2008 Galleries

Philip Hartzner i Gavar : Tidligere på året modtog vi et brev fra en af vores trofaste støtter, Peter Raes. Peter Raes er tidligere rektor på Ordrup Privatskole nord for København, hvor generalsekretær Kim Hartzner var elev. Peter Raes skrev brevet efter at have set billeder af Philip Hartzner, Kims ældste søn, og have læst historierne om hvordan børn fra Philips Internationale Skole var begyndt at hjælpe Gavar Special Skole, en skole som Mission Øst har støttet siden 1999. ”Kære Philip. Din far kan fortælle dig hvem jeg er og hvor stolt jeg er over alt det fine arbejde, der bliver gjort, hvor du bor. Min hustru Kirsten, som også er læge, og jeg, som er lærer, ville rigtig gerne selv have kunnet været i stand til at udføre sådan et arbejde. Faktisk studerede Kirsten kinesisk medicin i Kina i 1½ år netop af samme grund. Men nu er vi så gamle at vi bare ville være i vejen med alle vores skavanker. SÅ – da vi læste om din egen entusiasme og din vilje til at hjælpe børn i Armenien, der har fået en mindre heldig start, sagde vi: YES, sådan en dreng vil vi gerne hjælpe til at gøre det som vi gerne selv ville have gjort, men ikke kan. Derfor sender jeg dig personligt – via din farfar her i Danmark – 5.000 danske kroner til at bruge – selvfølgelig med rådgivning fra far og mor – på et eller flere små projekter, som du har lyst til at støtte. Det kunne være gaver, månedlige betalinger for et eller andet, regelmæssig forsyninger af mad eller medicin, hjælp til skoleborde osv. osv. På den måde ville du gøre som i lignelsen med de betroede talenter (Matthæusevangeliet 25, v 15), men i stedet for at få 5 talenter mere, vil du give andre håb og hjælp. Og det er meget bedre. Har du lyst til at prøve? Det er et ansvarsfuldt job for en fyr på din alder, men når vi nu kendte din fars evner i den alder (ham var der gang i, kan jeg godt fortælle dig), så tror jeg også du kan klare det. Lad mig høre, hvad du tænker. Og husk: det er DIG vi gerne vil opmuntre. Farmand er allerede berømt! Jeg vil gerne høre, hvad du beslutter dig for at bruge pengene til hvis du accepterer vores ide. Bare en kort lille notits – et langt, trættende takkebrev er ikke nødvendigt. Varme hilsner til jer alle, Peter Raes” Som svar på brevet, var Philip – som er helt vild med computere – ret hurtig til at svare, at børnene på Gavar skulle have en ny computer. Så da computeren var blevet tilsluttet, tog Kim og Philip til Gavar i april og Philip brugte 2½ time på at lære socialt udsatte børn basal viden om hvordan man bruger en computer. Efter Philips introduktion fortsatte Katie Nees, som arbejder som volontør for UN Peace Corps, med at give regelmæssig computerundervisning til børnene. I slutningen af maj skrev hun: ”Alle de børn – inklusive dem Philip underviste, som er begyndt at bruge computeren, er begejstrede over at kunne finde ting på Internettet – det har virkelig udvidet deres horisont. De synes også det er sjovt at skiftes til at skrive et Word-dokument om dem selv og hvad de lærer. Jeg har endda set en af vores elever – en dreng med Downs syndrom – spille pinball på computeren og det var helt vidunderligt at se den fornøjelse det gav han at spille på computeren. Tak Philip for din generøsitet og venlighed. Den computer er virkelig en velsignelse for vores børn.”

Philip Hartzner i Gavar

Tidligere på året modtog vi et brev fra en af vores trofaste støtter, ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 1:21am PST

Med Helge Pahus på besøg i Armavir : I længere tid havde en god ven af familien Hartzner, Helge Pahus fra Danmark, haft planer om at besøge familien i Armenien og se det arbejde, der udføres af Mission Øst i landet. Helge Pahus har fungeret som sognepræst i den lutherske kirke, som familien Hartzner kom i i Danmark før de flyttede til Armenien, og det var også Helge Pahus, der viede Kim og hans hustru Dorte for mere end 13 år siden. I løbet af et intenst 5-dages besøg i Armenien så Pastor Pahus (eller Helge, som han er kendt som i det meste af Danmark) forskellige dele af Armenien og mødtes med en lang række mennesker. D. 9. juni tilbragte han hele dagen i Armavir, hvor første del af Mission Østs projekt ”En sund start” blev gennemført. Han besøgte Varduhi, en kvinde, som i 14 år har boet i en tidligere staldbygning, og han fulgte med os da vi tog med viceguvernøren fra området hen for at se det ’nye’ hus, som myndighederne nu har tilbudt Varduhi. Helge deltog også i åbningen af en ny børneklub i den fjernt beliggende landsby Dalarik i det vestlige Armenien, og han brugte tid på Center for Børns Udvikling og Genoptræning, som blev åbnet som led i projektet ”En sund start”. Efter endnu et besøg i den første børneklub, der blev åbnet i forbindelse med projektet, sluttede dagen med et længere besøg hos de kvinder, der arbejder for Mission Østs partner organisation ”Nur”.

Med Helge Pahus på besøg i Armavir

I længere tid havde en god ven af familien Hartzner, Helge Pahus fra D ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 6:09am PST

Follow up on disabled and vulnerable children, March 2008 : In December, Mission East made a special appeal to many of our supporters, asking for additional resources to make it possible for us to carry out the work of reaching out to the thousands of disabled and socially vulnerable children in Armenia in need of special attention. Many of these children have only received sporadic attention from the medical community, and are often living in isolation from the rest of society. A survey carried out by Mission East in Armavir region showed that in some parts of the region, nearly half of the children identified as disabled had received no treatment whatsoever for their conditions, and over a third of those who had been to see a doctor for their condition had received no follow-up treatment. Mission East and our local partners are therefore constantly pressing on to ensure that these children get medical care and follow-up, and to ensure their integration into Armenian society. We also work hard to bring the plight of these children to the attention of the local authorities, as we press for structural changes as well as changes in the legal framework for the protection of these children. With the additional help from our faithful supporters we are now able to continue this work and ensure that more and more children get help. There are literally thousands of children in Armenia still not getting the care they are entitled to, so the task is indeed enormous. Here some stories on just a few of the children we and our partners are following up on.

