Zaruhi Manoukian, Astghik Bagdasarian

 Opening of the Mayri Integration and Cultural Centre in Yerevan / Armenia

The opening of our Mayri Integration and Cultural Centre took place on April 5, 2014. The donations, provided by a number of Dutch foundations (Siftung der Beförderung der Heiilpädagogik, Rafaelstiftung, IHF, Esse, Bronlaak and others), as well as by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) enabled us to launch activities of workshops for woodwork, ceramics, arts and handiwork as well as our kitchen.

Our center before reconstruction

and after

The center is open since the 21st of April, 2014 and many young people of different ages use already its services. This summer many more children are expected. Some parents of school age children have already enrolled their children for various summer workshops. Parents of 3 children who live in the neighborhood have expressed their willingness to assist as volunteers in workshops’ projects. They wish not only to visit the workshops, but also to communicate with their children and to better understand the juvenile developmental problems, because they believe that such communication is an important factor for the formation of character their children. We are sure that after these first ones many more would wish to come to our center as our staff is professionally skilled in conducting various projects for children.

Choose the work you love and you will never get tired

And paper also bursts into blossom…

Bread box for our kitchen was also made in the woodwork workshop

Our theatre has already been running for 3 years. During that period we staged two full-fledged plays and some short burlesque shows. Unfortunately, it is impossible to stage a complete performance in our performance hall now, because the walls have yet to be painted, the stage is not ready. But we have made a steel construction at our expense, placed the purchased logs over it, covered them with a carpet and so made a temporary stage; however it is not safe, since the logs are a shaky construction. In addition, there are no blinds, curtains and equipment in the performance hall. Now it is just our rehearsal room where we love to stay.

But we are sure that one day it would turn into a place with the divine atmosphere of the THEATER …