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Updated: Oct 03, 2008 3:12pm PST

Armenia Galleries

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Updated: May 07, 2008 3:37am PST

Opfølgning af handicappede og udsatte børn, marts 2008 : I december måned kom Mission Øst med en særlig opfordring til vores støtter om at sende flere penge til vores arbejde og dermed gøre det muligt for os at nå ud til de tusindvis af handikappede og socialt udsatte børn i Armenien, som har behov for opmærksomhed. Mange af disse børn har kun fået sporadisk opmærksomhed fra sundhedsvæsenet og lever ofte i isolation, borte fra resten af samfundet. En undersøgelse, som Mission Øst har foretaget i provinsen Armavir, viser, at i nogle områder i provinsen har næsten halvdelen af de handikappede børn ikke modtaget nogen som helst form for behandling for deres tilstand - og flere end en tredjedel af de børn, som tidligere er blevet tilset af en læge i forbindelse med deres tilstand, har ikke modtaget opfølgende behandling. Mission Øst og vores lokale partner presser derfor hele tiden på for at sikre, at disse børn får medicinsk behandling og opfølgning, og for at sikre at de integreres i det armenske samfund. Vi arbejder også hårdt på at henlede de lokale myndigheders opmærksomhed på disse børns vanskelige situation. Vi presser på for, at der må ske strukturelle og lovmæssige ændringer til beskyttelse af disse børn. Med den ekstra hjælp, vi modtog fra vores trofaste støtter, er vi nu i stand til at fortsætte dette arbejde og sikre, at flere og flere børn får hjælp. Der er bogstaveligt talt tusinder af børn i Armenien, som stadig ikke får den hjælp, de er berettiget til, så opgaven er ganske enkelt enorm. Her er nogle beretninger om blot et par enkelte børn, vi og vores partnere følger op på.

Opfølgning af handicappede og udsatte børn, marts 2008

I december måned kom Mission Øst med en særlig opfordring til vores ...

Updated: Mar 31, 2008 12:43am PST

Follow up on disabled and vulnerable children, March 2008 : In December, Mission East made a special appeal to many of our supporters, asking for additional resources to make it possible for us to carry out the work of reaching out to the thousands of disabled and socially vulnerable children in Armenia in need of special attention. Many of these children have only received sporadic attention from the medical community, and are often living in isolation from the rest of society. A survey carried out by Mission East in Armavir region showed that in some parts of the region, nearly half of the children identified as disabled had received no treatment whatsoever for their conditions, and over a third of those who had been to see a doctor for their condition had received no follow-up treatment. Mission East and our local partners are therefore constantly pressing on to ensure that these children get medical care and follow-up, and to ensure their integration into Armenian society. We also work hard to bring the plight of these children to the attention of the local authorities, as we press for structural changes as well as changes in the legal framework for the protection of these children. With the additional help from our faithful supporters we are now able to continue this work and ensure that more and more children get help. There are literally thousands of children in Armenia still not getting the care they are entitled to, so the task is indeed enormous. Here some stories on just a few of the children we and our partners are following up on.

Follow up on disabled and vulnerable children, March 2008

In December, Mission East made a special appeal to many of our support ...

Updated: Mar 31, 2008 12:33am PST

Præsentation af undersøgelse af handikappede børn i Armavir : D. 21. december inviterede Mission Øst til et møde på amtsborgmesterens kontor i Armavir med henblik på at præsentere resultaterne af vores banebrydende undersøgelse af handikappede børns forhold for læger, repræsentanter fra vores partnerorganisationer og repræsentanter fra de lokale myndigheder.
Vores undersøgelse, som omfattede 11 lokalsamfund i området, afslørede en katastrofal situation og mangel på opmærksomhed og opfølgning fra det nuværende sundhedssystems side. Undersøgelsen viste også et ekstremt behov for de nye sundhedsydelser, der tilbydes på Center for Udvikling og Genoptræning af Børn, som blev åbnet i september som et led i Mission Østs projekt ”En sund start”. På den baggrund var det en stor skuffelse, at ikke en eneste repræsentant fra provinsen Armavirs lokale myndigheder mødte op til vores præsentation i december. Kun amtsborgmesteren, læger fra selve projektområdet og repræsentanter fra Mission Østs partnerorganisationer var til stede.
Senere konfronterede vi de fraværende med det faktum at de var udeblevet fra mødet. De lokale myndigheders undskyldning var at de havde haft travlt med at forberede deres årlige rapporteringer. Vi lod derfor alle vide, at vi ville komme tilbage! For arbejdet med at tage sig af hundredvis af handikappede børns behov, som endnu ikke dækkes af sundhedssystemet, er ikke kun et job for Mission Øst, men for alle involverede, ikke mindst de lokale myndigheder og repræsentanterne fra afdelingerne for sundhed, uddannelse og sociale ydelser i Armavir.
Så vi var begejstrede over at se et fuldt forsamlingslokale d. 30. januar til det andet møde, med tilstedeværelse af alle myndighedsrepræsentanter og et stort antal læger, nøglepersoner fra amtsborgmesterkontoret, tillige med repræsentanter fra Mission Øst og vores lokale partner Nur, Arabkir børnehospital og Bridge of Hope.

