Bettering our Homeland

In September 2004, a group of 16 youth from the Scouts of the Montreal Chapter of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (A.G.B.U.) decided to embark on a journey.  This journey would take us to Armenia, the land of our ancestors, in which we hoped to make a difference, as humble as it may be.

After two years of planning and fundraising over 41,000$, the dream became a reality on July 8, 2006, when A.G.B.U. Montreal’s Armenia 2006 team, comprised mainly of youth aged 16 to 20, arrived at the S.O.S. Children’s Village in Kotayk, Armenia.  During the length of the project, which lasted 20 days, we were accompanied by another group of six volunteers from the Armenian Student Brigades (Hay Usanoghakan Jokatner) – local Armenian university students who also wanted to volunteer their time and effort to the betterment of the Motherland.  It did not take long to create everlasting friendships, and we were all ready to get to work.

We carried out a two-fold project.  The first aspect dealt with direct interaction with the children.  With our luggage full of traditional scouting songs and games, we had a great time entertaining the 90 children of the village, also organizing tournaments of soccer and - to bring a taste of Canada - hockey!  We also shared our knowledge of the French and English languages with all those interested, picking up a few words in Russian and perfecting our own Eastern Armenian on the way!

Halfway into our stay, the children of the S.O.S. Village (most of them had been orphans before joining their new family at the Village) left for their annual summer camp at Tsaghkatsor.  During their departure party, we took the opportunity to present them with countless gifts that had been provided by many of our friends and sponsors in Montreal, such as colouring books and pencils, toothbrushes, t-shirts and much more!  While the separation was painful and emotional, it gave us the chance to march into step two of our project: the physical renovation of the Village’s grounds.  We actively brushed, painted, cleaned and fixed until the Village’s fences, soccer ground, basketball field, roofs and playgrounds were completely renovated and refreshed, and ready to use upon the kids’ return.

Seeing that the renovation of the S.O.S. Village required more effort and sweat than funds, we were pleased to discover that a large part of our “spending budget” was still left untouched.  Given that the Village was in quite good state and that all the fixing-up had been done, we decided to invest elsewhere.  We turned our attention to the Yerevan Rehabilitation Center for Children with Motor Disabilities, the destination of a previous project undertaken by another group of volunteer scouts from A.G.B.U. Montreal, in the summer of 2003.  After seeking the opinion of the doctors at the Center, we purchased two exercise machines (a treadmill and an adjustable stationary bike), as well as 6 exercise balls and 6 exercise mats, which would all give the children a better chance to regain their motor skills.  Finally, we purchased two air-conditioning systems that transformed the room from a hot, suffocating atmosphere to a cool therapy room where kids and doctors could work in peace and comfort.

It was with heavy hearts that the group returned for Montreal on July 27th.  A part of us was left in Armenia forever, and as we remembered the time we spent there, it suddenly was very clear to us that despite all our hard work and dedication, what we were able to give our Country was but a mere fraction of the spiritual treasure it had bestowed upon us.

Vrouyr Makalian, Montreal

A new team of Montreal A.G.B.U. Venturers (Scouts aged 14-17) is already planning a similar trip to Armenia for the summer of 2008 or 2009.  Please contact Vrouyr Makalian for more information at vmakalian@hotmail.com.

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