SOS Culture in the New Community Centre
On February 22nd a small town in the Lori region Akhtala celebrated the opening of the new Community Center. Akhtala is one of those communities that are actively involved in the local development and the Community Center will be a space where projects will have their continuation and many new ones are waiting for their implementation.
The event started with the official ceremony for putting of the first stone of the construction of new Medical Center in Akhtala. After this ceremony everyone gathered in front of the Community Center where the mayor of Akhtala H. Khachikyan welcomed and thanked everyone who supported the idea and the renovation of the Center.
Many guests and friends of Akhtala were there to share this important moment with Akhtalas inhabitants. Among guests there were RA Vice Prime Minster Armen Gevorgyan, the governor of Lori region Arthur Nalbandyan, Director of USAID/Armenia Mission Dr. Karen R. Hillard, Chief of Party Armenia at Counterpart International Carel Hofstra, ex-Chief of Party for Counterpart International Armenia Alex Sardar, FPWC program director Barbara Siebert and SOS Culture project team. Many guests gave short speeches expressing their happiness for the new Community Center. Red ribbon was cut and both guests and the people of Akhtala could visit the Center.
SOS Culture project also has moved to the new building of Community Center. The FPWC program director Barbara Siebert stated: “We are very happy to move the SOS Culture Youth Club to this nice new room in the Akhtala Community Center. Being now visually a part of the community is of great importance as it underlines that the work done by our young members is a contribution to the improvement of the living conditions of all inhabitants of Akhtala. By raising public awareness for the nearby cultural assets and their preservations as well as by promoting them to tourists the SOS Culture Youth Club members work actively for a better future of their village. By being part of this center the young members of the club also have direct access to the mayor and the municipal administration – which hopefully will create synergies and result in the long term sustainability of the SOS Culture project”. Now being a part of the Center we hope to have more direct contact with the community and with the artistic groups that are going to be there involving children and young people of Akhtala. The new Community Center does guarantee the projects sustainability!