Præsentation af undersøgelse af handikappede børn i Armavir

D. 21. december inviterede Mission Øst til et møde på amtsborgmeste ...

Updated: Mar 21, 2008 8:25am PST

Presentation of survey on disabled children in Armavir region : On December 21st, Mission East had called for a meeting in the Governor’s office in Armavir region, aiming to present the findings of our groundbreaking disability survey to the doctors, NGO partners, local mayors and other important representatives : With our survey of 11 communities in the region showing a catastrophic situation of lack of attention and follow up by the current medical system, and the extreme need for using the newly introduced services of the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center opened in September through the Mission East Healthy Start project, it was indeed disappointing that none of the mayors and only the District Governor had shown up for the December presentation, and that only doctors from the region and representatives of the partners of Mission East were present.
When we confronted them afterwards, the excuse of the local authorities was they had been busy with end-of year reporting, but at this first meeting we let everyone know that we would come back! Working to address the needs of hundreds of disabled children not yet in focus of the medical system is a job not only for Mission East and our partners, but for everyone concerned, not least the local mayors, as well as representatives of the health, education and social services departments in Armavir.
Thus, we were delighted to see a full hall on January 30th for a second meeting, with all the mayors and a great number of doctors present, and with key staff form the District Governor’s office, in addition to representatives of Mission East and our local partners Nur, Arabkir Medical Center and Bridge of Hope.

Presentation of survey on disabled children in Armavir region

On December 21st, Mission East had called for a meeting in the Governo ...

Updated: Mar 31, 2008 12:48am PST

Børn og læger i Armavir : Den 21. december var en helt speciel dag for børnene i provinsen Armavir vest for Armeniens hovedstad Jerevan: Siden et Center for Udvikling og Genoptræning af Børn blev åbnet i september 2007 i områdets største by, også kaldet Armavir, har 22 lokale læger – fortrinsvis alment praktiserende læger – gennemgået et særligt efteruddannelseskursus. Kurset blev gennemført af specialister fra Jerevan og tog sigte mod at øge lægernes færdigheder og viden i forbindelse med tidlig diagnosticering af børn med handicap.
Det overordnede mål med kurset er også et kernefokuspunkt for Mission Østs projekt ”En Sund Start”, nemlig at sikre, at hundredvis af børn, som indtil projektets start ellers først ville få en diagnose langt senere i livet – og ofte for sent – nu kan få en korrekt diagnose så tidligt som muligt, og dermed få chancen for rettidig og korrekt behandling og opfølgning.
Generalsekretær for Mission Øst, Kim Hartzner, som selv er læge, har boet i Armenien siden august 2006. D. 21. december tilbragte han en lang dag i Armavir: først deltog han i den afsluttende undervisning af lægerne i Armavir, forestået af Dr. Artsruni Hakobyan, en anerkendt neurolog fra Jerevan. Derefter tilbragte han tid med specialisterne fra Center for Udvikling og Genoptræning af Børn og var til stede mens centerets medarbejdere gav tre børn opfølgende behandling. Medarbejdergruppen består af en børnelæge, en talepædagog, en ergoterapeut, en psykolog, en specialunderviser og en fysioterapeut.
Efterfølgende sluttede Kim Hartzner sig til de 22 læger ved en ceremoni, hvor lægerne fik overrakt deres diplomer. I ceremonien deltog også en række repræsentanter for partnerorganisationer og lokale myndigheder, heriblandt amtsborgmesteren for Armavir provins. Diplomerne blev givet for deltagelse i kurset: ”Sen udvikling og handicap blandt børn”. Kurset er nu en del af den obligatoriske efteruddannelse af børnelæger i Armenien.
Dagens sidste programpunkt var en præsentation af hovedresultaterne i en undersøgelse, som Mission Øst har foretaget i samarbejde med vores partnere. Undersøgelsen beretter om den skæbne, hundredvis af børn i Armavir deler. Disse børn er blevet ’opdaget’ af Mission Øst og Mission Østs partnere, og diagnosticeret med en række forskellige handicap. Mange af disse børn har aldrig været hos lægen, og af dem, som har, har mange aldrig modtaget opfølgende behandling.
Denne form for omsorgssvigt og manglende opmærksomhed er nu på vej til at blive historie. Situationen for de handicappede børn i Armavir undergår dramatiske forandringer, takket være oprettelsen af Center for Udvikling og Genoptræning af Børn og den fortsatte uddannelse af lægerne i Armavir.

Børn og læger i Armavir

Den 21. december var en helt speciel dag for børnene i provinsen Arma ...

Updated: Mar 31, 2008 12:51am PST

Children and doctors in Armavir : December 21st was a very special day for the children of Armavir region, west of Armenia’s capital of Yerevan:
Following the September 2007 opening of the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center (CDRC) in the regional capital also named Armavir, 22 local doctors – mostly family doctors –had undergone special training by Yerevan specialists, aimed at increasing their skills and knowledge about the early diagnosis of children with disabilities.
The general aim of the trainings, and a key focal point in the Mission East project ‘A Health Start’, is to ensure that hundreds of children who until now would otherwise only be diagnosed later in life – often too late – can now be given a correct diagnosis as early as possible, and thus in many cases the chance of timely and adequate treatment and follow-up.
Kim Hartzner, Managing Director of Mission East and himself a medical doctor, has been based in Armenia since August of 2006, and spent a long day in Armavir on December 21st: First, he took part in the final training sessions of the Armavir doctors, carried out by prominent Yerevan neurologist, Dr. Artsruni Hakobyan. Then, he spent time with the specialist staff at the CDRC, seeing how three children were given follow-up care by the CDRC staff, consisting of a pediatrician, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, a psychologist, a special educator and a physical therapist.
Afterwards, Kim Hartzner joined the 22 doctors and a range of partner NGO and local authority representatives, including the District Governor of Armavir, at a ceremony where special certificates were handed over to the 22 doctors. The certificates were given for their participation in the course “Developmental delays and child disability” – and now part of Continuous Medical Examination for pediatricians of Armenia.
Finally, the day was rounded up by a keynote presentation of the results of a survey carried out by Mission East and our partners, which described the fate of the hundreds of children in Armavir whom we and our medical partner ‘discovered’ and diagnosed with various kinds of disabilities. Many of these children had never been to see a doctor, and of those who had actually been to see a doctor, many had never received any follow-up care.
This situation of neglect and lack of attention is now undergoing a dramatic change, with the establishing of the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center and with the ongoing training of Armavir doctors.

