A reporting meeting with community centre officers and volunteers from eight WFD beneficiary villages took place on October 15, 2011 at Lanjik community centre. The goal of the meeting was to present Lanjik community centre and its activities, as well as to summarise the work carried out in the beneficiary villages during the previous three months. Gohar Markosyan, President of WFD presented the impact of the project on community members, pointed out the positive changes caused by activities of the community centres, appreciated devoted and diligent attitude of the community centre officers towards their work. She also spoke about organisation of large events, which will raise participation and will increase volunteerism especially among youth. Community centre officers presented positive changes bought by the activities of the centres. According to their words, due to the organised events communities have become more united. Participation and interest towards the work of the centres has been increased. Women have become especially active, they have expressed initiatives to solve certain problems by themselves.
For example, according to the words of Arevhat Mkrtchyan, the responsible for Tsoghamarg Community Center, in the results of the trainings conducted in the Community Center the community has become more active, the women can raise their thoughts. They have expressed wish to put in good order the area of the kindergarten in spring 2012 and to create a nice and clean playground for the kids, to purchase some children’s games through financial contribution of the community. Volunteers from Torosgyugh are going to clean the neighborhood of the village monument and organize tree planting on their own.
Speaking about activities of the center, Sophya Sargsyan, Bayandur community center officer, said: “A few days ago one of the parents asked me what I am doing that her kid loves me and listens to me more that her. Isn’t it enough? But if we speak more seriously, changes in the community are visible for everybody. If previously it was unusual to revive our national dance and perform it on the stage, today the community wants it to be sustainable. We have to present the old in a new way and keep it. Besides, there are often guests visiting our village, and we are glad we have something to show…” Armenuhi Araqelyan, Lanjik community center officer, mentioned that in the result of the work carried out during several years the attitude of community towards the center has changed a lot: “We have our place and role in the village, our words already have value, when I am asking something for the center it at once comes true, people themselves express initiative to assist the work of the Center. So we have managed to make the community united, it is a very difficult work and I am proud we have managed to reach it…” Natasha Yervandyan, Musayelyan community center officer, particularly said in her report: “Due to the organized activities people speak about the center with love. The village is united, peaceful, the parents express gratitude that due to the functioning clubs their children were busy in summer and were cut off the street …” Highly appreciating and valuing the work carried out by WFD in the communities, participants of the meeting came to one common conclusion: “Due to the our work people have become more peaceful and reasonable; they have acquired an ability to see good alongside with bad. A big progress is visible in the people in the sense of listening to each other, understanding and taking into consideration the opinion of others”. The reporting date of October 15 was chosen on purpose. Rural Women’s International Day declared by UN has been celebrated on this day since 1997. Armenuhi Araqelyan and the volunteers organized a nice event devoted to the day. They presented the important role that rural women play throughout the world –from ensuring food security and up to ensuring independence and sustainability of rural areas, but still they have a very low status and remain ignored by the society and state. International Women’s Day has the goal to change this stereotype, to remind the society how much we all owe to rural women and how important it is to value and appreciate their hard work. All this was followed by the volunteers’ songs and dances. The members of Lanjik Karate club also participated in the event presenting a show of Eastern martial art.