Tech workshops for displaced Armenian children
The war in Artsakh is over, or at least has stopped and we all realize we don't have time to spare for education. More than ever before, children of Artsakh need everyone's support: 24,000 schoolchildren and over 4,000 preschool children have been deprived of the right to education.
This photo was taken by Karen Mirzoyan during the war in an underground shelter in Stepanakert - children are listening to a teacher.
During the whole 44-day war the objects serving the needs of children, including schools, cultural centers, and kindergartens, were also deliberately and indiscriminately targeted by Azerbaijan. According to preliminary data, 71 schools and 14 kindergartens were damaged as a result of the Azerbaijani aggression in Artsakh, excluding the schools and kindergartens that are in the communities currently under Azerbaijani control.
To prioritize the protection of children's rights to education in any circumstances, we are starting a flexible workshop series for children of Artsakh to teach them coding and spark their interest toward STEM fields. The program is initiated by Seda Papoyan - the founder of CoderDojo Armenia and managing director of Girls in Tech Armenia.
Another moment from shelter life, credit - ArmGov.
The curriculum of the workshop series is developed based on previous experience of working with children. Now the target groups are school children and teens of all ages to be treated in various short-term project-based modules.
With the aim to uplift as many participants affected by war as possible, the planned curriculum will be operated in mobile mode: the skilled workshop leaders and mentors will travel to the areas where big groups of displaced people from Artsakh have moved to. The project is planning to target also the children of fallen and wounded heroes from anywhere in Armenia and Artsakh. Some time later we may expand our geography and reach also Stepanakert.
The amount being raised will be used to provide enough equipment - laptops and STEM materials for mobile workshops, as well as to cover the travel and operational costs. The more resources raised, the more participants and locations will be covered. All donors will receive updates on the steps and results.
$7,000 of the raised fund will be spent on the initial equipment - laptops and STEM packs.
Any further amount will be spent on the running cost of each workshop location. By the initial calculations, the 10-session project-based circle of workshops for each group of 15-20 kids will be covered by $500. That means this initial fund of $10,000 will cover the costs for more than 100 displaced children and we'll have the resource base for further activities.
The knowledge will be provided by volunteer mentors and experts from Armenia and Diaspora. So please feel free to get in touch in case you have an interest to join the cause with your expertise as well.
United we can overcome the pain and open new wings.
P.S. This fundraising campaign is supported by Sisian Ghahramanians - a good friend and supporter of Girls in Tech Armenia, who joined the efforts to help us in fundraising.
Credit of the cover photo: Areg Balayan
If you'd like to get involved by volunteering/teaching (also remote) or in any other way, please feel free to fill in this form for an opportunity - https://bit.ly/Tech4ArtsakhKids-support.
Our initial goal was $10,000 and thanks to your contributions we've reached it! We've decided to extend the fundraiser through the holiday season and to double our goal to broaden our impact.
