The Embassy of Japan in Armenia supports the renovation and furnishing Gyumri 24-hour care center of ARCS

On August 22, at Gyumri 24-hour care center of the Armenian Red Cross Society, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Armenia N.G. Mr. Masanori Fukushima and the Armenian Red Cross Society Secretary General Dr. Anna Yeghiazaryan, signed a grant agreement, according to which 66,137 USD will be allocated for the repair and furnishing of the care center. Gyumri Deputy Mayor Vahagn Mkrtchyan was also present at the signing ceremony.

According to the grant agreement, the corridor of the 2nd floor will be renovated, 10 rooms of the 2nd building will be furnished, which will be adapted to the needs of the elderly and people with disabilities.

The management of Gyumri 24-hour care center has been delegated by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia to the ARCS since 2020, with the aim of ensuring a favorable living environment for up to 160 residents of the center by providing proper care, quality food, appropriate health, psycho – social and other necessary services.

Within the Austrian Development Cooperation funded project and with support of other partners and donors (Swiss Red Cross, Italian Red Cross, Japanese Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies), the following achievements have been made:

• Improved living conditions: Essential parts of the care center have been renovated, including one residential block, a special block for immobile residents, the kitchen and canteen, the social activity room, and a garden. Furthermore, the whole building has been equipped with the supply of hot water. These measures contribute to create an enabled environment and to improve the living conditions of the residents of the care center.
• Social Inclusion and Active Ageing: Joint Initiative Groups, comprising of active community members and residents of the care center, have been established. Within the project different initiatives of the groups (e.g. sewing, flower cultivation, healthy lifestyle activities) have been supported with mini grants. The aim of the Joint Iniative Groups is to to foster the social inclusion of the residents, to strengthen the links with other community members and to promote active ageing.
• Capacity building of staff has been conducted through different trainings, aimed at improving their professional skills and knowledge in various areas, e.g. care, first aid, and psychological and psycho-social support.
• 25 volunteers of the Armenian Red Cross Society, in collaboration with professional staff, are constantly supporting the staff of the care center and are organizing various events and activities for the residents. Active longevity groups formed at the care center are provided with small grants to implement their initiatives.

About 328 million AMD have been invested since 2020 for the purpose of refurbishing, furnishing, technicaly equiping of the center, improving living conditions and increasing the quality of care of residents.