December 17, 2016
SOAR Dental Clinic in Gyumri receives the Formal Licensing from Ministry of Health and officially starts full operation and provides dental care to the children of Gyumri!
Submitted by Kohar Mardirossian Pelter and George S. Yacoubian, Jr.
"SOAR Dental Clinic" in Gyumri has started its operations since 2016 November, provisional 3 days per week. The primary beneficiaries of clinic are the children from Child care and protection institutions of the Community thus including (Our Lady Of Armenia Convent, Children Home of Gyumri, Nansen Boarding school, Thrchoonian Home, Gyumri Social Childcare Center, Boarding School N 1). Clinic is open also for the other vulnerable children coming from poor and needy families of the community.
Dental Clinic is providing consultation, filling, removal of tarter, treatment of caries in infiltration method, removal and treatment orthodontics and braces. So far overall 35 children have been provided services in clinic. Taking into consideration that State support of dental service is no longer free of charge for kids, the role of SOAR dental clinic in community is utmost important in providing primary care for keeping the children’s teeth healthy.
Few updates on clinic's preliminary steps and planning:
We have meet with the dentist in charge and nurse and discussed the further planning and operations of the clinic. The dental nurse has undergone orientation, training and practice with the dentist during 6 week period. She was also trained on how to work with sterilization equipments and all details relevant her responsibilities. Our dentist prepared separate bulletins per child. We also have developed a registration database and an appointment roster for every child.
Our initial statistics of the clinic services, the target population and the need for further and continued financial support:
a. In a week period 12-13 children can get dental services. (on average 50-52 in a month). During this period it became clear that children's dental problems are different. Malnourishment, poor social conditions, genetic factors affecting child development and stress can cause issues to regulate the development of teeth and bones. Each child may have more then 2, 3 teeth problems, dental and periodontal diseases.
b. The target beneficiaries of SOAR dental clinic are kids, but after a certain period it will also provide services for vulnerable older adults.
c. The funds will be used to obtain HQ teeth files, working equipment, teeth filling materials, disinfection solvents, root canals plumbing materials , fluorine-containing materials for regular care, prophylactic materials also for other administrative expenses if possible (utility costs, e.g winters are very cold in that district and the clinic needs proper heating)
Together we have achieved the impossible! A year ago, it was unheard of to be able to build a dental clinic in Gyumri and provide a much needed support for the poor. But we did it!!!
Now, we have the task at hand to fund the operational cost, supplies and salaries of the dentists and technicians who will work in Gyumri's dental clinic. We also are starting to plan for the construction of SOAR's second dental clinic in another region of Armenia with populations in desperate need for dental care.
No amount is too little to make a contribution to the project!!! We appreciate and welcome your support in any amount you are able to contribute towards fulfilling the full operation of the clinic as well as the building of a new one.
During this Holiday Season, we thank you for your continued support to alleviate the pain, suffering and poor dental health. Thank you all for providing this unparalleled gift for the orphaned children and Armenia’s needy and destitute at large. Please donate through GlobalGiving’s Dental Care for Orphans campaign!!!
Our warmest wishes for a joyous Holiday Season to you and yours!
SOAR Dental Giving Campaign
Global Giving Representatives Visit OLA Dental Clinic, Gyumri, Armenia – July 2016!
Submitted by Kohar Mardirossian Pelter and George S. Yacoubian, Jr.
On July 30, 2016, the Our Lady of Armenia Center Dental Clinic in Gyumri, Armenia, welcomed two Global Giving directors toured the facilities with SOAR representatives. Their mission was to build stronger relationships between Global Giving and SOAR as one of Global Giving’s nonprofit partners.
Both directors were received by SOAR Representatives in Armenia who toured with them at the newly built dental clinic on the premises of Our Lady of Armenia orphanage. The representatives showed great appreciation and were impressed with the high quality of the construction of the clinic and the dental equipment with which the clinic was furnished. They also inquired about the clinic’s future needs for technical, material and medication support as well as for personnel staffing and continued provision of the dental supplies. They also explained that the professional personnel staffing, which will consist of a dentist, dental assistant and dental service administrator, were already in place. In addition, she explained how the dental clinic will be staffed to provide a comprehensive coverage of the dental care for the children, elderly and entire population of Gyumri.
On March, 2016, OLA held its much anticipated SOAR Dental Clinic’s grand opening to benefit the orphaned children and the elderly in Gyumri. During the ceremony, Diramyr Arousiag Sajonian welcomed several dignitaries from Gyumri, accompanied by SOAR supporters, junior members and representatives from Armenia and USA. Currently, the licensure of the clinic by the Health Ministry and other official regulatory bodies is pending and it is anticipated to be finalized by October 10, 2016.