Children and doctors in Armavir

December 21st was a very special day for the children of Armavir regio ...

Updated: Jan 25, 2008 12:55pm PST

Three ministers at the launch of the second phase of 'A Healthy Start' : March 28th marked a great day in the history of Mission East and our Armenian partners. On that day, around 120 representatives of Armenian civil society and state institutions had come together to celebrate the launch of the second phase of the groundbreaking ‘A Healthy Start’ project implemented by Mission East and key Armenian Government and non-Governmental organizations.
For this major event, keynote speeches were made by – among others - three Government ministers, two members of the National Parliament as well as representatives of Mission East and our Armenian partners.
The event was also the focus of much attention from the media, with a number of major TV stations and written media representatives present. Thus, for several days after the event, Mission East, our partners and the ‘A Healthy Start’ project were brought to the attention of the wider population of Armenia, thus once again highlighting the plight of the thousands of disabled children still in need of early intervention and follow-up care.

Three ministers at the launch of the second phase of 'A Healthy Start'

March 28th marked a great day in the history of Mission East and our A ...

Updated: Apr 08, 2008 9:59pm PST

Tre ministre til officiel indvielse af næste fase af 'En sund start' : Den 28. marts var en stor dag i Mission Østs og vores armenske partneres historie. Cirka 120 repræsentanter fra det armenske civilsamfund og statsinstitutioner mødtes for at fejre lanceringen af anden fase af det banebrydende projekt ”En sund start”. Projektet gennemføres af Mission Øst i samarbejde med vigtige armenske statslige og ikke-statslige organisationer.
I anledning af denne store begivenhed blev der holdt åbningstaler af flere – deriblandt tre ministre, to parlamentsmedlemmer, samt repræsentanter for Mission Øst og vores armenske partnere.
Begivenheden gav også anledning til en hel del opmærksomhed fra medierne. Flere større tv-stationer og journalister fra diverse aviser var til stede. Dermed blev den bredere befolkning i Armenien gjort opmærksom på Mission Øst, vore partnere og projektet ”En sund start” i flere dage efter begivenheden. Og igen blev det understreget, hvilken vanskelig situation tusindvis af handikappede børn befinder sig i, og at disse børn har brug for tidlig indgriben og opfølgning.

Tre ministre til officiel indvielse af næste fase af 'En sund start'

Den 28. marts var en stor dag i Mission Østs og vores armenske partne ...

Updated: Apr 12, 2008 4:32am PST

With the Deputy Governor in the homes of beneficiaries, and with a beneficiary in the Deputy Governor's office : One of the key challenges of working with disabled and socially vulnerable children is to ensure that they get access to the medical treatment and social benefits that they need and deserve, and that they realize their full potential to get an education.
As part of the 'A Healthy Start' project in the western province of Armavir, Mission East is working with our local partner Nur to help more than 800 disabled and socially vulnerable children who have been 'detected' as part of this project. In 2006 we started the project by carrying out a survey in the area, but the work of 'finding' new children is still ongoing. Every month around 7 or 8 'new' children are added to the list of those needing our attention.
In working with the beneficiaries, however, apart from making sure that the children get the help they need, our main goal is to ensure that our local partner Nur are able to carry out this work even after the project finishes next year. And to this end, one of their key jobs is to 'advocate' the cause of these children in dialogue with the local authorities. One of the key persons among the local authorities in Armavir is the Deputy District Governor, Larisa Muradyan, with whom we have pleaded to intervene both in single cases, but above all, with whom we are working to ensure that a mechanism is put into place that will ensure that no more children fall through the 'gaps' of the system.
In order to facilitate a direct dialogue between Larisa Muradyan as a high government official, and the local beneficiaries, we invited Mrs. Muradyan to join us on a number of visits to beneficiaries in Armavir.

With the Deputy Governor in the homes of beneficiaries, and with a beneficiary in the Deputy Governor's office

One of the key challenges of working with disabled and socially vulner ...

Updated: Apr 22, 2008 10:21pm PST

Med viceguvernøren på besøg hos de fattige, og med de fattige på besøg hos viceguvernøren : En af hovedudfordringerne ved at arbejde med handicappede og socialt udsatte børn er at sikre, at disse børn får adgang til den medicinske behandling de sociale ydelser, som de har brug for og fortjener. Og at de udnytter deres fulde potentiale i forhold til at få en uddannelse.
Som en del af projektet ”En sund start” i provinsen Armavir i det vestlige Armenien, arbejder Mission Øst i samarbejde med vores lokale partner ”Nur” på at hjælpe flere end 800 handicappede og socialt udsatte børn, som er blevet ’opdaget’ gennem projektet. Vi indledte projektet i 2006 med at gennemføre en undersøgelse i området, men arbejdet med at finde nye børn foregår stadig. Hver måned tilføjes 7-8 nye børn til listen. Børn, der har brug for vores opmærksomhed.
I arbejdet med børnene er det vores mål - bortset fra at sikre, at børnene får den hjælp, de har behov for - at sørge for at vores lokale partner ”Nur” er i stand til at fortsætte dette arbejde, også efter at projektet afsluttes næste år. For at opnå det, er en af deres nøgleopgaver at udøve fortalervirksomhed på vegne af disse børn i dialog med de lokale myndigheder. En af nøglepersonerne blandt repræsentanterne for de lokale myndigheder i Armavir er viceguvernør Larisa Muradyan, som vi har bedt om hjælp i enkeltsager og – vigtigst af alt – som vi arbejder sammen med for at sikre tilstedeværelsen af mekanismer, der modvirker at børn i fremtiden falder igennem ”hullerne” i systemet.
For at muliggøre en direkte dialog mellem Larisa Muradyan, en højtstående embedsperson, og forældrene til de børn, vi hjælper, inviterede vi Fru Muradyan med på en række besøg hos børnene i Armavir.

