person. I stand firmly on the land, but for me, Armenia is more than my life. If only every Armenian thought this way so that they stayed in this country. I don’t blame those who leave, but I want them to think about what they are leaving behind before departing.”

Perhaps those who leave the country leave more than they find in another place. The women attending Oghak Center even find small “pieces” that help them look at life differently. “My life has changed a lot since I started coming to the Center. I met new people, had interesting conversations and discovered the ability to evaluate my ego and help my family and the people around me in any way I can. The Center is very important for women. I thank Vera, Gohar and Sanan. The Center gave us wings, and the women attending the Center have ��?wings’,” said one of Oghak’s members Gaiane Baghramyan, who is perhaps a unique ��?mirror’ of the Center.

Lusine Abrahamyan