Grant List of 2013 Year

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-28

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18707

Organization:

Transparency International Anticorruption Center

Grant Amount:

$11,495.00

Purpose:

For: mobilizing civil society and public around issues of good governance and promoting more extensive public participation in decision-making processes. The grant has the following components: 1) mobilizing civil society actors to discuss the current challenges for Armenian civil society and to identify strategies for addressing these challenges; 2) developing an online catalogue of Transparency International Anticorruption Center’s (TIAC) library of literature on good governance in decision-making and public participation; 3) developing a crowdsourcing platform for collection and visualization of information on unlawful acts by the Armenian police in relation to freedom of assembly and expression

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-28

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18702

Organization:

Transparency International Anticorruption Center

Grant Amount:

$9,250.00

Purpose:

For: finalizing the findings from monitoring of 2013 Presidential and Yerevan Municipality’s elections and RA Government’s procurement policies and procedures. Within this grant, the reports and policy briefs on elections and procurement will be translated into English. For the procurement component, the developments in this field will be additionally monitored for the period of January and February, 2014. As a result of this grant, the monitoring reports will be made available online and will be publicly presented in cooperation with the Partnership for Open Society Initiative. The results will also be the basis for further public discussions and advocacy with the authorities for improvement of elections and procurement legislation and practice

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-28

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18662

Organization:

Unison, NGO

Grant Amount:

$38,367.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to promote inclusion and elimination of any type of discrimination of persons with disabilities (PWD) through building an effective framework for challenging legal and psychological barriers and pursuing the right to justice and state services for persons with disabilities. This will be accomplished through the following: 1) provide free legal and socio-psychological services to PWD and their families living in any region of Armenia within the Socio-Psychological and Legal Aid Unit established at Unison NGO. Psychological help will be provided by means of face-to-face, online and phone consultations, home visits and support group work. The legal unit will provide PWD and their families in Yerevan and provinces with relevant legal assistance through face-to-face and phone consultations. When necessary, attorney services will be provided on a free-of-charge basis. Strategic litigation on rights of the person with disability will be supported and at least two additional cases suitable for strategic litigation will be initiated; 2) protect the right of PWD to justice and access to state services through monitoring of physical inaccessibility of indoor and outdoor facilities of courts and government/administrative buildings in Yerevan and Shirak and Lori provinces. Develop and publish the monitoring report with evaluation and recommendations on the government’s obligations for providing accessibility of facilities and services open or provided to the public for PWD as per provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD); organize a campaign on improvement of the access to justice and state services for PWD in cooperation with the Armenian Network for Independent Living (ANIL)

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-24

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18704

Organization:

Communities Finance Officers Association

Grant Amount:

$5,400.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to produce comprehensive research report on the assessment of existing mechanisms of high schools funding and financial efficiency of the education in high schools; to supplement the report with policy suggestions on the improvement of high schools funding mechanism to ensure quality education; to organize public presentation of research report and for further advocacy with decision makers

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-24

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18666

Organization:

Communities Finance Officers Association

Grant Amount:

$22,357.00

Purpose:

For: research, monitoring and assessment of the mechanisms of funding of high schools, assessment of financial efficiency of the education in high schools. The comparative analysis of the existing legal provisions and their implication should be conducted to highlight the gaps in existing high school funding mechanisms and their impact of the inefficiency of the education. A set of macro and micro indicators should be analyzed and compared, such as total funding from state budget allocated to high schools, the amount of per capita funding of education and its structure. All data should be comparatively analyzed taking into account geographic location and the number of students in the schools. The level of financial effectiveness of education should also be assessed using the method of cost benefit analysis. The benefits and correspondingly the factors affecting the financial effectiveness of education should be identified. Desk research and analysis, interviews with representatives of relevant ministries, definition of the macro and micro financial indicators that are necessary for financial analysis, data collection and financial analysis should be conducted. As the result the comprehensive research report should be produced with corresponding conclusions and recommendations. The assessment should be conducted in three directions: 1. Assessment of current quality of education; 2. Level of beneficiaries’ satisfaction of the education services; and 3. Professional opinion of teachers. The funding of second and third directions is conditional. All research tools and questionnaires, detailed sample design and methodology of survey, interviews and focus group discussions among students, parents and teachers should be additionally presented for the Foundation’s approval based on the assessment and recommendations of invited experts. Correspondingly total amount of $10,835, which is the expenses associated with honoraria and field visits of field work teams (social workers, assistants of social workers and interviewers) will be transferred to grantee upon approval of research tools and questionnaires, detailed sample design and methodology of survey, interviews and focus group discussions among students, parents and teachers