Med viceguvernøren på besøg hos de fattige, og med de fattige på besøg hos viceguvernøren

En af hovedudfordringerne ved at arbejde med handicappede og socialt u ...

Updated: Apr 23, 2008 1:59am PST

Three Tajik women visiting Mission East in Armenia : Earlier this year, Mission East received a grant from the European Commission to implement a project in Tajikistan entitled “Income, Independence, Inclusion - Supporting economic development and welfare” in Kulob district, an area of Tajikistan where Mission East has been active for more than 10 years.
The project has three main focal areas: Agriculture, small scale business and social inclusion. The area of social inclusion of children, ensuring that marginalized children get a place in society, is a key focal area of the work of Mission East in Armenia.
Thus, in order to ensure transfer of experience and lessons learnt from the Armenia team, a team of three ladies from Tajikistan, involved in the Mission East project there, came to spend five intensive days with us in May.

Three Tajik women visiting Mission East in Armenia

Earlier this year, Mission East received a grant from the European Com ...

Updated: Jun 20, 2008 6:50am PST

Tre kvinder fra Tadsjikistan på besøg i Armenien : Tidligere på året modtog Mission Øst en bevilling fra Europeaid (EU's udviklingskontor) til at gennemføre et projekt i Tadsjikistan med titlen: ”Indkomst, uafhængighed og inklusion – støtte til økonomisk udvikling og velfærd”. Projektet gennemføres i Kulob området i en del af Tadsjikistan, hvor Mission Øst har arbejdet i mere end 10 år.
Projektet har tre særlige fokusområder: Landbrug, små virksomheder og social inklusion. Social inklusion af børn - i form af sikring af disse børns ret til en plads i samfundet - er et centralt nøglepunkt i det arbejde, Mission Øst udfører i Armenien.
For således at sikre erfaringsudveksling og udveksling af tilegnet viden fra det armenske team, kom tre kvinder fra Tadsjikistan, som er involveret i Mission Østs projekt der, på besøg i Armenien og tilbragte fem intensive dage sammen med os i maj.

Tre kvinder fra Tadsjikistan på besøg i Armenien

Tidligere på året modtog Mission Øst en bevilling fra Europeaid (EU ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 12:32am PST

Opening the world to the children at Gavar Special School : Earlier this year we received a letter from one of our faithful supporters, Peter Raes. Mr Raes used to work as principal of Ordrup Private School north of Copenhagen, the elementary school attended by Managing Director Kim Hartzner.
Mr Raes wrote the letter after having seen the picture of Philip Hartzner, Kim's oldest son, and reading the story of how children from Philips' International School had gone to help the children at Gavar Special School, a school Mission East has helped since 1999.
In his letter, Mr Raes wrote:

"Dear Philip,
Your father will tell you who I am and how proud I am of all the good work everyone’s doing where you are. My wife Kirsten, who is also a doctor, and myself as a teacher would have loved to have been able to do the same sort of thing ourselves: actually Kirsten was in China for 1½ years studying Chinese medicine for a similar purpose. But now we are so old that we would only be in the way with all our handicaps. SO – when we read of your own enthusiasm to help the less fortunate children in Armenia, we said YES, that’s a boy we would like to help do what we’d like to but can’t. Therefore I’m sending you personally through your grandfather here in Denmark Kr. 5,000 to use – obviously in consultation with Mum and Dad – on one or more small projects you want to support. These could be one-off gifts, monthly payments, supply of regular food or medicine, help with school desks, etc. etc. In that way you would be acting out the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25, v. 15) but instead of gaining 5 more you’d be giving hope and succour, far better.
Would you like to try! It’s a biggish job for a lad of your age, but knowing your father’s ability at that age (he was a lively spark, I can tell you!), I reckon you are up to it. Let me know what you think. And remember, it’s YOU we want to encourage: Dad’s already famous!
I’d love to hear what you decide to use it on if and when you accept the idea. Just a short note will do – no long tiresome thank-you letter necessary.
Warm greetings to you all,
Peter Raes"

In response to this letter, Philip – who is crazy about computers – very quickly said that the children at the Gavar Special School should have a new computer. So after the computer had been set up, Philip and Kim traveled to Gavar in April and Philip spent 2½ hours teaching socially vulnerable children the basics of working with a computer. Following this initial training, Katie Nees, a volunteer with the US Peace Corps, continued regular computer training of the children, and at the end of May she wrote: "All the kids who have come in to use the computer, besides the three who were part of Philip's training, have enjoyed looking up things on the internet - it really has broadened their world. They also enjoy taking turns writing up Word documents about themselves and what they are studying. I have also seen one of our severely Down-syndromed boys playing the pin ball game on the computer and the joy he received from playing on the computer was wonderful to see. Thank you Philip for your generosity and kindness. This computer really is a blessing for our children."

Opening the world to the children at Gavar Special School

Earlier this year we received a letter from one of our faithful suppor ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 12:56am PST

Philip Hartzner i Gavar : Tidligere på året modtog vi et brev fra en af vores trofaste støtter, Peter Raes. Peter Raes er tidligere rektor på Ordrup Privatskole nord for København, hvor generalsekretær Kim Hartzner var elev.
Peter Raes skrev brevet efter at have set billeder af Philip Hartzner, Kims ældste søn, og have læst historierne om hvordan børn fra Philips Internationale Skole var begyndt at hjælpe Gavar Special Skole, en skole som Mission Øst har støttet siden 1999.

