Inspiration in Armenia

I was inspired.

That in and of itself is not so remarkable. I consider myself a fairly 'inspirable' person. However, it was the cause of that inspiration that took me by surprise.

Let me explain. In my line of work – helping the poor and saving the world (in a hyperbolic tongue in cheek nut shell – for those unaware, I’m referring to the field international development), one easily becomes discouraged and cynical. Why? Because it so rarely works very well. Its aims are continually frustrated and the nuggets of hope that keeps one believing it’s still worthwhile to try (and we do) are far too often few and far between.

More often, we’re struck with seemingly impossible situations, uncooperative governments, stubborn attitudes and negative mentalities, insecurity, mismanaged funds, poorly planned and ineffective projects (albeit well-intentioned), poorly trained staff, logistical nightmares, communities over-dependant on aid, corruption….I could go on. It can be discouraging.

But now and then…perhaps just often enough, we do taste a delicious sweet nugget of hope, a metaphorical firm and comforting pat on the back – just often enough to tell us that it is worth it; that goodness can grow and prevail; that we should keep trying.

Sunset on Day 1 in Armenia

In October I went on my first field trip since joining the organisation at their headquarters. I visited our programme in Armenia to do an internal evaluation of one of the projects we’re running there. My task: to ask the question of whether this project is really making an impact, whether that impact is really what’s needed for the people who need it, and whether it’s being carried out in an efficient and effective way. My overwhelming conclusion: yes!

Let me clarify. It’s not that I was entirely surprised to find out that we’re doing good work. I know and believe we’re doing a lot of good work. It’s just that I was so thoroughly impressed by the quality of that work, and moved by the testimonies of the impact of that work that it made me affirm my belief in good development all over again – and, quite simply: it just made me happy.

It’s a nice project – being carried out by really nice Armenian partner organisations and by communities and a government that have wholeheartedly gotten behind it. The project is focussed on improving access to services and the realization of the basic rights of children with disabilities. In a country where children with disabilities have typically been hidden away by their parents as a shameful thing to their family, an attempt to bring those children out into public - give them rehabilitative care, enhance what abilities they do have, and allow them an opportunity to participate in their communities alongside other children with and without disabilities - this has been a huge transformation. As an example, the project identified some case where next-door neighbours had no idea that the family living beside them had a child with a disability because they had never seen them before. These same children, once shut-in at home, have now, for example, received surgeries that allow them to walk, are writing articles for a children’s magazine, or are attending school.


During my 5-day visit, I had interview after interview with anyone and everyone involved in the project – from our staff to those working with our local partner organisations, to government officials, to doctors and physical therapists, to community volunteers, to village mayors, to parents and the children themselves. I heard stories and explanations and opinions. Everyone agreed. Everyone was convinced of the good that has come from this project – from their own unique perspective.

I heard from a mother whose son was having a physiotherapy session at one of the rehabilitation centres we opened in her region that her son had already made huge improvements in 4 months. She described how he can’t wait to come to their session each week and doesn’t want to leave at the end, and how, if it wasn’t for this centre they would have no other options for him.

Girls in an art session at a rehabilitiation
centre one of the local NGOs runs.

I spoke to a drama troupe; a group of kids that puts on Shakespeare and Moliere and Bernard Shaw plays in Yerevan. Some have disabilities and some do not – with the aim of it being an ‘inclusive’ activity for all children. At first, as I was interviewing them, I was trying to figure out which ones had disabilities because somehow I felt that they had the more valid story to tell and a greater claim to participate in these activities. Then I caught myself. It doesn’t matter. That’s the point. Every child should be able to do drama or write an article for a magazine or go to school. The disability is an aside. Yes, it’s something that needs to be addressed, worked with, or somehow worked around. And yes, I did hear some great stories from children who were once isolated and inactive, whose lives have been transformed. But the point is, this theatre troupe, or any activity for children should be high quality for everyone, and open to everyone. One of the boys in the group told me, ‘we learn how to perform as professionals. It’s very marvellous for us!’ That was my ‘quote of the trip’: “It’s very marvellous for us! (And he spoke English, so the choice of the word ‘marvellous’ was his.)

A very marvelous drawing. (I especially like how
the rainbow in the umbrella extends into the sky,
brightening up the typical soviet apartment.)

I spoke to local NGOs who said they’re surprised to see how fast attitudes are changing – as parents see that others also have children with disabilities and its okay; as people see the quality of care the children are getting and the difference it makes; as children freely interact with each other.