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-24

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18700

Organization:

Collaboration for Democracy Center, NGO - A

Grant Amount:

$12,660.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to advocate for amendments to the draft Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations, guaranteeing freedom of conscience and religion and protection to religious minorities. This will be done through the following: 1) revision and analyses of the new draft Law on Religious Organizations by and relevant lawyer-expert, who will specify the position on the problematic issues and provide peer-reviewed legal opinion with formulated problems and recommendations; 2) following up the progress of the current draft Law in the Parliament and raise public awareness about the developments around it through public discussions and mass media; 3) meetings with government officials, members of the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Public Affairs of the RA National Assembly and other parliamentarians to include the prepared recommendations into the draft Law; 4) development and implementation of a joint strategy and action plan on advocating the recommendations to the new draft Law in close cooperation with the religious communities, civil society and other stakeholders

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-24

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18663

Organization:

Collaboration for Democracy Center, NGO - A

Grant Amount:

$36,030.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to protect from the violation of the right of freedom of thought and conscious through monitoring, analyzing, and reporting on the situation with the rights of freedom of thought and conscious in Armenia. To achieve the targeted goals the following actions are to be implemented: 1) identify and follow up the cases of violation of the rights of freedom of thought and conscious and initiate strategic litigations based on the cases identified; 2) monitor and report on the situation with religious freedom in education system including the content of the school text books, teaching methods and qualifications; 3) monitor the conditions of alternative service and publish a report; 4) raise public awareness on the religious rights situation as well as the process and progress of the strategic litigations and legal amendments, organize public discussions with participation of representatives of civil society, governmental and international organizations, share information with mass media, and interested parties, periodically update and maintain the www.religions.am web site; 5) draft and disseminate the annual report on the situation of protection of the rights of freedom of thought and conscious in Armenia

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-24

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18665

Organization:

Women's Union of St. Sandukht, NGO

Grant Amount:

$10,250.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to analyze, summarize and speak out the problems and barriers that prevent children from socially vulnerable families to realize their right to education in two dormitories of Yerevan and in 4 communities of Gegharkunik region. The organization should conduct the following activities: desk research and analysis of the education legislation; summarize existing and collect necessary additional information about the socio-economical conditions of the families from targeted communities that have school age children; conduct meetings, discussions and round tables with different stakeholders on the findings. All collected information and analyzed legislation points should be summarized in final analytical report on the comprehensive analysis of situation in targeted communities with the set of recommendations to relevant state authorities

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-23

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18668

Organization:

Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional Cooperation

Grant Amount:

$24,420.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to monitor Armenia’s implementation of commitments within the visa facilitation framework. Three national experts will be engaged in the monitoring process using the methodology developed by the Stefan Batory Foundation and experts from EaP countries. The findings of the monitoring will also be shared with the Stefan Batory Foundation, which will analyze and include it in its Visa Liberalization Index. In addition to the monitoring, local and international experts will conduct a workshop for media representatives to explain what the visa facilitation process entails, with a particular focus on readmission component. In organizing the workshop, the grantee will cooperate with media outlets supported by OSF – Armenia to identify participant journalists. The main findings of the monitoring will be summarized and presented to public through infographics, interviews to media outlets, the Media Center and public presentations in Yerevan and Gyumri

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-23

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18699

Organization:

Mandate, NGO

Grant Amount:

$40,725.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to monitor the efficiency and operations of activities within the National Assembly during the spring session, in order to promote the accountability of Parliament as a legislative, political and representative body. The project will document, analyze, and publicize the main operations of Parliament, its committees, and its members. It will monitor the degree of independence in its interactions with other branches of power and its ability to act as a counterbalance. It will analyze the content of legislation and report on its relevance to the country’s existing problems, as well the consistence of party/alliance faction voting patterns compared to their stated platforms. The project will maintain an updated statistical database of attendance records, voting patterns, and declared assets, disaggregated by region, faction, legislation and individual MPs. The scope is widened to include all forms of legislation, and activities of parliamentary committees. The website will be updated on a regular basis with new statistical data and analytical articles, which will be disseminated throughout the social media channels (facebook, twitter, youtube) and print media. One report will be published at the end of parliamentary session, summarizing and analyzing the activities of the session, factions, and MPs. The report will be presented to the mass media in a public discussion event

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-25

Program:

Law

Grant Number:

18701

Organization:

Helsinki Committee of Armenia-Collaboration for Democracy

Grant Amount:

$24,324.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to promote the reforms in Penitentiary system in Armenia by researching corruption practices and medical services in penitentiary institutions and amending the national legislation (Penal Code, Criminal Code. Law on Public Procurement) regulating the activities of penitentiary institutions to make them in line with international and European prison rules and advocating for implementation of effective mechanisms protecting detainees' and convicts' rights. The group will conduct monitoring of human rights violations and provision of medical services in all penitentiary institutions with deeper focus on marginalized groups (drug users, LGBT, prisoners with mental health problems). The group will also carry out monitoring of budget and financing of the penitentiary institutions to reveal corruption mechanisms. The monitoring data will be used by engaged experts for production of 2 reports (on medical services and corruption) with recommendations for legislative and systemic improvements. The group will closely cooperate with the police monitoring group and other partners for joined advocacy of the recommended legislative amendments improving the rights protection situation of detainees and convicts in penitentiary institutions

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-25

Program:

Law

Grant Number:

18648

Organization:

Helsinki Committee of Armenia-Collaboration for Democracy A

Grant Amount:

$53,376.00

Purpose:

Purpose For the following purposes: to reveal and prevent violations of human rights in the penitentiary institutions of Armenia by regular monitoring visits to all RA penitentiary institutions, evaluating of the needs of convicts and their relatives, documenting violations and applying to relevant state bodies to redress infringements, initiating litigation, sharing information about the situation in penitentiary institutions and violations to broad public and media. The Group will particularly target corruption practices in penitentiary institutions, address the health problems and medical service with deeper focus on marginalized groups (drug users, LGBT, prisoners with mental health problems) within the framework for monitoring health in penitentiary institutions. The group will closely cooperate with the Police Monitoring Group for revealing torture and inhuman treatment cases and engaging other partners developing joined strategies for public awareness about the rights and situation of detainees and convicts in closed institutions. The annual report on the human rights situation in penitentiary institutions will be prepared and published

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-23

Program:

Law

Grant Number:

18684

Organization:

Journalists for Human Rights, NGO A

Grant Amount:

$7,400.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support strategic case on right to live, particularly concerning the death of sergeant Sargis Sahakyan at armed forces

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-27

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18664

Organization:

Housaber CJSC, Yerkir Media TV Company

Grant Amount:

$65,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support production of “Bardzradzayn” and “Bats Pakagits” TV programs on Yerkir Media TV channel to ensure discussion of important social and political developments, as well as the issues of fundamental freedoms and the rights of marginalized groups. TV programs will promote tolerance towards marginalized groups to reduce manifestation of discrimination and to challenge dominant media discourse of inequality. Audience will be provided with TV discussions covering the various aspects of social and political life, ecology, corruption, issues of religious minorities, gender issues and problems of domestic violence, issues of persons with disability, issues of children and people living with HIV/AIDS, issues of palliative and mental health, the problems that exist in closed and semi-closed institutions, and labor rights. 36 discussions of “Bardzradzayn” TV debates/talk shows will be broadcast during 10 months period. “Bardzradzayn” TV programs will be broadcast once a week at prime-time and rerun during the week. 36 discussions of “Bats Pakagits” TV program will be broadcast during 10 months period. “Bats Pakagits” TV programs will be broadcast once a week at prime-time and rerun during the week. Mini-series followed by “Bats Pakagits” talk shows will be aired up to 10 minutes duration. Topics and guests for TV programs will be agreed with the Foundation. “Bats Pakagits” TV programs will become a platform for fostering discourse on public interest is issues, creating comprehensive discussion and debate on issues of marginalized groups in an aim to change misperceptions and attitudes of the general public