”Kære Philip.
Din far kan fortælle dig hvem jeg er og hvor stolt jeg er over alt det fine arbejde, der bliver gjort, hvor du bor. Min hustru Kirsten, som også er læge, og jeg, som er lærer, ville rigtig gerne selv have kunnet været i stand til at udføre sådan et arbejde. Faktisk studerede Kirsten kinesisk medicin i Kina i 1½ år netop af samme grund. Men nu er vi så gamle at vi bare ville være i vejen med alle vores skavanker. SÅ – da vi læste om din egen entusiasme og din vilje til at hjælpe børn i Armenien, der har fået en mindre heldig start, sagde vi: YES, sådan en dreng vil vi gerne hjælpe til at gøre det som vi gerne selv ville have gjort, men ikke kan. Derfor sender jeg dig personligt – via din farfar her i Danmark – 5.000 danske kroner til at bruge – selvfølgelig med rådgivning fra far og mor – på et eller flere små projekter, som du har lyst til at støtte. Det kunne være gaver, månedlige betalinger for et eller andet, regelmæssig forsyninger af mad eller medicin, hjælp til skoleborde osv. osv. På den måde ville du gøre som i lignelsen med de betroede talenter (Matthæusevangeliet 25, v 15), men i stedet for at få 5 talenter mere, vil du give andre håb og hjælp. Og det er meget bedre.
Har du lyst til at prøve? Det er et ansvarsfuldt job for en fyr på din alder, men når vi nu kendte din fars evner i den alder (ham var der gang i, kan jeg godt fortælle dig), så tror jeg også du kan klare det. Lad mig høre, hvad du tænker. Og husk: det er DIG vi gerne vil opmuntre. Farmand er allerede berømt!
Jeg vil gerne høre, hvad du beslutter dig for at bruge pengene til hvis du accepterer vores ide. Bare en kort lille notits – et langt, trættende takkebrev er ikke nødvendigt.
Varme hilsner til jer alle,
Peter Raes”

Som svar på brevet, var Philip – som er helt vild med computere – ret hurtig til at svare, at børnene på Gavar skulle have en ny computer. Så da computeren var blevet tilsluttet, tog Kim og Philip til Gavar i april og Philip brugte 2½ time på at lære socialt udsatte børn basal viden om hvordan man bruger en computer. Efter Philips introduktion fortsatte Katie Nees, som arbejder som volontør for UN Peace Corps, med at give regelmæssig computerundervisning til børnene. I slutningen af maj skrev hun: ”Alle de børn – inklusive dem Philip underviste, som er begyndt at bruge computeren, er begejstrede over at kunne finde ting på Internettet – det har virkelig udvidet deres horisont. De synes også det er sjovt at skiftes til at skrive et Word-dokument om dem selv og hvad de lærer. Jeg har endda set en af vores elever – en dreng med Downs syndrom – spille pinball på computeren og det var helt vidunderligt at se den fornøjelse det gav han at spille på computeren. Tak Philip for din generøsitet og venlighed. Den computer er virkelig en velsignelse for vores børn.”

Philip Hartzner i Gavar

Tidligere på året modtog vi et brev fra en af vores trofaste støtte ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 1:21am PST

Seeing results in Armavir : For quite some time, a good friend of the Hartzner family, Helge Pahus from Denmark, had planned to come and visit the Hartzners in Armenia and see the work carried out by Mission East in this country. For 36 years Mr Pahus pastored the Lutheran church attended by the Hartzners in Denmark, and Mr Pahus was also the one that married Kim and his wife Dorte more than 13 years ago.
During an intense 5-day visit to Armenia, Mr Pahus (or Helge, as he is known 'everywhere' in Denmark), saw different parts of Armenia and met a wide range of people. On June 9th, he spent the entire day in Armavir, the region of the first phase of the Mission East 'A Healthy Start' project. He went to visit Varduhi, a lady who has lived in a former stable for the past 14 years, and accompanied us as we traveled with the Deputy Governor of the region to see the 'new' house offered her by the authorities. Helge also participated in the opening of a new Children's Club in the far western village of Dalarik, and spent time at the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center opened as part of 'A Healthy Start'. After a visit to one of the first Children's Clubs opened as part of this project, the day ended with a longer visit to the ladies working for Mission East local partner Nur.

Seeing results in Armavir

For quite some time, a good friend of the Hartzner family, Helge Pahus ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 2:11am PST

Med Helge Pahus på besøg i Armavir : I længere tid havde en god ven af familien Hartzner, Helge Pahus fra Danmark, haft planer om at besøge familien i Armenien og se det arbejde, der udføres af Mission Øst i landet. Helge Pahus har fungeret som sognepræst i den lutherske kirke, som familien Hartzner kom i i Danmark før de flyttede til Armenien, og det var også Helge Pahus, der viede Kim og hans hustru Dorte for mere end 13 år siden.
I løbet af et intenst 5-dages besøg i Armenien så Pastor Pahus (eller Helge, som han er kendt som i det meste af Danmark) forskellige dele af Armenien og mødtes med en lang række mennesker.
D. 9. juni tilbragte han hele dagen i Armavir, hvor første del af Mission Østs projekt ”En sund start” blev gennemført. Han besøgte Varduhi, en kvinde, som i 14 år har boet i en tidligere staldbygning, og han fulgte med os da vi tog med viceguvernøren fra området hen for at se det ’nye’ hus, som myndighederne nu har tilbudt Varduhi. Helge deltog også i åbningen af en ny børneklub i den fjernt beliggende landsby Dalarik i det vestlige Armenien, og han brugte tid på Center for Børns Udvikling og Genoptræning, som blev åbnet som led i projektet ”En sund start”. Efter endnu et besøg i den første børneklub, der blev åbnet i forbindelse med projektet, sluttede dagen med et længere besøg hos de kvinder, der arbejder for Mission Østs partner organisation ”Nur”.