Follow up on disabled and vulnerable children, March 2008

In December, Mission East made a special appeal to many of our support ...

Updated: Mar 31, 2008 12:33am PST

Præsentation af undersøgelse af handikappede børn i Armavir : D. 21. december inviterede Mission Øst til et møde på amtsborgmesterens kontor i Armavir med henblik på at præsentere resultaterne af vores banebrydende undersøgelse af handikappede børns forhold for læger, repræsentanter fra vores partnerorganisationer og repræsentanter fra de lokale myndigheder. Vores undersøgelse, som omfattede 11 lokalsamfund i området, afslørede en katastrofal situation og mangel på opmærksomhed og opfølgning fra det nuværende sundhedssystems side. Undersøgelsen viste også et ekstremt behov for de nye sundhedsydelser, der tilbydes på Center for Udvikling og Genoptræning af Børn, som blev åbnet i september som et led i Mission Østs projekt ”En sund start”. På den baggrund var det en stor skuffelse, at ikke en eneste repræsentant fra provinsen Armavirs lokale myndigheder mødte op til vores præsentation i december. Kun amtsborgmesteren, læger fra selve projektområdet og repræsentanter fra Mission Østs partnerorganisationer var til stede. Senere konfronterede vi de fraværende med det faktum at de var udeblevet fra mødet. De lokale myndigheders undskyldning var at de havde haft travlt med at forberede deres årlige rapporteringer. Vi lod derfor alle vide, at vi ville komme tilbage! For arbejdet med at tage sig af hundredvis af handikappede børns behov, som endnu ikke dækkes af sundhedssystemet, er ikke kun et job for Mission Øst, men for alle involverede, ikke mindst de lokale myndigheder og repræsentanterne fra afdelingerne for sundhed, uddannelse og sociale ydelser i Armavir. Så vi var begejstrede over at se et fuldt forsamlingslokale d. 30. januar til det andet møde, med tilstedeværelse af alle myndighedsrepræsentanter og et stort antal læger, nøglepersoner fra amtsborgmesterkontoret, tillige med repræsentanter fra Mission Øst og vores lokale partner Nur, Arabkir børnehospital og Bridge of Hope.

Præsentation af undersøgelse af handikappede børn i Armavir

D. 21. december inviterede Mission Øst til et møde på amtsborgmesteren ...

Updated: Mar 21, 2008 8:25am PST

Presentation of survey on disabled children in Armavir region : On December 21st, Mission East had called for a meeting in the Governor’s office in Armavir region, aiming to present the findings of our groundbreaking disability survey to the doctors, NGO partners, local mayors and other important representatives : With our survey of 11 communities in the region showing a catastrophic situation of lack of attention and follow up by the current medical system, and the extreme need for using the newly introduced services of the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center opened in September through the Mission East Healthy Start project, it was indeed disappointing that none of the mayors and only the District Governor had shown up for the December presentation, and that only doctors from the region and representatives of the partners of Mission East were present. When we confronted them afterwards, the excuse of the local authorities was they had been busy with end-of year reporting, but at this first meeting we let everyone know that we would come back! Working to address the needs of hundreds of disabled children not yet in focus of the medical system is a job not only for Mission East and our partners, but for everyone concerned, not least the local mayors, as well as representatives of the health, education and social services departments in Armavir. Thus, we were delighted to see a full hall on January 30th for a second meeting, with all the mayors and a great number of doctors present, and with key staff form the District Governor’s office, in addition to representatives of Mission East and our local partners Nur, Arabkir Medical Center and Bridge of Hope.

Presentation of survey on disabled children in Armavir region

On December 21st, Mission East had called for a meeting in the Governo ...

Updated: Mar 31, 2008 12:48am PST

Children and doctors in Armavir : December 21st was a very special day for the children of Armavir region, west of Armenia’s capital of Yerevan: Following the September 2007 opening of the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center (CDRC) in the regional capital also named Armavir, 22 local doctors – mostly family doctors –had undergone special training by Yerevan specialists, aimed at increasing their skills and knowledge about the early diagnosis of children with disabilities. The general aim of the trainings, and a key focal point in the Mission East project ‘A Health Start’, is to ensure that hundreds of children who until now would otherwise only be diagnosed later in life – often too late – can now be given a correct diagnosis as early as possible, and thus in many cases the chance of timely and adequate treatment and follow-up. Kim Hartzner, Managing Director of Mission East and himself a medical doctor, has been based in Armenia since August of 2006, and spent a long day in Armavir on December 21st: First, he took part in the final training sessions of the Armavir doctors, carried out by prominent Yerevan neurologist, Dr. Artsruni Hakobyan. Then, he spent time with the specialist staff at the CDRC, seeing how three children were given follow-up care by the CDRC staff, consisting of a pediatrician, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, a psychologist, a special educator and a physical therapist. Afterwards, Kim Hartzner joined the 22 doctors and a range of partner NGO and local authority representatives, including the District Governor of Armavir, at a ceremony where special certificates were handed over to the 22 doctors. The certificates were given for their participation in the course “Developmental delays and child disability” – and now part of Continuous Medical Examination for pediatricians of Armenia. Finally, the day was rounded up by a keynote presentation of the results of a survey carried out by Mission East and our partners, which described the fate of the hundreds of children in Armavir whom we and our medical partner ‘discovered’ and diagnosed with various kinds of disabilities. Many of these children had never been to see a doctor, and of those who had actually been to see a doctor, many had never received any follow-up care. This situation of neglect and lack of attention is now undergoing a dramatic change, with the establishing of the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center and with the ongoing training of Armavir doctors.