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-26

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18642

Organization:

EcoLur, Information NGO

Grant Amount:

$15,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support civil society to ensure accountability and transparency of the socio-environmental policies of the authorities, to hold the government accountable for its decisions. The objective of the first component is to increase accountability of the authorities (the government, the parliament, local governmental bodies) towards the civil society in implementation of social and environmental policies. This will be done through conducting of the analysis of laws, government decisions, policies and programs in the social and environmental field to identify risks and social and environmental consequences; Requesting information from government agencies responsible for matters related to the identified risks and severe social and environmental consequences of the decrees/regulations adopted by the government; Holding press conferences in press club “EcoLur” on the most pressing issues; Publishing video materials, new/information and analysis on www.ecolur.org website, as well as disseminating in the press and social networks. The objective of the second component is to activate civil society (the local population, NGOs, experts and scholars, politicians, media) to participate in social and environmental decision-making. This will be done through participation in public hearings on the projects assessing their impact on the environment, video recording of the hearings to compare with the official protocols, analysis of the procedure of public hearings on the subject of public opinion; Formation of working groups from the members of the local community on the most pressing social and environmental issues to develop plans and strategies; Legal empowerment of the local population to participate in public hearings, the main provisions of the Aarhus Convention to participate in decision-making processes, with the constitutional rights to health and a healthy environment; Preparation and publication of video and analytical/news materials on www.ecolur.org, and dissemination through social networks; Conducting information campaigns to protect the rights of civil society, local population in places where social and environmental problems exists. The objective of the third component is to monitor the activities of governmental bodies to implement the commitments in priority areas for European Environmental Policy in Climate Change and Sustainable Development, as well as international environmental conventions. This will be done through conducting comparative analysis of governmental decrees, laws, approved projects to identify incompliance with the provisions of national legislation and international conventions; Conducting sectoral analysis of government bodies, ministries and agencies to implement priority strategies of European politics, Climate Change and Sustainable Development. For the 1st component, at least 12 analyses will be done, at least 12 requests will be sent, at least 24 press-conferences will be organized, and at least 240 materials will be distributed. For the 2nd component, at least 3 working groups will be formed; at least 3 information campaigns will be organized. For the 3rd component, at least 12 materials will be published, 5 assessments will be conducted

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-25

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18622

Organization:

Umbrella, Journalists International Network, NGO

Grant Amount:

$24,990.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support coverage and public awareness raising of the issues of fundamental freedoms and the rights of marginalized groups, corruption, social and political developments through publishing articles, analysis, investigations and human stories. Published articles, investigations, and stories will promote tolerance towards marginalized groups to reduce manifestation of discrimination and to challenge dominant media discourse of inequality. Readers will be provided with analyzes, investigations, articles and reviews covering the various aspects of social and political life, ecology, corruption, discrimination of sexual minorities, issues of ethnic and religious minorities, gender issues and problems of domestic violence, issues of persons with disability, issues of children and people living with HIV/AIDS, issues of palliative and mental health, the problems that exist in closed and semi-closed institutions, labor rights. At least 385 articles, investigations, analysis, human and photo stories will be produced within a year; in average, 32 such articles will be published per month

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-28

Program:

Public Health

Grant Number:

18673

Organization:

Pain Control and Palliative Care Association

Grant Amount:

$9,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support palliative care developments in Armenia through updating and promoting www.hospice.am website and "Hospice" facebook page among health care professionals and palliative care supporters. Updates on palliative care national policies and standards, local and international laws, international news and information about local and international events concerning palliative care will be posted on the website and facebook page. A hotline system will be created using resources of the Association and consultations to patients and their families about palliative care services in the country will be accessible for 24 hours. In cooperation with the Republican Medical Library monthly lectures for forty physicians on the needs of palliative care in Armenia and palliative care as a human right will be conducted. Discussions involving trained physicians in palliative care from different medical institutions and professional associations about palliative care will be conducted and four lectures in Gyumri dispenser, Ashotsk Tiramayr Narek hospital, Abovyan City Medical Center and Vayk City hospital will be held for raising awareness of doctors working in regional hospitals about palliative care

