If you want to support the work of FPWC you can donate here with one click. Currently contributions are mainly used to set up the SunChild Eco-club network throughout Armenia and Karabagh. We firmly assure that all your funds are used properly. If you want to be informed more detailed about tax exemption status (in Germany) and the application of funds please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Donate now; your support is highly welcomed!
The “Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets in the Republic of Armenia” (FPWC) implements an environmental educational program throughout Armenia. The program started in 2006 with the pilot project “VivaCell-MTS and the Children for the Nature/Following the Sun”. In the frames of this project FPWC established first SunChild Eco-clubs for children and youths in five Armenian regions: Kotayq (Garni/Goght), Ararat (Urtsadzor), Shirak (Gyumri), Tavush (Dilijan) and Yerevan. From autumn 2006 until autumn 2007 nearly 100 children visited each of the SunChild Eco-club twice a week.
The general target of the project was to arouse the environmental awareness of children and youths by offering them different educational approaches like film and photo shooting, painting and sculptural work. Under supervision of professional filmmakers, photographers and artists the young members of SunChild Eco-clubs learned to create nature and wildlife photos, as well as to shoot films about local environmental problems. Moreover under supervision of professional artists the “SunChildren” developed “GarbageArt” - a special style of sculpturing which uses trash as a raw material for huge animal statues.
Taking into consideration our experience with the results of the pilot project one can say with confidence that SunChild Eco-club courses absolutely justified themselves. The young members by now are not only perfectly informed about environmental problems of their regions, but the quality of their environmental films attracts international interest. Thus the films already received invitations from many international environmental film festivals (Finland, Italy, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Canada, Bosnia and Herzogovina).
The successful implementation of the pilot program encouraged the organizers to proceed with their special approach in environmental education and to expand the project in the form of a network in all the regions of Armenia, including Karabagh.
Our experiences substantiate that Armenia currently needs new and creative approaches to solve its serious environmental problems. Moreover to solve these problems it is of utmost importance not only to address young people from the urban areas but to involve children and youths in rural regions. To integrate the latter in different projects and to offer them environmental education is an efficient way to respond to the deteriorating environmental situation in Armenia's regions.
In general the main target group of our efforts is the youth because we are convinced that environmental education of the young generation more and more becomes one of the most crucial steps in order to guarantee the future positive development of our country. Currently in our schools children don’t have the chance to learn about such important issues as protection of environment, wildlife and biodiversity. Teachers are still not able to raise the students awareness for environmental problems (for instance, dumping of garbage, air and water pollution and the spoiling of our natural resources). Thus an alternative education of young people which also offers them future opportunities of independent and contemporary work becomes a necessity.
Due to this preliminary situation the organizers of FPWC decided establish the SunChild Eco-club network offering an independent and creative youth work dedicated to nature protection and environmental issues.
“We offer children an alternative educational program, we assure them that they have power: they can notice any illegality towards nature, criticize and talk about it through their films”,- Ruben Khachatryan, director of FPWC says. “To talk about environmental problems, existing dangers and our concerns is not enough today, because generations living before us but only those living today already managed to cause irreplaceable damage to the environment. Facing this fact one must act and start a consistent work with the new generation – the masters of tomorrow”.
FPWC considers it of utmost importance to establish a sustainable network for those who are concerned about environmental issues not only in Armenia, but also in the whole South-Caucasus region. Thus our future aim is to integrate also the youth of the neighboring countries in the network thus empowering young people in he whole region to overcome all hindrances with joint efforts.
The establishment of SunChild Eco-clubs throughout the whole Armenian territory will ensure the involvement of a growing number of young people into the environmental projects as well as a raising public awareness for environmental issues. The educational project will be launched in September 2008. During this year children will study environmental law, media science, photo/film making, as well as English and Internet.
Like in previous years before the kick off of the educational program, the most active young members of all SunChild Eco-clubs gathered to take part in a SunChild Summer School. In 2008 this project took place from 28th July to 10h of August in Dilijan. As a result of the intensive courses during the summer school, the young participants will present a reportage touching upon an environmental problem which they identified in Dilijan.
During the summer camp, FPWC additionally offered a training for trainers, who are already selected to deliver lessons in all the regional SunChild Eco-clubs throughout the whole year. During the 5-day long courses the new SunChild trainers studied ecology, fundamentals of environmental law and investigative journalism as well as child psychology. The second cycle of the environmental educational project will finish with “SunChild” International Environmental Festival in April 2009.
 "SunChild" Festival Website www.sunchild.am |
 "Save the Nature" Campaign Website www.savethenature.am |
