Children from Vanadzor Children's Home visit Waterworld

Brian Kearney, Chief of Party for the USAID Armenian Social Transition Program (ASTP) - PADCO, asked me to accompany the children from the Vanadzor Children's Home to Waterworld inYerevan today and I was glad to do so.



WaterWorld, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / ASTP-PADCO

I've photographed at the Children's Home in Armenia's third largest city before but in black and white as part of a larger project on social vulnerability and children in residential care in Armenia. However, this was the first time I've shot in color.

Anyway, it will take me a while to sort out the images but I'll probably post more tomorrow. Until then, however, one of the pics I shot today. If you'd like to know more about previous outings to Waterworld arranged by PADCO in the past then you can check out this page and this one also. I didn't take the pics on those pages but they offer some background info.

If you're interested, there's also some information on the PADCO site regarding the ratification by the Armenian government on the Minimum Social Standards for the Care and Upbringing of Children in Orphanages.

Although the majority of children in Children's Homes and Boarding Schools in Armenia are not orphans, nevertheless as representative of some of the most vulnerable children in the republic they stand an even tougher time than most in adjusting to life "on the outside" when they "graduate."

Anyway, I'll post some more later today but probably tomorrow. The main thing, however, is that a splendid day out was had by all.

Tag: armenia | children