A home and garden in a typical village just next
to one of the community centres we support.

I spoke to volunteers at newly-established village community centres which have been brightly painted and equipped with a few nice toys and games and a computer. The local governments have chosen the location, are paying the salaries of one staff person and all the utilities and call the places ‘their own’. Not some nice building run by a foreign NGO. It’s theirs and they are making it work. The community members I talked to sounded genuinely proud of their centres. Facilitators and volunteers hold sessions for children on whatever their skill set allows. Some have sewing and dancing classes, others do art and games, others French and computer lessons. The children love it. And it’s for all children. Not only children with disabilities, but lots of other children too. But, importantly, children with disabilities are there too. Inclusiveness. They get what this means.



And I spoke to government officials – who are working together with the civil society organisations that the project strengthens, to revise Armenian law to meet the country’s obligations to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. They’ve also committed to finding money in their budgets to keep running the rehabilitation centres after the project’s donor funding expires. They said: “this project is doing the work we’d like to do now, but can’t. And we want to do it in the future….we will find a way.”

As I listened to all these testimonies, I kept having these ‘light bulb’ moments of thinking “wow - that’s a fundamental ideal of international development theory in reality!” They were really doing it. Not because they all learned a bunch of theory and are trying to apply it – but because it works and actually makes sense. They’re applying the ‘Rights-Based Approach” by teaching parents and children about their rights and helping them find ways to claim them, while also working with governments and services providers to help them be better able to provide for these rights. They’re promoting ‘community participation’ and ‘local ownership’ and ‘sustainability’ and ‘capacity building’ and ‘advocacy’…. all those nice ‘buzz’ words that we load our funding proposals with, which often represent a huge gap between what we’d like to do or think is the way to do a project and the reality of how it actually pans out. But in this project it was working. Hallelujah! I was inspired.

And on a personal note, I got a little ‘inner’ pat on the back too. I was stressed about this trip and worried about the fact that I didn’t really know what I was doing – this being my first project evaluation and me going in as the perceived ‘expert’ from HQ with all the questions and authority to ask them. But it went well. The interviews went naturally and I came out with answers to the fundamental questions we were asking – as well as some decent recommendations for the areas (and there were a few) where we need to pull up our socks a bit. I had good responses to my evaluation report.

After one of my interviews, with a team of medical and rehabilitation specialists, the head doctor told me they had been quite nervous about my visit. (I had an inner chuckle at this, as I can’t see how I could be remotely intimidating). She said they were all so relieved at the end of our meeting when I said some encouraging words about their good work. Then she gave me a little hug and said “I’m so glad they sent you. You’re so kind”.

At the end of another interview, as I said goodbye to the group of adult members of a Disability Advocacy Coalition, one man, who was completely blind, told me I was beautiful. Ok…so perhaps he was just trying to be charming…but I decided to take it as a deep compliment.

View over Yerevan from my hotel room.

Mini site-seeing walk around Yerevan. The grey shadow
in the distance is Mt. Ararat (where Noah's Ark landed).
It looks much more impressive when not hidden by a
cloud, but my camera missed those moments.

It was a good trip - and a needed inspirational break from my desk-based tasks of processing various documents and spending inordinate hours at my computer here in Brussels. And – bonus! – this was my first trip to Armenia, so it meant a new country for my count, bringing my official tally to…. drum roll….42!* It was also good to be back in the Caucasus region. It reminded me in so many ways of Azerbaijan, and made me nostalgic for my time there. I had to bite my tongue every time I wanted to comment on some commonality between the two countries (Armenia and Azerbaijan were at war from 1988-1994, and have had a tenuous ceasefire since). It’s appalling how next door neighbours who share so much more than what little sets them apart can start killing each other. It’s miserable how hate can grow and spread and cover rationality.

Road-side berries en-route to a project site in rural Armenia.
Armenians & Azeris share largely the same passions
for food (with the exception of pork.)

But…let me end with hope: love and goodness can spread too. Even the story of just one child, who gets the care they need to live a happy life - how good.




*Yes, I confess that my country counting hobby reveals a lopsided focus on quantity versus quality in my nomadic wanderings. I do, however, make an effort to ensure that each ‘fling’ with a new country, however brief, is filled with quality. No eating in MacDonald’s in Moscow for me (or anywhere for that matter). And I do admire those whose count is 5 or 3 – or 1, and who fully know and give themselves to those places like I’ve never known or given myself to a place.