Diaspora Armenia-Connection (DAC)
DAC UK is a non-profit, non-political organization with
the sole aim of helping the children of Armenia. The organization’s
goals are:
• To improve the everyday lives and the education
system of the children in Armenia and Karabagh.
• To promote knowledge and understanding of the Armenian
culture throughout the world.
The 2005 campaign will run from early to mid August. Volunteers
will be divided into two or three groups, each working in
a different village in either Armenia or Karabagh. Each
group reflects one of DAC’s main activities: summer
school for the children, renovation work on the local school
and a medical program. Participants choose which activity
they would like to do, with weekends spent visiting Armenia
with the other groups.
Cost of the program: all expenses are covered. Participants
need only pay for their return flight ticket and any spending
money required while in country. Knowledge of working with
young children is essential if you want to help run the
summer camp. Experience (doctors, medical students, advanced
first aid) is also necessary for the medical program. No
experience is necessary if you want to help with the renovation.
If you are interested in applying for this volunteer experience,
please contact Shakeh Mejloumian by email at: shakeh@f2s.com.
UK residents should contact Talar Ozkaya at: t4lar@yahoo.com.
For more information agout DAC, please visit http://www.daconnection.org.uk/
Diaspora Armenia Connection UK (DAC)…
who are they? What do they do? What was I letting myself
in for? I didn’t have the answers to all these questions,
however, I knew one thing was for certain… I was finally
ready to go to Armenia… my homeland and what better
way then to go straight in and work with the real villagers
and our little brothers and sisters.
I received an e-mail from Sara Tchaparian in January 2003,
who was at the time single handedly running DA-Connection
UK. She had been to Armenia the year before with DA-Connexion,
the main body of our charity in France and wanted to set
up a base in the UK. The e-mail read: DAC needs volunteers
aged 18+ to help the children of Armenia… Without
a doubt in my mind, I hit the reply button and this is what
happened next…
By April 2003, DAC UK had developed into a group of 18
volunteers. Fund-raising was well under way and we had a
sponsored sandcastles building day in Bournemouth. We built
a 5m² replica of the ancient capital of Armenia “Ani”,
with its many churches, out of sand. The group really bonded
and there was a vibe of excitement amongst the group. Fundraising
and preparation dominated our activities from April to July.
Come August, we were fired up and ready to go! Armenia here
we come!
When in Armenia, what do DAC volunteers do? Well, there
are two main sections to DACs activities. The first is renovation
of the local schools in the villages (last year, there were
three villages: Saghmossavan and Ghoursal in Armenia and
Garmir Shouga in Karabagh). These projects involve the installation
of heating systems, electrical work and other basic renovation
work such as painting. To date, DAC have renovated class
rooms and built a gymnasium and theatre hall for the school
in Saghmossavan.
Apart from renovation, DAC also runs a summer school programme
for the village children. This involves arts and crafts,
language lessons, songs and dancing, plays and special workshops.
Last year, the children in Garmir Shouga didn’t know
what had hit them when we had a Kung Fu expert who came
to run a work shop!
What did I do? I went to Saghmossavan which is a beautiful
village one hour North of Yerevan. Having already worked
at Sunday school in London, I wanted to work with the children.
Before leaving London, we had already prepared a list of
activities, both indoor and outdoor, which we could carry
out in Armenia. We made pom-pom animals, we painted, we
planted cress seeds and watched them grow everyday, we drew
Picasso art, we played football (in the boiling heat), we
prepared a show for the parents, we even had salsa dance
lessons and the children loved dancing along to Shakira!
(“Whenever, wherever, we’re meant to be together…”
they loved this song so much it was on repeat 50 times a
day… at least!)
During the summer holidays, there isn’t much for
the children to do. The parents are occupied with crops,
pickling fruits, making jam and generally preparing for
the winter. There are no projects to occupy the children
so they are usually left roaming the streets. Until DAC
comes along! For the children, the presence of DAC volunteers
during the summer is something they wait eagerly for.
I was miles away from home. I missed my family but I was
having the best time. The work was rewarding… seeing
the smile on the children’s faces when we were with
them… a feeling that can never be described. We had
Khorovaz (BBQ) with the parents. After school we would be
invited for coffee at numerous houses. It is considered
impolite if you do not accept, so we ended up drinking a
lot of coffee or in most cases a glass or two of the classic
Armenian beverage… Oghi (Vodka)! Living and working
in the village, gave us a chance to really get to know the
villagers and their way of life. Relationships and experiences
we had with the children and their families will never be
forgotten. A part of me felt like I was home.
Along side the friends I made in Armenia, I will never
forget the friendships which developed with the other Diasporan
Armenians and volunteers on the project. There were 45 volunteers
in total and we were international… there was a group
from France, the UK, Lebanon, Holland, Austria and USA.
The bonds formed over the three week period were incredible.
Living in a situation where you do not have your home comforts
like a nice shower and toilet, your body experiences different
foods and weather conditions, so yes expect to experience
a few stomach upsets! Being a girl… hair straighteners
were a no no (because of the lack of electricity) and it
was so hot that any make-up we put on would melt straight
back off! So to sum up the living conditions… back
to basics and it was great. Everyone was in the same boat
and we experienced it together.
I had never been to Armenia before. I had always felt like
I wasn’t ready. Now I can’t believe I waited
so long. At the weekends we had time to go on organized
trips. We went to Sardarabad, Garni Keghart, Khor Virab
and Lake Sevan. As we were so close to Yerevan, we went
there a few evenings and partied along side the Pan Armenian
Game participants and supporters. One of the main places
to be was the club Astral… oh what a night! It was
clubbing at its best. The music was great, the drinks were
so cheap and the atmosphere was fantastic. Once “Anabadi
Arev” by Tata (Armenia’s own Robbie Williams!)
was played, the crowd went mental… there was a huge
“shoorch bar” (Armenian circle dance) around
the dance floor… it was great.
Armenia is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever
visited. Everything you see has history related to it. Almost
every hill has the most amazing church at the top of it,
it’s always worth the climb. Every morning, we would
wake up to see Mount Ararat from our windows… upsetting?
Yes it was, because it is no longer ours but it was breath
taking. Although we were miles away, it stood proud with
Little Massis and was truly amazing to see. The first time
I saw it, I couldn’t help but to shed a little tear…
Mount Ararat is something I had heard of all my life and
it was there, in front of me.
Summer 2003, I had the time of my life. I am now part of
the DAC Team in the UK and we are currently preparing for
Campaign 2004. Without funding, sponsorship and volunteers
our campaigns would not be possible. My advice would be,
if you are over 18 and have no real plans this summer, come
along with us to Armenia. It is an experience which is rewarding
and truly unforgettable.
By Talar Ozkaya