Thanks to the unwavering diligence and combined efforts of SOAR-National, the Gulamerian Armenian Orphan Fund, the Albert Tamberchi Foundation, La Canada, Ventura County, Wisconsin and Chicago SOAR chapters, and more significantly individual donors who contributed to this project through Global Giving, our dream for providing dental care to the orphans and elderly of Gyumri came true! The dental clinic will offer full services and provide dental care free of charge to the underprivileged population of Gyumri.
The representatives later visited the city of Gyumri and inquired about the existence of other dental care services in the city. They also inquired whether SOAR is planning to start the construction of other dental clinics in different regions of Armenia.
Now, we have the task at hand to fund the operational cost, supplies and salaries of the dentists and technicians who will work in Gyumri's dental clinic. We also are starting to plan for the construction of SOAR's second dental clinic in another region of Armenia with populations in desperate need for dental care.
You can help us achieve the impossible! No amount is too little to make a contribution to the project!!! We appreciate and welcome your support in any amount you are able to contribute towards fulfilling the full operation of the clinic as well as the building of a new one.
Thank you all for providing this unparalleled gift for the orphaned children and Armenia’s needy and destitute at large. Please donate through Global Giving’s Dental Care for Orphans campaign!!! To join our efforts in supporting the Dental Care Campaign whether monetary or volunteer support, please contact info@soar-us.org.
http://soar-us.org/dental_fund.html#dentalopening
Links:
SOAR Dental Giving Campaign 06/20/2016
By Kohar Mardirossian Pelter and George Yacoubian, Jr.
Under the grip of extreme poverty, poor health and destitution, live many elderly, children and families in Gyumri , the second largest city in Armenia. Struggling to find food, water , and medicine, dental health is nonexistent for them.
Melsida, Nadejda, Goharik and Asia, are a few of the elderly, who get basic nutrition and clothing at a day care center for elderly in Gyumri. Some with no surviving families, others trying to support their children and grandchildren who are incapacitated, orphaned or have been abandoned by their parents who have left them behind while seeking employment in foreign countries.
Geghetsik is a 62 years old, lives in the so called "Kazatchi post" residential area in Gyumri that is considered one of the poorest living areas of the city. Her family consists of 6 people - Geghetsik, her husband, 2 daughters, one of them is a single mom with 2 kids. They all live in a century old building dating back to the early 1900s. The building has never had any type of renovations, is in complete disrepair, with no fuel for heating . During the harsh cold icy winters they burn anything they can find to get warm. The building has no toilet or sewer system and the family resorts to use an outside pit. The father works as a guard and receives only 30,000 AMD about $62 monthly with a very small stipend for the kids from the government.
Geghetsik's neighbor is Mariam and her 7 year old son Artyom who is in poor health. Artyom's father has left to Russia in search of employment and they have not heard back from him for a long time. Unemployed, Mariam lives off of the land and through the leftovers and assistance of the neighbors. Their shack has no gas, no electricity, water or sewer. For heat, they use anything which can be burnt. The only means of living is gathering empty bottles from a garbage dump or cemetery and selling them.
Such stories are more common and form the norm of the population in Gyumri. They suffer all types of health ailments and severe conditions of dental health.
On behalf of the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR), we wish to express our utmost gratitude to generous donors like you. With the assistance of contributors such as yourself, SOAR was able to open a dental suit for the Our Lady of Armenia (OLA) Center in Gyumri in March of 2016. Your support has made it possible for the orphans of the Gyumri community to receive regular dental screenings and treatments by visiting dentists and other dental health professionals. That’s right - your support resulted in constructing the only dental care facility in the city of Gyumri.
Although the construction of the dental suit is complete, our efforts are not finished. We are still in need of funds for purchasing supplies and providing the clinic with basic dental care necessities. In addition, we need to be able to fund the annual maintenance of the clinic, as well as continue to fund the dental health professionals that work at the clinic.
With cavities being the most prevalent chronic disease among children in Armenia, we encourage you to help the needy orphans as they are in dire need of dental care. Your tax
deductible donation will aid in providing all of the basic necessities for managing a dental clinic that will benefit the orphans.
Please consider the orphaned children and elderly in their time of need, as basic necessities such as regularly visiting a dentist would not be possible were it not for generosity of continued supporters like you.
Donations are accepted through the GlobalGiving Dental Care Campaign for Orphans (https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/dental-care-clinics-for-orphans-in-armenia), and no amount is too small.
Again, please accept our most heartfelt gratitude for joining our efforts to make a difference in the orphaned children’s lives. With your continued support, together, we can provide these children with the happiest and most beautiful smiles. Imagine the possibilities of what your continued support can bring to the needy orphaned children of Armenia that desire nothing but to live happy lives.
We encourage you to share this message with you family and friends to help raise awareness for our cause. To join our efforts in supporting the Dental Care Campaign, whether monetary or active volunteer support, please contact us at info@soar-ur.org.
