Stakeholders' Committee

Structure

In May 2006 H. Abrahamyan was elected as an MCA-Armenia Stakeholders' Committee member representing civil society.
H. Abrahamyan is a graduate of the Armenia Agrarian University, specialized in Engineering and Mechanization. Since 1989 H. Abrahamyan is the President and the founding member of the Armenian Association for the Disabled "Pyunik" which was created on February, 1989, after the disastrous earthquake in Armenia in December 7, 1988 to provide assistance and services to the children who were disabled by the earthquake, later registered as a charitable organization.

More than 150 volunteers and 15 staff members provide year-round services and programs to people, particularly children with disabilities in Armenia. "Pyunik" gets support from the citizens, Presidential funds and government of Armenia, the Diaspora and humanitarian organizations including Aznavour pour l'Armenie, Y-Care International, World Vision Armenia, OXFAM, the United Nations Women's Guild of Vienna, Medicanes Sans Frontiere, International Federation of the Red Cross, Norwegian Refugee Council, Canadian, US, UK and Finnish Embassies, USAID, etc.

In more than 15 years of functioning "Pyunik" has fulfilled a number of projects and activities in the sphere of social security, sports and camping, public education and the Disabled rights Protection, vocational training, prosthetic services, etc. to accomplish its major goals:

- Promote physical, social and psychological rehabilitation of the disabled;
- Utilize sports to develop strong bodies and active minds;
- Develop skills to meet challenges of life for the disabled;
- Disabled rights protection;
- Public education through dissemination of information on the issues of disability;
- Prosthetic services.

"Pyunik" has a number of publications.

The future plans of "Pyunik" are still more ambitious and challenging: among the major challenges is fundraising for the reconstruction of the three-story building granted by the Government of Armenia. The Centre will be fully accessible and include administrative offices, auditorium, sports facilities: swimming pool, gym, ping pong tables, vocational training facilities, overnight accommodation rooms, and facilities for income generating business employing the disabled.