Med Helge Pahus på besøg i Armavir

I længere tid havde en god ven af familien Hartzner, Helge Pahus fra ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 6:09am PST

Planer for Armavirs fremtid : I 2006 udførte Mission Øst og vores lokale partner ”Nur” en ”Undersøgelse af husstande med handikappede børn” i 11 lokalsamfund i den vestlige region, Armavir. Resultaterne af undersøgelsen var tydelige og katastrofale: Groft sagt var handikappede børn blevet ignoreret siden Sovjetunionens sammenbrud og den skam, som forældre til handikappede børn oplevede, havde ført til en situation, hvor de fleste af disse børn havde levet næsten fuldstændig isoleret fra resten af omverdenen – uden adgang til de mest basale ydelser og rettigheder. De havde ikke fået medicinsk behandling, ingen socialydelser eller uddannelse tilpasset deres færdigheder.
Undersøgelsen fra 2006 vedblev med at være en basis for Mission Østs arbejde og i samarbejde med vores lokale partner ”Nur” brugte vi undersøgelsen til at ’opdage’ de handikappede børn og lave en beskrivelse af deres situation. Selv efter indsamlingen af de første informationer til undersøgelsen, er vi blevet ved med at finde børn, der har brug for opmærksomhed og omsorg. Ud af omkring 800 handikappede og/eller socialt udsatte børn fandt vi 200 børn med handikaps, der krævede langtidsbehandling og opfølgning, flere end 450 børn med medicinske problemer, der havde brug for kortvarig behandling og cirka 200 børn, der levede under ekstremt vanskelige sociale forhold.
Med adgang til sådanne resultater arbejdede vi og vore partnere selvfølgelig hårdt på at sikre behandling af alle kategorier af børn: de 450 børn, som havde brug for medicinsk behandling af kortere varighed, fik den behandling, de havde brug for, de 200 socialt udsatte børn har fået opfølgende opmærksomhed fra de lokale myndigheder og vores lokale partner ”Nur”, og de næsten 200 børn, der havde brug for langsigtet behandling og opfølgning for deres handikap, er blevet henvist til en sådan behandling og opfølgning på Center for Udvikling og Genoptræning af Børn, som blev åbnet i Armavir i september sidste år. Men ventelisterne er lange, så derfor venter nogle af børnene stadig på at det bliver deres tur til at komme på centeret.
Men på trods af den store arbejdsindsats fra Mission Østs side, fra vores lokale partner ”Nur”, fra vores partner indenfor fortalervirksomhed ”Bridge of Hope” og vores medicinske partner ”Arabkir Børnehospital” – så er der stadig tilbage at gøre noget ved de fundamentale problemer, som var årsagen til den katastrofale situation i Armavir-regionen. Disse årsager blev ikke belyst i Mission Østs undersøgelse og det er nu op til de lokale myndigheder på alle niveauer – regerings-, regions- og lokalniveau – at tage fat på den side af sagen.
På den baggrund indkaldte vi sidst i januar til et vigtigt møde på guvernørens kontor. I mødet deltog viceguvernøren, nogle af hendes medarbejdere, borgmestre fra regionen, familielæger og repræsentanter fra forskellige frivillige organisationer. Vores undersøgelse fra 2006 blev præsenteret og flere konkrete forslag blev fremsat for viceguvernøren, blandt andet et forslag om at hun skulle udarbejde en handlingsplan, som så til gengæld ville blive evalueret på endnu et møde i juni i år, hvor vi ville sørge for Ara Babloyans tilstedeværelse – Ara Babloyan er formand for komiteen for sociale forhold, sundhed og miljøbeskyttelse i nationalforsamlingen.
I måneden op til det aftalte møde arbejdede viceguvernør Larisa Muradyan sammen med Mission Østs partner ”Nur” og vores egen udviklingsrådgiver på at udarbejde en handlingsplan og allerede nu er der fulgt op på flere punkter i planen.
Handlingsplanen foreskriver indtil flere konkrete handlinger, der involverer lokale myndigheder, Mission Østs partner ”Nur” og andre relevante organisationer, den udnævner dem til at bære ansvaret for at udføre handlingerne og den giver en tidsramme for handlingsplanen. Med en sådan plan vil Mission Østs partner”Nur” være i stand til fortsat at tale for at myndighederne også virkelig udfører de handlinger, de har skrevet under på at have ansvaret for, og har lovet at tage sig af og som nu er blevet drøftet på et åbent møde, der involverede alle relevante parter.
D. 19. juni fandt det vigtige møde sted på Armavirs rådhus, alle vigtige medspillere i denne sag var til stede og der foregik en livlig debat blandt de omkring 80 deltagere på mødet. Her nedenfor ses billeder og uddrag fra debatten, som i sig bærer løftet om at vi nu endelig vil begynde at se langsigtede løsninger for handikappede og socialt udsatte børn i Armavir.

Planer for Armavirs fremtid

I 2006 udførte Mission Øst og vores lokale partner ”Nur” en ”U ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 7:07am PST