Children and doctors in Armavir

December 21st was a very special day for the children of Armavir regio ...

Updated: Jan 25, 2008 12:55pm PST

Three ministers at the launch of the second phase of 'A Healthy Start' : March 28th marked a great day in the history of Mission East and our Armenian partners. On that day, around 120 representatives of Armenian civil society and state institutions had come together to celebrate the launch of the second phase of the groundbreaking ‘A Healthy Start’ project implemented by Mission East and key Armenian Government and non-Governmental organizations. For this major event, keynote speeches were made by – among others - three Government ministers, two members of the National Parliament as well as representatives of Mission East and our Armenian partners. The event was also the focus of much attention from the media, with a number of major TV stations and written media representatives present. Thus, for several days after the event, Mission East, our partners and the ‘A Healthy Start’ project were brought to the attention of the wider population of Armenia, thus once again highlighting the plight of the thousands of disabled children still in need of early intervention and follow-up care.

Three ministers at the launch of the second phase of 'A Healthy Start'

March 28th marked a great day in the history of Mission East and our A ...

Updated: Apr 08, 2008 9:59pm PST

With the Deputy Governor in the homes of beneficiaries, and with a beneficiary in the Deputy Governor's office : One of the key challenges of working with disabled and socially vulnerable children is to ensure that they get access to the medical treatment and social benefits that they need and deserve, and that they realize their full potential to get an education. As part of the 'A Healthy Start' project in the western province of Armavir, Mission East is working with our local partner Nur to help more than 800 disabled and socially vulnerable children who have been 'detected' as part of this project. In 2006 we started the project by carrying out a survey in the area, but the work of 'finding' new children is still ongoing. Every month around 7 or 8 'new' children are added to the list of those needing our attention. In working with the beneficiaries, however, apart from making sure that the children get the help they need, our main goal is to ensure that our local partner Nur are able to carry out this work even after the project finishes next year. And to this end, one of their key jobs is to 'advocate' the cause of these children in dialogue with the local authorities. One of the key persons among the local authorities in Armavir is the Deputy District Governor, Larisa Muradyan, with whom we have pleaded to intervene both in single cases, but above all, with whom we are working to ensure that a mechanism is put into place that will ensure that no more children fall through the 'gaps' of the system. In order to facilitate a direct dialogue between Larisa Muradyan as a high government official, and the local beneficiaries, we invited Mrs. Muradyan to join us on a number of visits to beneficiaries in Armavir.

With the Deputy Governor in the homes of beneficiaries, and with a beneficiary in the Deputy Governor's office

One of the key challenges of working with disabled and socially vulner ...

Updated: Apr 22, 2008 10:21pm PST

Three Tajik women visiting Mission East in Armenia : Earlier this year, Mission East received a grant from the European Commission to implement a project in Tajikistan entitled “Income, Independence, Inclusion - Supporting economic development and welfare” in Kulob district, an area of Tajikistan where Mission East has been active for more than 10 years. The project has three main focal areas: Agriculture, small scale business and social inclusion. The area of social inclusion of children, ensuring that marginalized children get a place in society, is a key focal area of the work of Mission East in Armenia. Thus, in order to ensure transfer of experience and lessons learnt from the Armenia team, a team of three ladies from Tajikistan, involved in the Mission East project there, came to spend five intensive days with us in May.

Three Tajik women visiting Mission East in Armenia

Earlier this year, Mission East received a grant from the European Com ...

Updated: Jun 20, 2008 6:50am PST

Opening the world to the children at Gavar Special School : Earlier this year we received a letter from one of our faithful supporters, Peter Raes. Mr Raes used to work as principal of Ordrup Private School north of Copenhagen, the elementary school attended by Managing Director Kim Hartzner. Mr Raes wrote the letter after having seen the picture of Philip Hartzner, Kim's oldest son, and reading the story of how children from Philips' International School had gone to help the children at Gavar Special School, a school Mission East has helped since 1999. In his letter, Mr Raes wrote: "Dear Philip, Your father will tell you who I am and how proud I am of all the good work everyone’s doing where you are. My wife Kirsten, who is also a doctor, and myself as a teacher would have loved to have been able to do the same sort of thing ourselves: actually Kirsten was in China for 1½ years studying Chinese medicine for a similar purpose. But now we are so old that we would only be in the way with all our handicaps. SO – when we read of your own enthusiasm to help the less fortunate children in Armenia, we said YES, that’s a boy we would like to help do what we’d like to but can’t. Therefore I’m sending you personally through your grandfather here in Denmark Kr. 5,000 to use – obviously in consultation with Mum and Dad – on one or more small projects you want to support. These could be one-off gifts, monthly payments, supply of regular food or medicine, help with school desks, etc. etc. In that way you would be acting out the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25, v. 15) but instead of gaining 5 more you’d be giving hope and succour, far better. Would you like to try! It’s a biggish job for a lad of your age, but knowing your father’s ability at that age (he was a lively spark, I can tell you!), I reckon you are up to it. Let me know what you think. And remember, it’s YOU we want to encourage: Dad’s already famous! I’d love to hear what you decide to use it on if and when you accept the idea. Just a short note will do – no long tiresome thank-you letter necessary. Warm greetings to you all, Peter Raes" In response to this letter, Philip – who is crazy about computers – very quickly said that the children at the Gavar Special School should have a new computer. So after the computer had been set up, Philip and Kim traveled to Gavar in April and Philip spent 2½ hours teaching socially vulnerable children the basics of working with a computer. Following this initial training, Katie Nees, a volunteer with the US Peace Corps, continued regular computer training of the children, and at the end of May she wrote: "All the kids who have come in to use the computer, besides the three who were part of Philip's training, have enjoyed looking up things on the internet - it really has broadened their world. They also enjoy taking turns writing up Word documents about themselves and what they are studying. I have also seen one of our severely Down-syndromed boys playing the pin ball game on the computer and the joy he received from playing on the computer was wonderful to see. Thank you Philip for your generosity and kindness. This computer really is a blessing for our children."

