Students, teachers, community members and officials of the village of Akhpradzor, located in Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province, celebrated the opening of their newly renovated school on October 12 alongside Armenian Educational Foundation representatives.
The large-scale renovation carried out by AEF was made possible through the support of Anita Quinonez Gabrielian and her daughters, who donated $30,000 toward the project in memory of their husband and father, Levon Gabrielian.
Neshan Peroomian, who is in charge of AEF’s school renovation projects in Armenia, described the dilapidated condition of the school before renovation as having “a crumbling roof, as well as cracked doors and windows that would let the cold of the winter and rain in.” He thanked Nanor Balabanian for her long years of volunteer work at Akhpradzor and for introducing the school to AEF as a school renovation project.
The school, located in the highlands of Sevan and only two miles away from the new Armenian-Azeri contact line after the 44-day war, has been upgraded with new metal roofing, doors and windows, flooring, patching and painting for the entire building, a brand-new electric heating system and renovated classrooms and gymnasium. New interior restrooms were also added at the school. The school features an ROTC classroom which was dedicated to the memory of one of the school’s former students, Hamlet Aghabekyan, a martyr of the 44-day war.
“The villages of Armenia have great significance for the Armenian nation and for the Armenian people. These villages hold the key to Armenian traditions and customs; hence, their preservation is imperative. The cost of renovation of the Akhpradzor school was $100,000. We thank Mrs. Anita Quinonez Gabrielian and her daughters for donation,” said AEF president, Al Cabraloff.
Recognizing the importance of the village, AEF has focused its renovation program on village schools throughout Armenia, Artsakh and Javakhk. For 71 years AEF has been providing financial assistance to students and educational institutions, including the allocation of funds for student scholarships, school grants and renovations of over 200 schools. This could not have been possible without the generous support of benefactors and AEF members.