Making plans for the future of Armavir : In 2006 Mission East and our local partner Nur carried out a 'Survey of Households with Disabled Children’ in 11 communities in the western region of Armavir. The results of the survey were clear and catastrophic: Largely speaking, disabled children have been ignored since the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the shame experienced by parents of disabled children has led to a situation where most of these children are living in almost complete isolation from the rest of society, and without access to the most basic services and rights, i.e. to medical care, social benefits and an education tuned to their abilities.
The 2006 survey continued as a basis for the work of Mission East and our local partner Nur in identifying children and describing their situation. Of course, even after we finished gathering the initial information for the survey, we have continued to find more children needing attention and follow up. In broad terms, among more than 800 disabled and/or socially vulnerable children, we found almost 200 children with a disability requiring long-term intervention, more than 450 children with a medical problem needing short-term intervention, and around 200 children in extremely difficult social circumstances.
Of course, with these results in our hands, we and our partners have worked hard to ensure follow up for all categories of children: The 450 children requiring short-term medical intervention were given treatment as needed; the 200 socially vulnerable children have received follow up attention by the local authorities and our local partner Nur, and finally, the almost 200 children needing long term treatment and follow up care for their disability, have been referred for such treatment and care at the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center opened in Armavir last September. It should be noted though that the waiting lists are long, and therefore some of the children are still waiting their turn at the Center.
However, despite all of these efforts by Mission East, our local partner in Armavir, Nur, our advocacy partner on a national basis, Bridge of Hope, and our medical partner, Arabkir Medical Center - addressing the fundamental problems leading to the catastrophic situation uncovered by the Mission East survey remains a problem to be solved by the local authorities at all levels - Government, region and community.
Based on this rationale, at the end of January of this year, we called for a major meeting at the Governor's office, attended by the Deputy District Governor, some of her staff, community mayors, family doctors, as well as NGO representatives. At this meeting, the findings of the 2006 survey were presented, and several concrete recommendations were made to the Deputy District Governor for her to work out an action plan, which in turn would be evaluated at a follow up meeting in June, for which we would ensure the attendance of Mr Ara Babloyan, Head of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Health Care and Environmental Protection in the National Assembly.
During the month leading up to this meeting, Mrs. Larisa Muradyan had worked with Mission East partner Nur and our own Organizational Development Advisor to work out such an Action Plan, and already several points had been followed up on.
The Action plan presented provides a number of concrete actions involving the local authorities, Mission East partner Nur and other relevant organizations, it names those responsible for carrying out these actions, and it provides a timeline for the plan. With this in hand, Mission East partner Nur will be able to continue to advocate that the authorities indeed carry out what they have signed up for, promised and now discussed at an open meeting involving all relevant parties.
On June 19th this important meeting took place in the City Hall of Armavir, with all key actors present, and with a lively debate among the circa 80 participants of the meeting. Here, some photos and excerpts from the debate, which carries the promise of finally seeing long term solutions for the disabled and socially vulnerable children of Armavir.

Making plans for the future of Armavir

In 2006 Mission East and our local partner Nur carried out a 'Survey o ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 6:45am PST

Screening of children in the 'Red Village' : On a hot summer day, a team of paediatricians and Mission East staff travelled to the remote village of Karmirgyugh (literally: ‘Red village’) in the mountainous Gegharkunik region, with many of the villages situated at 2,000 metres above sea level. The village has 6,000 inhabitants, and, as we soon shockingly realized, a large proportion of children that have been hidden in their homes and had never been given the correct diagnosis or follow up care needed to change their lives.
Following home visits by Mission East staff and a paediatrician of Mission East partner Arabkir Medical Center for basic screening , a number of children had been selected for the check up by a team of specialist paediatricians from our partner. The idea is that the specialists spend two days in each of the 12 communities in Gegharkunik included in the project, and on this special day in July we participated in a series of such screenings, first in the local clinic, later during a number of home visits. The purpose of the screening sessions is to chart the path for diagnosis, treatment and follow up of the children involved in this project, initially estimated to be a total of 600 children and youths in the two provinces of Tavush and Gegharkunik – but probably much higher.
The team of doctors were a neurologist, a psychiatrist, a rehabilitation specialist and a child development specialist, the four specialists each bring their special talents and experience when it comes to finding a diagnosis, deciding on possible follow up treatment, and the follow up care needed, be it surgical intervention, medical treatment, or long term rehabilitation in one of the Child Development and Rehabilitation Centres opened as part of the ‘A Healthy Start’ project of Mission East in each of the two provinces.

With the team of four doctors were three Mission East staff members, including Managing Director Kim Hartzner, himself a medical doctor, as well as a team of local family doctors and nurses.

Screening of children in the 'Red Village'

On a hot summer day, a team of paediatricians and Mission East staff t ...

Updated: Sep 04, 2008 2:12pm PST

Three children in need of help : Following home visits by Mission East staff in selected villages of Gegharkunik Region, a number of children had been selected for basic screening by a team of specialist paediatricians from Mission East partner Arabkir Medical Center. The idea is that the specialists spend two days in each of the 10 communities in Gegharkunik included in the project, and early September we participated in a series of such basic screenings, in a local clinic in the village of Hairavank in the province of Gegharkunik. The purposes of these sessions of basic screening is to chart the path for diagnosis, treatment and follow up of the beneficiaries, initially estimated to be a total of 600 children and youths in the two provinces of Tavush and Gegharkunik – but actually thought to be much higher. Working together was a team of a psychiatrist and a child development specialist. The two paediatricians aim to use each of their specialist backgrounds in finding a diagnosis, deciding on possible follow up treatment, short term or long term, and the follow up care needed, be it surgical intervention, medical treatment, or long term rehabilitation in one of the Child Development and Rehabilitation Centres opened as part of the ‘Healthy Start’ project in each of the two provinces.
On September 4, the team of two paediatricians travelled to the village of Hairavank, situated circa 2,000 metres above sea level. Here, as elsewhere in the mountainous region, there is a large proportion of children that have been hidden in their homes and had never been given the correct diagnosis or follow up care needed to change their lives.
With the team of paediatricians were two Mission East staff members, including Managing Director Kim Hartzner, himself a medical doctor, as well as a team of local family doctors and nurses.

Three children in need of help

Following home visits by Mission East staff in selected villages of Ge ...

Updated: Oct 10, 2008 11:37pm PST

Visit of the Danish Ambassador to Armenia : Mission East Armenia team welcomes the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Denmark to Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine.

Wednesday, September 17 was a momentous day for the Mission East (ME) Armenia office team. On that memorable day the Ambassador of Denmark to Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine His Excellency Mr. Uffe Balslev visited ME Armenia office to get acquainted with the activities of our organization – the only actually functioning Danish NGO in Armenia. Mr. Ambassador spent his morning with ME team exploring the achievements of health and educational projects that were kindly presented by Raffi Doudaklian and Anna Avetisyan. Mr. Ambassador mentioned that it was his fourth trip to Armenia but he had never had a chance to visit Mission East office before and to learn more about the programs being implemented in this country with support of the Danish Government.
The schedule prepared for the Ambassador included a meeting with Bridge of Hope (Mission East local partner) team, visits to Armavir Special School No. 1, to a project beneficiary in Hatsik village, and to Arabkir Medical Center (another local partner of ME). During these visits Mr. Ambassador had a chance to witness the active work of ME team and local partner organizations, as well as the positive changes that the support of the Danish Government brought to Armenia.