Opening the world to the children at Gavar Special School

Earlier this year we received a letter from one of our faithful suppor ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 12:56am PST

Seeing results in Armavir : For quite some time, a good friend of the Hartzner family, Helge Pahus from Denmark, had planned to come and visit the Hartzners in Armenia and see the work carried out by Mission East in this country. For 36 years Mr Pahus pastored the Lutheran church attended by the Hartzners in Denmark, and Mr Pahus was also the one that married Kim and his wife Dorte more than 13 years ago. During an intense 5-day visit to Armenia, Mr Pahus (or Helge, as he is known 'everywhere' in Denmark), saw different parts of Armenia and met a wide range of people. On June 9th, he spent the entire day in Armavir, the region of the first phase of the Mission East 'A Healthy Start' project. He went to visit Varduhi, a lady who has lived in a former stable for the past 14 years, and accompanied us as we traveled with the Deputy Governor of the region to see the 'new' house offered her by the authorities. Helge also participated in the opening of a new Children's Club in the far western village of Dalarik, and spent time at the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center opened as part of 'A Healthy Start'. After a visit to one of the first Children's Clubs opened as part of this project, the day ended with a longer visit to the ladies working for Mission East local partner Nur.

Seeing results in Armavir

For quite some time, a good friend of the Hartzner family, Helge Pahus ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 2:11am PST

Planer for Armavirs fremtid : I 2006 udførte Mission Øst og vores lokale partner ”Nur” en ”Undersøgelse af husstande med handikappede børn” i 11 lokalsamfund i den vestlige region, Armavir. Resultaterne af undersøgelsen var tydelige og katastrofale: Groft sagt var handikappede børn blevet ignoreret siden Sovjetunionens sammenbrud og den skam, som forældre til handikappede børn oplevede, havde ført til en situation, hvor de fleste af disse børn havde levet næsten fuldstændig isoleret fra resten af omverdenen – uden adgang til de mest basale ydelser og rettigheder. De havde ikke fået medicinsk behandling, ingen socialydelser eller uddannelse tilpasset deres færdigheder. Undersøgelsen fra 2006 vedblev med at være en basis for Mission Østs arbejde og i samarbejde med vores lokale partner ”Nur” brugte vi undersøgelsen til at ’opdage’ de handikappede børn og lave en beskrivelse af deres situation. Selv efter indsamlingen af de første informationer til undersøgelsen, er vi blevet ved med at finde børn, der har brug for opmærksomhed og omsorg. Ud af omkring 800 handikappede og/eller socialt udsatte børn fandt vi 200 børn med handikaps, der krævede langtidsbehandling og opfølgning, flere end 450 børn med medicinske problemer, der havde brug for kortvarig behandling og cirka 200 børn, der levede under ekstremt vanskelige sociale forhold. Med adgang til sådanne resultater arbejdede vi og vore partnere selvfølgelig hårdt på at sikre behandling af alle kategorier af børn: de 450 børn, som havde brug for medicinsk behandling af kortere varighed, fik den behandling, de havde brug for, de 200 socialt udsatte børn har fået opfølgende opmærksomhed fra de lokale myndigheder og vores lokale partner ”Nur”, og de næsten 200 børn, der havde brug for langsigtet behandling og opfølgning for deres handikap, er blevet henvist til en sådan behandling og opfølgning på Center for Udvikling og Genoptræning af Børn, som blev åbnet i Armavir i september sidste år. Men ventelisterne er lange, så derfor venter nogle af børnene stadig på at det bliver deres tur til at komme på centeret. Men på trods af den store arbejdsindsats fra Mission Østs side, fra vores lokale partner ”Nur”, fra vores partner indenfor fortalervirksomhed ”Bridge of Hope” og vores medicinske partner ”Arabkir Børnehospital” – så er der stadig tilbage at gøre noget ved de fundamentale problemer, som var årsagen til den katastrofale situation i Armavir-regionen. Disse årsager blev ikke belyst i Mission Østs undersøgelse og det er nu op til de lokale myndigheder på alle niveauer – regerings-, regions- og lokalniveau – at tage fat på den side af sagen. På den baggrund indkaldte vi sidst i januar til et vigtigt møde på guvernørens kontor. I mødet deltog viceguvernøren, nogle af hendes medarbejdere, borgmestre fra regionen, familielæger og repræsentanter fra forskellige frivillige organisationer. Vores undersøgelse fra 2006 blev præsenteret og flere konkrete forslag blev fremsat for viceguvernøren, blandt andet et forslag om at hun skulle udarbejde en handlingsplan, som så til gengæld ville blive evalueret på endnu et møde i juni i år, hvor vi ville sørge for Ara Babloyans tilstedeværelse – Ara Babloyan er formand for komiteen for sociale forhold, sundhed og miljøbeskyttelse i nationalforsamlingen. I måneden op til det aftalte møde arbejdede viceguvernør Larisa Muradyan sammen med Mission Østs partner ”Nur” og vores egen udviklingsrådgiver på at udarbejde en handlingsplan og allerede nu er der fulgt op på flere punkter i planen. Handlingsplanen foreskriver indtil flere konkrete handlinger, der involverer lokale myndigheder, Mission Østs partner ”Nur” og andre relevante organisationer, den udnævner dem til at bære ansvaret for at udføre handlingerne og den giver en tidsramme for handlingsplanen. Med en sådan plan vil Mission Østs partner”Nur” være i stand til fortsat at tale for at myndighederne også virkelig udfører de handlinger, de har skrevet under på at have ansvaret for, og har lovet at tage sig af og som nu er blevet drøftet på et åbent møde, der involverede alle relevante parter. D. 19. juni fandt det vigtige møde sted på Armavirs rådhus, alle vigtige medspillere i denne sag var til stede og der foregik en livlig debat blandt de omkring 80 deltagere på mødet. Her nedenfor ses billeder og uddrag fra debatten, som i sig bærer løftet om at vi nu endelig vil begynde at se langsigtede løsninger for handikappede og socialt udsatte børn i Armavir.

