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  • Going back to war-torn armenia

    Going back to war-torn armenia
    by Amy Wilson

    Bath Chronicle, UK
    September 1, 2004

    Abath woman is about to make her second voyage to help poverty-
    stricken people in Eastern Europe. Briony Krikorian, 22, from Lansdown
    Mansions, Bath, spent the last year doing voluntary work in Armenia -
    just east of Turkey - for the Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC).

    She is returning this month to work once more for the organisation.

    And she will spend a month in Armenia before going to Nagorno Karabakh,
    a war-torn region nearby, to teach English, crafts and computer skills.

    Miss Krikorian returned to Bath this summer for a friend's wedding,
    but says she is looking forward to getting back out to Armenia.

    Last year she spent the majority of her time at a family centre
    catering for around 50 families, providing a hot meal and tutoring
    every day.

    This time she will work as a volunteer in a city called Shushi, which
    lies in ruins following battles between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
    ownership of the land between 1991 and 1994.

    She will spend her time establishing a community centre and identifying
    projects that would benefit from future funding.

    Miss Krikorian, who went to Kingswood School before doing a degree
    in politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford, says she is looking
    forward to the new challenge.

    "My degree was a good background, especially because the political
    situation is quite tense over there.

    "I really enjoy the work we do, and I think that going to Nagorno
    Karabakh will be very interesting, and challenging as well." Miss
    Krikorian is intending to either do a masters degree or go into paid
    international work when she returns from the country next August.

    The AVC was established by American-Armenians desperate to help the
    country by making sure it regained self-sufficiency.

    It places volunteers with new ideas, initiative and crucial English
    skills in positions of responsibility in schools, charities and
    local businesses.

    "Armenia's acceptance of new ideas is a slow process, and requires
    personal relations of trust and understanding, rather than an enforced
    programme of westernisation, and AVC really understands that," Miss
    Krikorian said.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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