About Us
Our MIssion
We are committed to creating an inclusive and nurturing environment where individuals with diverse needs can flourish. Our work extends beyond care and therapy—we build opportunities for personal growth, employment, and community integration. We aim to transform lives while promoting sustainability and social change.
The humor and joy I feel at Aregak Bakery, and the presence of the other mothers of special needs children, tunes out all other troubles. These women understand what I feel; they feel my pain. They understand both my laughter and my tears.
Anahit
Caregiver & Danish Pastry Magician |
Armenia
Our Values
Love
We believe in showing love and respect to every person who enters our doors, creating a welcoming and supportive environment for all.
Growth
We are dedicated to providing individuals with the tools and resources they need to thrive, empowering them to reach their full potential and grow into independent, capable individuals.
Social Justice
We actively challenge barriers and the status quo to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability, has equal opportunities to live a fulfilling and independent life
Our Approach
Click on a circle to see our detailed approach
Family & Therapies
We provide community, support, and developmental therapies ranging from psychological to art, music, and physiotherapy, to children from 1-18 years old at our Emili Aregak Center.
Training & Jobs
Through our 9 Steps to the Labor Market course we offer young adults training to prepare for work. We also offer them through Green Aregak and Aregak Bakery, places for them to work.
Community & Jobs
We offer jobs for the caregivers of the people with disabilities such as bakers at Aregak Bakery & Café and cooks for Emili Aregak Center. These places of work provide them an empathetic community, encouragement, and support. We also provide annual retreats with partnering hotels for caregivers to have respite.
Awareness
Those in the Gyumri community who interact with us including neighborhoods kids who play in the inclusive playground, people who visit the bakery & café experience a higher level of awareness of diversity and get opportunities to interact with people with disabilities who are often hidden in this society.
Training & Advocacy
In partnership with other institutions we advocate for inclusive laws and also train individuals, kindergartens and schools on how to be inclusive.
Self-Sufficiency
We aim to have a positive impact on our natural environment by using the resources around us wisely through solar panels, greenhouses, thermal heating, and cleaning the garbage around us. We also impact Gyumri through our example and sustainable programs.
Our Finances
Providing developmental therapies is central to our mission. Your contributions help fund therapist salaries, offer accessible transportation for children, and ensure that our equipment is up to date and our center remains a safe and welcoming space.
Providing Therapies
Providing developmental therapies is the focus of our work. This means providing salaries for the therapists, accessible transportation to and from the center for the children, ensuring the equipment is maintained and the space is clean and safe.
Management
Behind the scenes, our management team ensures the center runs like clockwork. From HR to office support and leadership, their dedication keeps everything moving forward, allowing us to focus on the children we serve.
Marketing & Fundraising
While we do generate income through our social enterprises, we still need support from our wonderful donors to make the magic happen! This enables us to develop marketing materials, maintain our online presence, and engage donors as we work toward increasing our self-sufficiency.
Accounting & Legal
Our financial and legal team manage our audits and provide expert advice and monitoring services. This ensures that we remain compliant and transparent in all our work, so every donation is used responsibly.
Our Founding Partners
Caritas Austria
Armenian Caritas
Our Partnerships
We are proud to collaborate with local and international organizations who share our mission!
King's Ransom Foundation
Helping fund nourishing meals for 3 years.
Impact Hub Yerevan
Partnering on social entrepreneurship projects.
Birthright Armenia
Working with incredible volunteers from the Diaspora
Dialogue for Understanding
Promoting inclusion in the cultural sphere.
In the early 2000s, a group of occupational therapists recognized the challenges faced by children with disabilities and their families in Gyumri—social isolation, stigma, and limited therapy options. Many children were confined to their homes, with little access to the care they needed.
Determined to make a difference, Aregak’s founders envisioned a daycare center that would provide both therapy for children and support for families. In 2008, Aregak began with just a few staff members and ten children. As demand grew, it became clear that a larger, barrier-free facility was needed. Thanks to the generous support of donors – many from Austria – the Emili Aregak Center was opened in 2015. Equipped with accessible facilities, therapy equipment, and inclusive spaces, it now serves over 150 children and their families each year, continuing its mission to provide care, inclusion, and empowerment.
Our Team
It takes a special sort of person to work at Aregak. Our job isn’t easy. There are days we celebrate, and there are days we cry. But we love what we do, because every day, we see the difference we make. And every day, our kids make us better people.
Our Leadership
Tigranuhi
Director & Chief Firefighter
Tamara
Emili Aregak Center Manager & Mother Hen
Diana
Aregak Bakery & Café Manager &
Lilit
HR Manager & Master of Ceremonies
Marine
Training and Cooperations Manager & Dot Connector
Varduhi
Emili Aregak Center Service Manager &
Vahan
Technical Manager & Mr. Fix It
Sarah
Development Manager & Excitement Officer
Armen
Finance Manager & Number Cruncher