Armenia

Background

The devastating conflict in Syria has had a number of consequences, among which has been the creation of a massive influx of refugees in the region, including to Armenia. Initially, Syrian families who came to Armenia perceived the situation as temporary and expected to return back to their homes. However, the continuation of the conflict has created need for crucial decisions and public policy options for the Armenian government in order to address the physical, social and legal problems of vulnerable families. Although the Government of Armenia and a number of International Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations are implementing assistance programs, the situation of those seeking help remains critical. The violence experienced in Syria, in addition to the difficulty of displaced living conditions, has caused psycho-social distress to many refugees.

According to the Armenian Government, since the start of the conflict, 18,000 Syrian citizens, primarily of ethnic Armenian background, have arrived in Armenia. As of July 2015, about 13,000 displaced persons remained and found protection in Armenia. The government is offering several protection options including simplified naturalization (more than 10,000 persons have acquired Armenian citizenship), accelerated asylum-procedures and facilitated short, mid and long-term residence permits.
 
Mission East in Armenia, jointly with its partners: Armenian Redwood Project, Oxfam and UNHCR, contributes to the efforts of the Government to address the urgent humanitarian needs of the displaced population.

Background:

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem especially in Eastern and Central Europe.  Official reports in Armenia suggest that although the number of active TB cases has declined from 2005 to 2009, but the rate of Multiple Drug Resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases has increased from 14% in 2004 to 43% in 2011. Labor migration contributes to spread of TB in Armenia. According to research, about one third of migrants infected with TB worked in regions of Russian Federation, where TB prevalence is highest.   
There are multiple challenges faced in Armenia in prevention and treatment of TB. The most important ones are the non-compliance to the TB treatment, which in turn results in development of MDR-TB, the social stigma which inhibits the early detection of new TB cases, and finally lack of capacity among civil society organizations to advocate and raise the awareness about the disease among the public. Also, labor migration affects treatment compliance and increases the risks of developing drug resistant forms of TB.

Background:

The social consequences of labour (seasonal) migration on families left behind and the migrants do not receive sufficient attention, if indeed they are addressed at all. Despite the influx of money, labour migration leads to several vulnerability factors affecting family members, such as psychosocial problems, exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, lack of adequate care, reduced access to health and education services, and exposure of children to violence and abuse.

Mission East’s efforts represent an integrated and holistic approach towards strengthening the resilience of the families and addressing the negative social effects of labour migration in Armenia through a set of interrelated actions, such as case management, local social planning, institutional cooperation, parental care and diaspora engagement, all underpinned by policy reform. The actions build on and are in line with the on-going reform towards a better integration of social services (ISS). As such, they aim at fostering the links between migration and local development, focusing on the specific social consequences for migrants’ families and measures aimed at enhancing the contribution of diaspora to the development of their country of origin. The project is implemented in four target regions, specifically Lori, Shirak, Tavush and Gegharkunik.