AECP Visits Orphanages and Boarding Schools
The AECP expanded its holiday screening program this year, visiting three orphanages and two boarding schools in Yerevan.  The AECP Mobile Eye Hospital (MOH) team revisited old friends at the Nork and Zatik orphanages.  “The visits have become a tradition,” said Nork Director Liana Karapetyan.  The team also added three new institutions to its schuedule: the Zeitun Special Orphanage and the Vardashen and Nubarashen boarding schools.  Nurse Kristine Grigoryan, who has worked at Vardashen school for two years, feels like she is part of something special.  “I love the work,” she says, “There is a feeling of fulfillment, of being a part of a big, caring family, and we are glad that AECP has joined this family.”

The children at Zeitun, Zatik and Nubarashen were treated to a puppet show about the importance of health and blindness prevention.  The puppet show was produced as part of a public education project funded by the Jinishian Memorial Foundation and staged by UNIMA-Armenia, a member of L’Union International de la Marionette.  According to Armen Safaryan, President of UNIMA-Armenia, puppetry is an especially effective way of communicating the message of health and prevention because “it has long enjoyed strong audiences in Armenia…Entertainment is a very effective means of educating.  It was very rewarding to see children smile and to hear words of thanks from their teachers.” 

In the five-day period of January 31 to February 4, 2005, 369 children and 20 staff members were screened.  Of those, 77 were referred to the S. Malayan Ophthalmology Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.  Narek, an 11-year-old boy who lives at Nubarashen boarding school, places great value on maintaining his healthy vision.  If he could not see, he says, “I would not be able to see the facial expressions of the people I talk to, I would not understand what they really mean.  I would not see the faces of my loved ones.”  The AECP will continue to build on the success of its holiday screening program, focusing on early detection and improving the health awareness of the children in Yerevan’s orphanages and boarding schools.