Planer for Armavirs fremtid

I 2006 udførte Mission Øst og vores lokale partner ”Nur” en ”Undersøge ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 7:07am PST

Making plans for the future of Armavir : In 2006 Mission East and our local partner Nur carried out a 'Survey of Households with Disabled Children’ in 11 communities in the western region of Armavir. The results of the survey were clear and catastrophic: Largely speaking, disabled children have been ignored since the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the shame experienced by parents of disabled children has led to a situation where most of these children are living in almost complete isolation from the rest of society, and without access to the most basic services and rights, i.e. to medical care, social benefits and an education tuned to their abilities. The 2006 survey continued as a basis for the work of Mission East and our local partner Nur in identifying children and describing their situation. Of course, even after we finished gathering the initial information for the survey, we have continued to find more children needing attention and follow up. In broad terms, among more than 800 disabled and/or socially vulnerable children, we found almost 200 children with a disability requiring long-term intervention, more than 450 children with a medical problem needing short-term intervention, and around 200 children in extremely difficult social circumstances. Of course, with these results in our hands, we and our partners have worked hard to ensure follow up for all categories of children: The 450 children requiring short-term medical intervention were given treatment as needed; the 200 socially vulnerable children have received follow up attention by the local authorities and our local partner Nur, and finally, the almost 200 children needing long term treatment and follow up care for their disability, have been referred for such treatment and care at the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center opened in Armavir last September. It should be noted though that the waiting lists are long, and therefore some of the children are still waiting their turn at the Center. However, despite all of these efforts by Mission East, our local partner in Armavir, Nur, our advocacy partner on a national basis, Bridge of Hope, and our medical partner, Arabkir Medical Center - addressing the fundamental problems leading to the catastrophic situation uncovered by the Mission East survey remains a problem to be solved by the local authorities at all levels - Government, region and community. Based on this rationale, at the end of January of this year, we called for a major meeting at the Governor's office, attended by the Deputy District Governor, some of her staff, community mayors, family doctors, as well as NGO representatives. At this meeting, the findings of the 2006 survey were presented, and several concrete recommendations were made to the Deputy District Governor for her to work out an action plan, which in turn would be evaluated at a follow up meeting in June, for which we would ensure the attendance of Mr Ara Babloyan, Head of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Health Care and Environmental Protection in the National Assembly. During the month leading up to this meeting, Mrs. Larisa Muradyan had worked with Mission East partner Nur and our own Organizational Development Advisor to work out such an Action Plan, and already several points had been followed up on. The Action plan presented provides a number of concrete actions involving the local authorities, Mission East partner Nur and other relevant organizations, it names those responsible for carrying out these actions, and it provides a timeline for the plan. With this in hand, Mission East partner Nur will be able to continue to advocate that the authorities indeed carry out what they have signed up for, promised and now discussed at an open meeting involving all relevant parties. On June 19th this important meeting took place in the City Hall of Armavir, with all key actors present, and with a lively debate among the circa 80 participants of the meeting. Here, some photos and excerpts from the debate, which carries the promise of finally seeing long term solutions for the disabled and socially vulnerable children of Armavir.

Making plans for the future of Armavir

In 2006 Mission East and our local partner Nur carried out a 'Survey o ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 6:45am PST

Screening of children in the 'Red Village' : On a hot summer day, a team of paediatricians and Mission East staff traveled to the remote village of Karmirgyugh (literally: ‘Red village’) in the mountainous Gegharkunik region, with many of the villages situated at 2,000 meters above sea level. The village has 6,000 inhabitants, and, as we soon shockingly realized, a large proportion of children that have been hidden in their homes and had never been given the correct diagnosis or follow up care needed to change their lives. Following home visits by Mission East staff and a paediatrician of Mission East partner Arabkir Medical Center for basic screening , a number of children had been selected for the check up by a team of specialist paediatricians from our partner. The idea is that the specialists spend two days in each of the 12 communities in Gegharkunik included in the project, and on this special day in July we participated in a series of such screenings, first in the local clinic, later during a number of home visits. The purpose of the screening sessions is to chart the path for diagnosis, treatment and follow up of the children involved in this project, initially estimated to be a total of 600 children and youths in the two provinces of Tavush and Gegharkunik – but probably much higher. The team of doctors were a neurologist, a psychiatrist, a rehabilitation specialist and a child development specialist, the four specialists each bring their special talents and experience when it comes to finding a diagnosis, deciding on possible follow up treatment, and the follow up care needed, be it surgical intervention, medical treatment, or long term rehabilitation in one of the Child Development and Rehabilitation Centres opened as part of the ‘A Healthy Start’ project of Mission East in each of the two provinces. With the team of four doctors were three Mission East staff members, including Managing Director Kim Hartzner, himself a medical doctor, as well as a team of local family doctors and nurses.

Screening of children in the 'Red Village'

On a hot summer day, a team of paediatricians and Mission East staff t ...

