By assignment of the Central Board of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party, a special delegation held an official meeting with the Executive Director of the “My Step” charitable foundation, Mrs. Anna Hakobyan, and other responsible officials of the foundation, on Monday, August 19, at the foundation’s central office. The ADL delegation consisted of Central Board Vice-Chairman Mr. Alexan Garadanyan and Mr. Boghos Tekeyan, responsible for the ADL’s Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg).
The ADL representatives presented the experience implemented in the Netherlands for some time and recording broad success, aimed at assisting refugees and groups with diverse physical or mental needs, which includes programs through which they first acquire experience and skills in the service sector, then are placed in work as mother and child in various restaurants, including “social restaurants.” Among them there are many individuals with different characteristics. Mr. Boghos Tekeyan, who is specialized in the aforementioned programs and heads an organization implementing them, expressed full readiness to provide every form of assistance with his experience, including securing important foreign material allocations.
Mrs. Hakobyan noted that the “My Step” foundation also has the idea of such a program, which envisages the establishment of a “Jakhrook” social café, where young people with physical and mental characteristics will work. However, in Armenia the number of specialists who can teach such young people to prepare dishes and serve them is small. The ADL representatives confirmed that they are ready to directly support also the exchange of experience, as well as the training of necessary specialists.
Mrs. Hakobyan mentioned that the two programs have many commonalities and that the Dutch experience can be very useful during the development and implementation of a program applicable in Armenia. To that end, it was decided to meet again in the near future, to discuss in a more substantive and detailed manner all possibilities of further cooperation.
In the picture: On the left: Mr. Alexan Garadanyan and Mr. Boghos Tekeyan, on the right: Mrs. Anna Hakobyan – between the two colleagues