During the day Mr. Ambassador kept mentioning that he was very impressed with what he had learned and seen and repeatedly congratulated ME for the good work done and the excellent results achieved. Mr. Ambassador promised to provide his good recommendations on ME Armenia office activities to donor organizations whenever there is a need for it. Mission East Armenia team considers this as the highest appraisal of the activities undertaken during recent years.

Visit of the Danish Ambassador to Armenia

Mission East Armenia team welcomes the Ambassador Extraordinary and Pl ...

Updated: Oct 15, 2008 2:37am PST

Opening of the Children's Club in Armavir town : October 10, 2008

On this memorable day Mission East Armenia staff, headed by the Managing Director Kim Hartzner, took part in the celebration of "Nur" NGO 1st Anniversary, which was combined with the official opening ceremony of the newly-reconstructed "Nur" office and Armavir city Children’s Clubroom. This is already the 5th clubroom established within the framework of “A Healthy Start” project, which still envisions the establishment of six more clubrooms in the region.

The event hosted over 40 guests from Armavir Marzpetaran (regional government body in Armenia), international organizations and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Despite the official nature of the opening ceremony, every present person, especially the parents of the children attending the Club, was very excited and happy. Only two years ago Svetlana Hakobyan was just a parent of a disabled child and, having heard about inclusive education, took her child to a special school. Today she is the head of the only NGO in the region that directs its activities towards making the lives of disabled children positive to the maximum. She puts all of her energy and enthusiasm to change the attitude of the society towards disabled children and to solve the problems of these kids living in Armavir region.

Svetlana and other parents have waited for this solemn day for a long time. Their dream became true thanks to the kind support of Mission East and its local partner organizations and the best “thank you” for all the work done was the happy smiles across the faces of children and their parents present at the event.

On the same day Mission East team visited another event – the wine festival in Mrgashat village in Armavir region. Every autumn the villagers celebrate their traditional annual “machar” (green wine) festival which is a spectacular ceremony that provides an opportunity for the population and for the festival guests to witness the interesting wine-making process in person. The significance of the event is hard to overestimate mainly due to the dependence of the economy of Armavir marz on viticulture. Cultivation of grapevines is one of the few sources of income for the population of this region. During the ceremony the guests were invited to taste traditional Armenian food, fruits and, of course, wine. The latter was distributed to all guests of the village for free.

Opening of the Children's Club in Armavir town

October 10, 2008 On this memorable day Mission East Armenia staff, ...

Updated: Oct 15, 2008 4:07am PST

Tre børn med behov for hjælp : Efter at Mission Østs medarbejdere har været på hjemmebesøg i udvalgte landsbyer i regionen Gegharkunik, er et antal børn blevet udvalgt til at få foretaget en basal helbredsundersøgelse hos et team af specialbørnelæger fra Mission Østs partner, Arabkir børnehospital. Det er tanken at specialisterne skal tilbringe to dage i hvert af de ti lokalsamfund i Gegharkunik, som er involverede i projektet. I begyndelsen af september deltog vi i en række af sådanne basale helbredsundersøgelser på en lokal klinik i landsbyen Hairavank i Gegharkunik. Formålet med disse basale helbredsundersøgelser er at kortlægge vejen til diagnosticering, behandling og opfølgning for de oprindeligt anslåede i alt 600 handicappede børn og unge i de to provinser, Tavush og Gegharkunik – det faktiske antal menes dog at være meget højere. I forbindelse med besøget samarbejdede et team bestående af en psykiater og en børneudviklingsspecialist. De to børnelæger søger hver især at gøre brug af deres specialbaggrund i håb om at finde den rigtige diagnose, tage beslutning om mulig kort- eller langvarig behandling og at finde frem til den rigtige opfølgning, hvad enten der er tale om et operativt indgreb, medicinsk behandling eller længerevarende genoptræning på et af de Centre for Børns Udvikling og Genoptræning, som er åbnet som et led i projektet ”En sund Start” i hver af de to provinser.
Den 4. september tog de to børnelæger til landsbyen Hairavank som ligger i 2200 meters højde over havet. Her, som så mange andre steder i de bjergrige områder, er en stor del af børnene blevet gemt af vejen i deres hjem og er aldrig blevet givet hverken korrekt diagnose eller den opfølgende behandling, som er nødvendig for at ændre deres livssituation.
Ifølge med de to børnelæger var også to medarbejdere fra Mission Øst – heriblandt generalsekretær Kim Hartzner, der også selv er læge – samt flere lokale praktiserende læger og sygeplejersker.

Tre børn med behov for hjælp

Efter at Mission Østs medarbejdere har været på hjemmebesøg i udva ...

Updated: Oct 20, 2008 6:48am PST

In the shadows of a forgotten war : The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan stopped in May 1994, but in Berqaber village of Tavush region people are still living under the sound of machine gun from Azerbaijani side. The village is situated in circa 1,5 km from the border. During the Soviet period it was a rich and prosperous village but now it is the poorest in this region.

Mission East is working in Tavush region in the frames of the second phase of “A Healthy Start” project and one of the aims of the project is to establish Mainstream Family and Child Centers in 10 communities in the project area.
October 22, 2008 was a real memorable day for the people of Berqaber, while there was the opening of the first Mainstream Family and Child Center in this region with the participation of Mission East staff and Managing Director Kim Hartzner. By the end this year there will be openings of such centers in all 10 communities, where both disabled and able-bodied children will have opportunity to play and communicate with each other. Such centers are the first steps towards the integration of disabled children into the society.