Dear Friends and Supporters of Dental Care for Orphans in Armenia Campaign!
We are thrilled to announce the Grand Opening of SOAR Dental Clinic in Gyumri!
On Thursday March 17, 2016, Our Lady of Armenia Center held its much anticipated SOAR Dental Clinic grand opening to benefit the orphaned children and the elderly in Gyumri. During the ceremony, Diramyr Arousiag Sajonian welcomed several dignitaries from Gyumri, including Mr. Hovsep Simonyan (Shirak region), Mr. Samuel Balasanyan (Gyumri Mayor), Anahid Garabedyan (Orphanage Fridtjof Nansen Director in Gyumri) and Mrs. Hasmig Demirdjian (SOAR La Canada president) accompanied by SOAR supporters, junior members and representatives from Armenia and USA.
Thanks to the unwavering diligence and combined efforts of SOAR national, Gulamerian Armenian Orphan Fund, Albert Tamberchi Foundation, La Canada, Ventura County, Wisconsin and Chicago SOAR chapters and more significantly individual donors like you who contributed to this project through GlobalGiving, our dream for providing dental care to the orphans and elderly of Gyumri came true! The dental clinic will offer full services and provide dental care free of charge to the underprivileged population of Gyumri. With beautiful teeth, children and elderly will have brighter smiles, a better health and well being. Now, we have the task at hand to fund the operational cost, supplies and the salaries of the dentists and technicians who will work in Gyumri's dental clinic. Please help us get the funding for the professionals and any associated expenses to run the clinic to benefit the orphans and the community.
No amount is too little to make a contribution to the project!!! We appreciate and welcome your support in any amount you are able to contribute towards fulfilling the full operation of the clinic. Thank you all for providing this unparalleled gift for the orphaned children and the Gyumri community at large! Donate through GlobalGiving's Dental Care for Orphans campaign!!! To join our efforts in supporting the Dental Care Campaign whether monetary or volunteer support, please contact info@soar-us.org.
http://soar-us.org/dental_fund.html#dentalopening
Links:
Update-Gyumri Dental Clinic on Our Lady of Armenia's (OLA) Grounds
By Kohar Mardirossian Pelter & George Yacoubian Jr. - Project leaders
Happy New Year and Warmest Holiday Greetings to Our Supporters!
On behalf of SOAR family, we wish to express our heartfelt gratitude for all your support and contributions in funding the construction of the first Dental Clinic in Gyumri on the grounds of Our Lady of Armenia (OLA) in 2015!
The dental clinic in OLA is being constructed to serve not only the orphaned children living at the orphanages, but also orphaned children throughout Gyumri, senior citizens, and the needy and poor children living within greater Gyumri community. The 1988 earthquake destroyed buildings and structures in Gyumri, killed more than 25,000 residents, injured 19,000, and displaced more than 500,000 residents. Since that earthquake, Gyumri has been beset by physical devastation, poverty, and economic struggles. Dental care remains unattainable for the poverty stricken population, including the orphans and the disabled. There are no permanent facilities for dental care in Gyurmi. The majority of the population do not have routine health screening or check-ups, and statistics show that by the age of 18 years, 80% of children no longer have their natural teeth. Scientific studies have documented that complications from dental cavities would lead to gum disease, general health issues and diseases. In 2016, the poverty still has a strong hold on the population of Gyumri-which struggles in severe and destitute conditions.
In June of 2015, SOAR endeavored to partner with Global Giving and bring forth our first of the dental care project to Armenia's most vulnerable population, a humanitarian endeavor that would help a distinct and underserved population. Most of the city of Gyumri depends on charitable organizations and volunteers to provide health and dental care clinics. We are aiming to have our sponsored dental clinic in OLA be a year round clinic, providing full preventative care, such as dental cleaning and teaching of the routine teeth care plus all the procedures and treatments for all ages!
The OLA dental clinic's construction is almost complete thanks to the immense generosity of donors like you. However, we still need funds to purchase equipment supplies as well as to hire dental professionals such as dentists and technicians. A dedicated team of SOAR dental experts in USA volunteer to oversee the construction and the selection of the equipment and supplies. We are grateful for their support and guidance in fulfilling the project! We also have created a dental care fund volunteer program to invite dental professionals who would want to volunteer in the clinic in Armenia, thus providing more manpower coverage for the clinic's operation in Gyumri.
On this Armenian Christmas day and a New Year, touch a life and give the children bright and healthy smiles. OLA's clinic is the first of many clinics that we hope to establish in different parts of remote areas of Armenia. We need your help to make this come true. There is no amount too little to make a difference. Please support us through Global Giving Campaign! Our heartfelt thanks to your continued support!
Wishing you all a Happy New Year!
Kohar Mardirossian Pelter & George Yacoubian Jr.
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