During the past decade, Armenia has experienced profound upheavals and drastic changes in its socio-economic systems. Vital basic social services have become less available and accessible, particularly for the most vulnerable population groups. Widespread poverty is particularly prevalent among the uneducated, unemployed, disabled, elderly and families with many children.
There are more than 14,000 children who do not attend school in the Republic of Armenia because their families are unable to meet the basic costs of their education. Social vulnerability and economic deprivation in families have also contributed to an increase in the number of unaccompanied children and children living and working on the streets. Some of these children have resorted to begging, others to selling flowers, and some to simply picking food out of the garbage. This problem is becoming more serious every year.
As well, the elderly constitute one of the largest socially vulnerable groups in Armenia. Lonely pensioners living on fixed incomes are often unable to meet their basic living needs; in addition, their access to other vital social services is limited. They are often isolated and lack socialization with others on a regular basis.
To assist in the mitigation of these adverse conditions, "Orran", a non-governmental organization (NGO), was established in April 2000. The location of this Armenian charity is in the center of Yerevan. Orran, which means "haven" in Armenian, is working to decrease the disparity between the needs of these at-risk groups and the availability of essential services.
The photograph on the right shows the cramped conditions in which Orran operated. One of the principal objectives of Orran was to transfer our operations into a larger and new center. With generous donations from friends of Orran, we were able to do so in May 2004.
The Orran Board members are responsible for the preparation of financial statements for each financial year. These are audited by Grant Thornton Amyot to confirm that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of Orran NGO for that period.
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