The construction of this center in the village of Vahagni in Armenia’s Lori Province is being funded by an Armenian charity, but the volunteers from the Netherlands are also contributing their efforts.
Five dozen volunteers with diverse professional backgrounds -- including teachers, programmers, nurses, social workers, agriculturists, builders -- come from the village of Den Ham in the Netherlands. They say they are investing in the project through funds they managed to save by doing various jobs and selling items at a vintage market in their own village during the year.
Dutch volunteers help build an educational and rehabilitation center for children with special needs in the village of Vahagni, Lori Province, Armenia.
“We basically do all sorts of chores throughout the entire year. People can text us using a special phone number. They can say, hey, we have a garden shed that needs new paint or we have grass that needs to be mown. We go there and get paid for the work we do. That money goes into projects,” says Christy Jansen, a Dutch volunteer involved in the construction project in Armenia.
Another volunteer from Den Ham, Martin Plaggenmars, is in Armenia with his two children. He says that, in contrast to their vacation in France last summer, he wants them to experience some challenges this year. Though, he confesses, doing volunteer work in Armenia is “much more fun.”
“I want my children to see that the Dutch really have a very good standard of living, and I want them to give other people good living. Last year we spent our vacation in France. Now this is also a holiday for us with a little bit of work, a little bit of fun, a lot of fun,” he says.
A Dutch volunteer is painting a fence in the village of Vahagni, Lori Province, Armenia.
Mariam Antonian, head of the Astghik Charitable Foundation, emphasizes the educational value of the work the volunteers from the Netherlands are doing in Armenia. “Because the parents of these children who live in a carefree environment all the time often find that they do not develop or grow up in the right way. It is very important for them to encounter difficulties and find ways to overcome them. Overcoming challenges is a key factor in building a successful future,” she says.
The Dutch volunteers are staying in the half-constructed building in Vahagni, which is located approximately 15 kilometers to the northeast of the Lori provincial center of Vanadzor and around 80 kilometers from capital Yerevan. They have adapted the rooms of this building, which is being transformed into a future educational and rehabilitation center for children, for their temporary stay.
“It’s not difficult. It’s a bit dusty. We have a lot of dust and sand here, but otherwise, it’s fine. It’s a full experience for us,” Irna Huisjes, a volunteer living and working there, says.
A Dutch volunteer is working in the village of Vahagni, Lori Province, Armenia.
The Astghik Charitable Foundation had purchased the building, which previously housed the village’s bakery, to convert it into the new center using European technologies.
“The new building will be like a thermos. It will retain warmth or coolness inside and won’t let it out. It is going to provide great efficiency. In Europe, they are doing these things a lot now as they realize how important it is to save electricity and not to rely on another country for natural gas,” Antonian explains.
Julian Petter, a professional builder from the Netherlands, says they brought with them most of the construction material needed for proper insulation, since, as he says, much of it is not available in Armenia. The man points out differences between Armenia and the Netherlands when it comes to construction.
“We are very strict on keeping everything as straight as possible. And with the lines here the walls are not straight. So that’s the harder part for us. But I think this is the Armenian style of building. So that’s really nice to see how it works,” he says.
Vahagni, a village of about 1,000 residents, also has other benefits from the presence of the Dutch volunteers spending their summer vacation there. In-between their main activities, the volunteers also help locals paint fences and perform other tasks.
“I think this holiday is better than my holiday in France because now we’re working for other people and we’re helping other people,” Jesse Plaggenmars, a volunteer from the Netherlands, says.