Updated: Sep 04, 2008 2:12pm PST

Børnene i den 'Røde Landsby' : Screening af børn i ”Den røde landsby” En varm sommerdag tog en gruppe af børnelæger og medarbejdere fra Mission Øst på besøg i den fjerntliggende landsby Karmirgyugh (som betyder: Rød landsby). Karmirgyugh er beliggende i den bjergrige region, Gegharkunik, hvor flere landsbyer ligger i 2000 meters højde over havets overflade. Landsbyen har 6000 indbyggere og - som vi snart skulle blive forfærdede over at se – et stort antal børn, som har været gemt væk i deres hjem og aldrig har fået den korrekte diagnose eller den opfølgende behandling, der ville have været nødvendig for at ændre deres liv. Efter at Mission Østs medarbejdere og en børnelæge fra Mission Østs partner, Arabkir Børnehospital, havde foretaget hjemmebesøg hos en række børn, var en gruppe børn blevet udvalgt til videre undersøgelse af særligt udvalgte børnelæger, hver med sit speciale. Ideen er at specialisterne opholder sig to dage i hvert af de 12 lokalområder, der indgår i projektet, og på denne særlige dag i juli deltog vi i en række af sådanne screeninger, først på den lokale klinik, senere i forbindelse med en række hjemmebesøg. Formålet med screeningssessionerne er at kortlægge vejen til diagnosticering, behandling og opfølgning af de børn, der er involveret i projektet, hvilket i første omgang er vurderet til at være 600 børn og unge i provinserne Tavush og Gegharkunik. Tallet kan dog vise sig at være langt højere. Gruppen af læger, der deltog i besøget var en neurolog, en psykiater, en genoptræningsspecialist og en specialist i børns udvikling. De fire specialister må hver især bringe deres særlige talent og erfaring i forhold til at finde diagnose, tage beslutning om en eventuelt opfølgende behandling og de initiativer det måtte være nødvendigt at tage efterfølgende, hvad enten det drejer sig om operativt indgreb, medicinsk behandling eller længerevarende genoptræning på et af de to Centre for Børns Udvikling og Genoptræning, som etableres i de to provinser som en del af Mission Østs projekt ’En Sund Start’. I selskab med de fire læger deltog desuden tre medarbejdere fra Mission Øst, heriblandt generalsekretær Kim Hartzner som selv er læge, og flere lokale læger og sygeplejersker.

Børnene i den 'Røde Landsby'

Screening af børn i ”Den røde landsby” En varm sommerdag tog en gru ...

Updated: Oct 03, 2008 3:12pm PST

Three children in need of help : Following home visits by Mission East staff in selected villages of Gegharkunik Region, a number of children had been selected for basic screening by a team of specialist paediatricians from Mission East partner Arabkir Medical Center. The idea is that the specialists spend two days in each of the 10 communities in Gegharkunik included in the project, and early September we participated in a series of such basic screenings, in a local clinic in the village of Hairavank in the province of Gegharkunik. The purposes of these sessions of basic screening is to chart the path for diagnosis, treatment and follow up of the beneficiaries, initially estimated to be a total of 600 children and youths in the two provinces of Tavush and Gegharkunik – but actually thought to be much higher. Working together was a team of a psychiatrist and a child development specialist. The two paediatricians aim to use each of their specialist backgrounds in finding a diagnosis, deciding on possible follow up treatment, short term or long term, and the follow up care needed, be it surgical intervention, medical treatment, or long term rehabilitation in one of the Child Development and Rehabilitation Centres opened as part of the ‘Healthy Start’ project in each of the two provinces. On September 4, the team of two paediatricians travelled to the village of Hairavank, situated circa 2,000 metres above sea level. Here, as elsewhere in the mountainous region, there is a large proportion of children that have been hidden in their homes and had never been given the correct diagnosis or follow up care needed to change their lives. With the team of paediatricians were two Mission East staff members, including Managing Director Kim Hartzner, himself a medical doctor, as well as a team of local family doctors and nurses.

Three children in need of help

Following home visits by Mission East staff in selected villages of Ge ...

Updated: Oct 10, 2008 11:37pm PST

Opening of the Children's Club in Armavir town : As part of the 'Healthy Start' Project, Mission East and Nur, our local NGO partner in the western region of Armavir, are working closely with community leaders to establish children’s clubrooms in 11 communities in Armavir Region. The purpose of the clubrooms is to provide an environment in each community where disabled and non-disabled children can meet, get to know each other, and spend time together pursuing activities of mutual interest. The region of Armavir, located between the four peaked mountain of Aragats and the Biblical mountain Ararat, is one of eleven regions of the republic of Armenia. It is famous for its fertile lowlands and beautiful landscapes, but in recent years has been known for the extreme poverty and unemployment that hit the region following the collapse of the Soviet Union with the inherent loss of markets for the agricultural products Armavir is famous for – fruits, vegetables and wine. Those who have employment are mostly seasonal agricultural workers, and therefore most skilled men have left their homes and have sought employment abroad, mostly in Russia. The women are often left to themselves, spending months, sometimes years, without any news from their husbands, having to survive on the meagre funds that sometime arrive, taking care of their children, and trying to make ends meet by taking odd jobs in the fields. October 10th was a memorable day for Mission East and our local partner in Armavir, Nur. On that day, we jointly celebrated the first anniversary of Nur as an NGO, and also the opening of the newly reconstructed Armavir city Children’s Clubroom, which also has office space for Nur. This was the 5th such clubroom established within the framework of ‘A Healthy Start’ project, and six more are planned to be opened during the coming months. 40 guests came to celebrate the opening, including representatives of the District Governor’s office, international organizations and a representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the national church of Armenia.

Opening of the Children's Club in Armavir town

As part of the 'Healthy Start' Project, Mission East and Nur, our loca ...

