Armenia Senior Citizens Assistance Association (AAAA)
The association was established in September 2016, after a visit to Armenia during which the type of service that could be created in the area of elderly care was evaluated. In 2017, we created a home care service in Maralik, after training caregivers. We financed the service in Maralik, two assistants at 50 per cent, until 2019, when the Red Cross resumed the service with an increase in the number of beneficiaries and assistants.
At the end of 2021, the mayor of the municipality of Aygabats contacted us: he was interested in setting up a home care service for the elderly in the municipality. At the beginning of 2022, we organised a survey to define the needs of the population and, on site, we organised the training of the assistants, with Armenian trainers (a doctor, a nurse and a psychologist). After the training, the assistants were able to do a two-week internship at the Maralik service. At the beginning of September 2022, the service started its activities by caring for about fifteen elderly people from Aygabats, Arevik and Akhuryan. The municipality of Aygabats made premises available to us and the mayor’s assistant was in charge of organising the service, at the municipality’s expense. The Armenia Senior Citizens Assistance Association financed two assistants at 50 per cent and methodological, psychological and ethical support.
In April 2023, after our meetings, we obtained funding for the third assistant from the municipality of Akhuryan, thus increasing the number of users to thirty.
Today, our goal is to transform the service into an Armenian public body. Through the PANDO Foundation, already active in the social sector in Akhuryan, which is in the process of being certified for state subsidies. For this reason, the headquarters of the service is being moved to Akhuryan. The association will finance the service as long as PANDO has public funding (2026 / 2027).
In Armenia, we work with the Swiss KASA Foundation, which has been active for more than 20 years, which provides us with logistical support and ensures financial management.