AIWA SF Sponsored English Program Continues to Excel

By: Anna Masis

Since 2012, AIWA-SF has been supporting the after school English program at Dsegh’s school. Dsegh, famous as the birthplace of the distinguished Armenian writer Hovhaness Tumanyan, is a large village of 2,600 people located in Lori, one of Armenia’s northern regions.

In Armenia, the need for English-language fluency is apparent for the residents and students of Dsegh. English allows for the fulfillment of everyday activities as surfing the internet and communicating on social media with peers around the world. More importantly, fluency in the English language allows one to pursue goals such as continuing one’s education in foreign colleges and universities.

Recognizing this reality, and sensing an opportunity to support an Armenian professional woman, AIWA SF began to support the after school English program at Dsegh. I Its dedicated teacher, Anush Ghorkhazyanis, a graduate of the Brusov Linguistic Institute.

Today, the after school English program provides an opportunity to the rural youth in the village to learn English. Mastering the English language allows the students to communicate and interact with tourists, specially since Dsegh is a popular tourist town. As one of the oldest inhabited towns in Armenia, many tourist visit Dsegh. Among many popular stops is the Bardzrakash St. Gregory Monastery, which is nestled beautifully in the lush greener.  The home-museum of the famous Armenian poet, Hovhannes Tumanyan. English lagunage proficiency and acquisition also provides a broad array of personal and professional opportunities.

Anush, an avid reader, is fully dedicated to her students. While she does not have children, she loves her students as if they were her own children. She is proud of the small classroom where she teaches English. The classroom has 5 computers, a projector, and a rich library of resources that help students develop their reading comprehension and grammar knowledge, as well as build vocabulary, and work on their pronunciations. Anush feels satisfaction when she sees her students accompanying tourists and communicating with them in English during their visits to the museum.

We at AIWA-SF are proud to be a part of enabling an Armenian professional contribute to the future of our youth and nation.