Updated: Oct 15, 2008 4:07am PST

Tre børn med behov for hjælp : Efter at Mission Østs medarbejdere har været på hjemmebesøg i udvalgte landsbyer i regionen Gegharkunik, er et antal børn blevet udvalgt til at få foretaget en basal helbredsundersøgelse hos et team af specialbørnelæger fra Mission Østs partner, Arabkir børnehospital. Det er tanken at specialisterne skal tilbringe to dage i hvert af de ti lokalsamfund i Gegharkunik, som er involverede i projektet. I begyndelsen af september deltog vi i en række af sådanne basale helbredsundersøgelser på en lokal klinik i landsbyen Hairavank i Gegharkunik. Formålet med disse basale helbredsundersøgelser er at kortlægge vejen til diagnosticering, behandling og opfølgning for de oprindeligt anslåede i alt 600 handicappede børn og unge i de to provinser, Tavush og Gegharkunik – det faktiske antal menes dog at være meget højere. I forbindelse med besøget samarbejdede et team bestående af en psykiater og en børneudviklingsspecialist. De to børnelæger søger hver især at gøre brug af deres specialbaggrund i håb om at finde den rigtige diagnose, tage beslutning om mulig kort- eller langvarig behandling og at finde frem til den rigtige opfølgning, hvad enten der er tale om et operativt indgreb, medicinsk behandling eller længerevarende genoptræning på et af de Centre for Børns Udvikling og Genoptræning, som er åbnet som et led i projektet ”En sund Start” i hver af de to provinser. Den 4. september tog de to børnelæger til landsbyen Hairavank som ligger i 2200 meters højde over havet. Her, som så mange andre steder i de bjergrige områder, er en stor del af børnene blevet gemt af vejen i deres hjem og er aldrig blevet givet hverken korrekt diagnose eller den opfølgende behandling, som er nødvendig for at ændre deres livssituation. Ifølge med de to børnelæger var også to medarbejdere fra Mission Øst – heriblandt generalsekretær Kim Hartzner, der også selv er læge – samt flere lokale praktiserende læger og sygeplejersker.

Tre børn med behov for hjælp

Efter at Mission Østs medarbejdere har været på hjemmebesøg i udvalgte ...

Updated: Oct 20, 2008 6:48am PST

In the shadows of a forgotten war : As part of the second phase of the “Healthy Start” Project, Mission East and Bridge of Hope, our local NGO partner, are working closely with community leaders to establish Mainstream Family and Child Centers in 10 communities in the north-eastern region of Tavush. These centers are meant to be a place where both disabled and able-bodied children can play and communicate with each other, and where parents can gather in groups and get the advice they need to help them in their situation. Because of the shame often associated with having a disabled child, many of the disabled children have been hidden in their homes for years, and many of the parents think their situation is unique and therefore don’t know how to reach out and get the help they need. The Mainstream Family and Child Centers will be the first step towards the integration of disabled children into society – a place where the children and parents will meet professional caretakers, teachers and psychologists, who will help not only the children, but also the parents, and who can give advice to individual families. October the 22nd was a memorable day for the people of Berqaber, a small village situated right on the border with neighbouring Azerbaijan. On that day, the first Mainstream Family and Child Center opened in Tavush, the first of a total of 10 of such centers to open this year. Managing Director Kim Hartzner attended the ceremony and gave a speech, as did local government representatives and Bridge of Hope Project Co-ordinator Lilit Stepanyan. There was some anxiety at the opening of the new center in Berqaber, situated 1.5 kilometer from the border with neighbouring Azerbaijan: The night before, gunshots had rung out from 4pm and way into the night – shootings across the border, which meant that the staff preparing for the opening could not leave the building for hours. The shootings represent a long term aftermath of a forgotten war that officially ended with a truce in May 1994, but which has flared up periodically ever since. Most episodes have been brief cross-border skirmishes, but earlier this year a larger clash took place between the troops on both sides of the frontline separating Armenian troops in the breakaway Armenian enclave of Nagorno Karabakh, and Azerbaijani troops positioned on the other side of the frontline. The war, which lasted from 1988 till 1994, officially claimed 25,000 lives. But on a regular basis, civilians and soldiers are still killed in cross-border shootings and clashes. During the Soviet period, Berqaber was a prosperous village – now, with a forgotten war showing its ugly face at regular intervals – the village has turned into the poorest of the region. In the midst of the unrest, anxieties and poverty experienced by the villagers of Berqaber, we have now managed to bring a bit of hope and a glimmer of light for children desperately in need of such.

In the shadows of a forgotten war

As part of the second phase of the “Healthy Start” Project, Mission Ea ...

Updated: Oct 23, 2008 10:56am PST

Children Clubs Opening in Tavush Region : November of 2008 was quite extraordinary for five communities of Tavush region, where Mission East implements the second phase of its “A Healthy Start” project. November 20, 2008 was a memorable day for Khashtarak, Sev Qar and Achajur communities and November 26 for the people of Getahovit and Azatamut communities, while in each village a Mainstream Family and Child Center was opened. The center will give equal opportunities to the disabled children, who are mostly kept at homes, and see almost no one but their family members. First step of integration into the society is communication, which will be, for sure, provided in such centers. Mission East staff together with partners – Arabkir Medical Center and Bridge of Hope, as well as the community heads and the representatives of Ijevan marzpetaran participated in these events. Children of the communities welcomed the guests with bread and salt, and the priest of the local church blessed and prayed for the future activities of the center. The events were covered by local media. The day of November 20 was special for 9 years old Marine and her family from Achajur community. Marine suffers from cerebral palsy, and during her whole life she hasn’t had wheel chair, while family could not afford to buy it. With the support of ME local partner Bridge of Hope – Ijevan, Mareh got long-expected wheel-chair just during the opening of the Children Club in Achajur. This will somehow make her life easier…

Children Clubs Opening in Tavush Region

November of 2008 was quite extraordinary for five communities of Tavus ...

Updated: Dec 03, 2008 10:53pm PST

Armenian Pediatricians' Conference : On November 21-22, 2008 in the conference hall of Marriott hotel Armenian Pediatricians’ Conference was held. The conference dedicated to the 75-th anniversary of the Academician Vilen Astvatsatryan was organized by Mission East’s partner Arabkir Medical Center – Institute of Child and Adolescent Health. Doctor Ara Babloyan the Permanent Chairman of the Committee for Social, Health and Environmental Issues of National Assembly RA facilitated the two-day conference, which was attended by a number of guests and representatives from different governmental and medical institutions from Armenia, Russia, and Switzerland. Presentation of the “Basics of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics” manual, developed in the scope of "A Healthy Start" project, took place during the conference, and it was distributed among all pediatricians. The first part of the second day was devoted to “A Healthy Start” project - phase 1, implemented by Mission East in cooperation with Arabkir Medical Center from 2006-2008 in 11 communities of Armavir region. The doctors of the Arabkir Medical Center – Nune Aleksanyan and Artsrun Hakobyan who worked in the frames of “A Healthy Start” project made their presentations on “Current Problems of Child Development Assessment and Rehabilitation Services in Armenia” and “Health Description of Socially Vulnerable Children in the Communities of Armenia”. The doctors raised the issues of early identification and treatment of disability, the importance of the establishment of the Child Development and Rehabilitation Centers in each region of Armenia. Both speakers expressed their gratitude to Mission East for the devoted work.

Armenian Pediatricians' Conference

On November 21-22, 2008 in the conference hall of Marriott hotel Armen ...

Updated: Dec 10, 2008 12:01am PST

Åbning af børneklubben i Armavir : Som led i projektet ”En Sund Start” arbejder Mission øst og ”Nur” - vores lokale partner i den vestlige del af regionen Armavir – tæt sammen med ledere i landsbyerne for at etablere børneklubber i 11 lokalsamfund i regionen Armavir. Formålet med klubberne er at skabe omgivelser i hvert enkelt lokalsamfund, hvor handikappede børn og børn uden handikap kan mødes, lære hinanden at kende og sammen bruge tid på at finde aktiviteter af fælles interesse. Regionen Armavir ligger midt mellem bjerget Aragats med de fire tinder og det bibelske Ararat. Den er en af de 11 regioner der udgør Republikken Armenien. Området er berømt for sit frugtbare lavland og sine smukke landskaber. I de senere år er det dog mere blevet kendt for den ekstreme fattigdom og arbejdsløshed, der ramte regionen efter Sovjetunionens sammenbrud med stort tab af marked til følge for de landbrugsprodukter, som Armavir er så berømt for – frugt, grøntsager og vin. De indbyggere, som har arbejde, er hovedsageligt sæsonarbejdere inden for landbrug, hvorimod de fleste veluddannede mænd for længst har forladt deres hjem for at søge arbejde udenfor Armeniens grænser, for de flestes vedkommende i Rusland. Kvinderne er ofte overladt til sig selv i måneder – sommetider år - uden nyt fra deres mænd. De overlever på de få penge, som mændene af og til sender hjem, de passer børnene og prøver at få enderne til at hænge sammen ved at tage ekstra arbejde i markerne.

Åbning af børneklubben i Armavir

Som led i projektet ”En Sund Start” arbejder Mission øst og ”Nur” - vo ...

Updated: Dec 12, 2008 11:47am PST

Danmarks ambassadør på besøg i Armenien : Den 17. september var en speciel dag for Mission Østs medarbejderstab i Armenien. På denne mindeværdige dag brugte Hr. Uffe Balslev, Danmarks ambassadør for Armenien, Georgien og Ukraine, en hel dag på at besøge flere af Mission Østs og vore partneres projektområder. Først besøgte ambassadøren Mission Østs kontor i Jerevan, hvor han blev orienteret om rækkevidden af Mission Østs sundheds- og uddannelsesprojekter, som gennemføres af Mission Øst via lokale partnere, med støtte fra Det danske Udenrigsministerium (Danida). Dernæst ledsagede stedfortrædende landeleder Raffi Doudaklian og projektmanager Anna Avetisyan ambassadøren på et besøg hos Mission Østs partner ”Bridge of Hope”. Bridge of Hope er ansvarlig for gennemførslen af vigtige dele af vores sundheds- og uddannelsesprojekter, med særlig fokus på fortalervirksomhed for handikappede børns og unges rettigheder. Til sidst fik ambassadøren mulighed for at aflægge besøg hos nogle af de børn, vi hjælper, og besøge forskellige projektsteder i den fattige Armavir-region, vest for regionens største by, Armavir. Efter besøget sagde ambassadøren: ”Jeg har naturligvis længe kendt til Mission Østs beundringsværdige og vedvarende humanitære indsats i Armenien, som er blevet støttet af en bred vifte af individuelle og internationalt anerkendte donorer, heriblandt Danida. Men intet kan sammenlignes med at besøge projekterne, tale med den entusiastiske medarbejderstab hos Mission Øst og se hvilken enorm forskel arbejdet i virkeligheden gør i disse menneskers liv.”

Danmarks ambassadør på besøg i Armenien

Den 17. september var en speciel dag for Mission Østs medarbejderstab ...

Updated: Dec 13, 2008 8:54am PST

December 03 - International Disability Day : International Disability Day – December 03 was widely celebrated not only in Yerevan, capital of Armenia, but also in the regions of the country. Mission East, as an organization that has contributed a lot in the sphere of disability, was invited to participate in a number of events, among which were an exhibition organized by Ministry of Labor and Social Issues of RA and Children Club opening in Mrgashat community of Armavir region, organized by our local partner NUR NGO in the scope of “A Healthy Start” project. Mission East’s partner organizations took part in the exhibition representing the spheres of their activities - Bride of Hope in education, culture and community services and Arabkir Medical Center in medical sphere. The important fact is that the government was very much involved in the process, and for the first time the First Lady of RA Mrs. Rita Sargsyan has participated in the event dedicated to disability issues. Susanna Tadevosyan, president of our partner BoH NGO took the chance to present the importance of inclusive education to the First Lady, who seemed to be interested in it. In the opening speeches the representatives of the Ministry expressed their gratitude to Mission East for the devoted work and for the major contribution to the sphere of disability. This event was wildly covered by almost all national TV channels.

December 03 - International Disability Day

International Disability Day – December 03 was widely celebrated not o ...

Updated: Dec 15, 2008 10:48pm PST

Mission East is a Danish international relief and development organisation, working in Eastern Europe and Asia. Our aim is to deliver relief aid, to create and support long-term development projects and to empower local aid organisations to carry on the work independently. Making no racial, religious or political distinction between those in need, we aim to assist the most vulnerable.