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-25

Program:

Public Health

Grant Number:

18698

Organization:

Real World, Real People, NGO

Grant Amount:

$19,144.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to guarantee rights protection of population groups mostly at risk of HIV infection and patients in need for palliative care by providing human rights based referral and legal services to up to 120 beneficiaries, leading two litigation cases to increase their access to health and social services and reduce discrimination

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-25

Program:

Public Health

Grant Number:

18671

Organization:

Real World, Real People, NGO

Grant Amount:

$14,100.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to change and eradicate policies and practices, which cause infringement of human rights of the target populations by improving access to health care for people living with HIV for reducing and eliminating discrimination and confidentiality infringement in health care settings; by removing barriers for people using

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-11-28

Program:

Public Health

Grant Number:

18650

Organization:

Center for Rights Development, NGO A

Grant Amount:

$26,720.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to achieve reform in policies, laws and practices that guarantees highest attainable standard of health services both for patients and providers through conducting 2 studies related to the right to access healthcare services and right to complaint, developing recommendations for policy makers and advocating for

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-11-28

Program:

Public Health

Grant Number:

18540

Organization:

Center for Rights Development, NGO A

Grant Amount:

$40,000.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to promote rights based approach towards patients, particularly marginalized once in health system through enhancing the existing resources with up to date information and cases on health and human rights (2 types of patient-friendly guides published and disseminating them among stakeholders in the field);

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-27

Program:

Women

Grant Number:

18703

Organization:

Association of Women with University Education

Grant Amount:

$17,210.00

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to promote advocacy and elimination of discrimination against women as a precondition for parity democracy. The proposal includes activities such as: 10 focus groups and round table sessions to be held to discuss amendments to the law and findings of the monitoring of the implementation by Armenia of the UN

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-12-27

Program:

Women

Grant Number:

18695

Organization:

Association of Women with University Education

Grant Amount:

$26,534.00

Purpose:

For: operation of 3 regional Centers for Civic Initiatives in Lori, Ararat and Kotayk marzes; organization of ten round table discussions and debate in the Center of Democracy and Peace; two groups of women leaders will attend the AWUE Women’s Leadership School in Yerevan (30 participants); 1 issue of the Women with University Education

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-09-20

Program:

Women

Grant Number:

18547

Organization:

Public Information and Need of Knowledge (PINK)

Grant Amount:

11600 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to use advocacy campaign to raise awareness on having a single law for domestic violence. The law on domestic violence would assure awareness raising by: 1) to recognize domestic violence as an offense against the individual as well as the society, and the fact that such acts are punishable by law; 2) for establishing legal norms and regulations to prohibit violence against women in the family and in interpersonal relations, to protect the victims, their children and their guardians from such violence and to prevent further incidents; 3) for ensuring the victims of domestic violence maximum protection of the law, preventing them from underreporting domestic violence incidents due to fear of unwanted consequences. The adoption of the Law will reduce incidents of domestic violence in the Republic of Armenia, and will also reduce the number of recited criminal cases related to domestic violence. The Law will promote change in social behavior, ending the current trend of tolerance towards domestic violence, and will contribute to the preservation of a number of families by hindering the vicious cycle of violence. The Netherlands Embassy will invest $10,000 and British Embassy will invest $1,600

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-08-30

Program:

Women

Grant Number:

18413

Organization:

Near East Foundation Armenian Branch

Grant Amount:

51615 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support women, victims of domestic violence in Armenia, to break the cycle of gender-based violence by giving alternatives to returning to abusive environments. In partnership with Tufenkian Foundation’s Women’s Support Center (WSC) and Business Paretta LLC the NEF-Armenian branch will select 50 women - beneficiaries of WSC’s shelter program from Yerevan and other regions, train them in job-readiness and business development skills, organize mentorship and assistance in finding jobs or creating their own microenterprises for reaching economic independence. The business component of the project will offer a graduated approach to micro-enterprise development, enabling 20 women from WSC operate sustainable micro-enterprise projects. The employment component will focus on entry-level jobs and develop a network of potential employers and train the beneficiary participants in employment-focused, job-readiness skills, based on the International Youth Foundation’s Job Skills Training Program, resulting in sustainable employment for 20 – 30 women. Within the frames of the project NEF Armenian Branch will establish Business Women’s support network enabling women in both enterprise and employment streams to share their experiences and ideas. NEF Armenian Branch will produce a policy brief and recommendations to contribute to national policies that recognize and support women’s economic roles and rights.

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-03-14

Program:

Women

Grant Number:

18414

Organization:

Media Partners, CJSC

Grant Amount:

39933 USD

Purpose:

This project aims to break the culture of silence by creating an open space for discussions and changing perceptions surrounding such issues as domestic violence, trafficking, sex-selective abortions, reproductive rights, etc. It is designed to expand the activities of the magazine and incorporate women’s rights topics through a number of creative ways. In addition to publishing “Real Life Read” articles that cover stories of real women dealing with gender-based violence, Cosmopolitan Armenia envisages raising awareness on these issues through the following new means: launching a nation-wide breast cancer awareness raising campaign; starting a new online article series about Armenian women who made a big contribution to arts, sciences, politics, economics, and cultural development to honor the Women’s History Month; initiating a social advertisement campaign “Modern Armenian Family” to question traditional gender roles; covering stories of successful women from different communities across the country to increase their visibility in the society; publishing research-based articles about women’s issues; organizing interactive meetings to bridge the gap between the women’s rights community and the real women of Armenia. Essentially, the applicant aims to challenge patriarchal narratives and shape perceptions on a grass root level through magazine publications, online articles, as well as holding various meetings and discussion sessions on women’s empowerment, reproductive health, and gender equality

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-10-29

Program:

Public Health

Grant Number:

18627

Organization:

Patients' Rights Protection Center

Grant Amount:

15050 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to institutionalize a palliative care nursing course in the country through the process of creating a working group of specialists represented of faculty of Ararat and Vanadzor nursing colleges and physicians and nurses with palliative care knowledge and experience from Ararat and Vanadzor palliative care pilot sites; developing a palliative care educational program comprised of 32 hours teaching and 20 hours practical modules; piloting the course for 30 students from each college; inclusion of the course into the curricula of the colleges and advocating for inclusion of th ecourse into the curricula of other nursing colleges in Armenia

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-03-29

Program:

Public Health

Grant Number:

18464

Organization:

Khnamk, NGO

Grant Amount:

25000 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support the Center for the period of advocacy for inclusion of the service into the Medium-term expenditure framework of the government to become sustainable, supporting community-based housing for people with mental health problems by introducing new community opportunities such as involving volunteers, local NGOs and addressing employment issues of the clients to make them equal members of the society, applying different advocacy tools to demonstrate to the government the significance of inclusion of the community-based services for people with mental health problems and their families for further promoting deinstitutionalization of the mental health area in Armenia

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-08-28

Program:

National Education

Grant Number:

18514

Organization:

Jinishian Memorial Foundation

Grant Amount:

70000 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to operate youth debate clubs in 130 schools in Armenia providing space for young Armenian to engage in debates and increase knowledge about key issues related to their liv es, development of civil society, democracy and human rights, to develop communication, analytical and critical thinking skills and learn through participatory methods

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-11-01

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18623

Organization:

Investigative Journalists, NGO

Grant Amount:

82371 USD

Purpose:

for the following purposes: to support formation and activation of civil society through enhancing legally empowered, responsible and pro-active (local) population by means of media and ensuring of public control and transparency over the state and community budgets and governance. The project will be directed towards establishment of public control over management systems of the state and local authorities, improving local government administration, reducing corruption risks, monitoring media environment, and improving the quality of regional journalism through journalistic investigations, articles, films and public discussions.  Media will be used as a tool for the protection of citizens' fundamental rights and freedoms. Violation of journalists’ rights, cases of insult and libel will be monitored; a comprehensive study on the process of digitalization will be conducted. The project will consists of 5 components – 1) anti-corruption (investigation of cases of corruption and abuse of official authorities will be conducted; investigation of cases of the state procurements and tenders; investigation of financial frauds and corruption risk in mining, banking sector, urban development, environment and food security); 2) accountability and transparency of local governance (this component will be implemented in 5 regions - Kotayk, Lori, Aragatsotn, Lori and Shirak; After 2-day training working groups will be formed and they will monitor activities of municipal and regional councils to ensure transparency, cover meetings of municipal and regional councils, monitor mandatory placement of information in the official websites, ask questions during press-conferences, send inquires to community heads, inform citizens about their rights and responsibilities in interaction with community officials and council); 3) regional issues (this component will be implemented in all regions through inquires to find out what percentage of the population is credit borrowers, how many enforcement proceedings of confiscations have been instigated in favor of banks and universal credit organizations; court cases of overdue agricultural loans, the seized property auction privatization process will be covered; elections to local self-government bodies will be covered as well); 4) media component (libel and insult court cases, violence against journalists, as well as digitization process will be monitored); 5) multimedia ("At the Auditorium of Hetq” online discussions, media reports and photo-stories will be prepared). During implementation of the project 24 journalistic investigations will be conducted, 152 articles will be written, 12 films and 24 photo-stories will be made, 24 online programs of “At the Auditorium of Hetq” will be broadcast, 6 analysis of media field will be published, media monitoring report will be published, 25 regional journalists will pass trainings, 10 workshops will be organized for representatives of local governance bodies, civil society and regional journalists.

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-10-30

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18640

Organization:

ATHK Hamakarg, LLC

Grant Amount:

2700 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support discussion and analysis of the current social and political developments taking place in Armenia on Lragir.am. Lragir.am will conduct impartial analysis of developments from the context of civil interests to provide pluralistic and alternative content. Public discourse on the rights of marginalized groups will be formed; issues of education, public health, army, ecology, labor rights, digitalization, and local-government elections will be periodically covered by Lragir.am. During the project implementation, at least 80 interviews, 80 vox-pop materials, and 150 commentaries will be published on Lragir.am. In addition, at least 56 online discussions will be prepared and broadcast on Lragir.am. The grant is aimed to purchase equipment and pavilion decoration for the implementation of "Diversification in Lragir.am Online Publication" project (Grant #18625)

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-10-30

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18625

Organization:

ATHK Hamakarg, LLC

Grant Amount:

18170 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support discussion and analysis of the current social and political developments taking place in Armenia on Lragir.am. Lragir.am will conduct impartial analysis of developments from the context of civil interests to provide pluralistic and alternative content. Public discourse on the rights of marginalized groups will be formed; issues of education, public health, army, ecology, labor rights, digitalization, and local-government elections will be periodically covered by Lragir.am. During the project implementation, at least 80 interviews, 80 vox-pop materials, and 150 commentaries will be published on Lragir.am. In addition, at least 56 online discussions will be prepared and broadcast on Lragir.am

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-09-23

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18628

Organization:

Asparez, Journalists' Club, NGO

Grant Amount:

7780 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support “Asparez” daily newspaper to strengthen content, expand coverage and dissemination network and to establish internet radio “Asparez” in order to provide readers/audience with independent, diverse and alternative content. This will be done through expanding the staff of reporters in Yerevan, Syunik and Gegharkunik regions; developing content of the daily and publishing special supplements covering civic activism and activities of partner NGOs; expanding dissemination-sale network of the newspaper to deliver the daily to major cities including Yerevan; establishing non-profit internet radio “Asparez”. The “Asparez” newspaper will be published 5 times a week; additional 20 supplements-inserts will be printed for the daily. In total 17 correspondents will cover political and social developments taking place in Armenia, as well as prepare analytical and investigative materials for the daily. These correspondents will also provide materials and news for the internet radio “Asparez”, which will start its operation in November 2013. The team of the internet radio “Asparez” will consist of 7 persons - 1 editor, 3 reporters, 2 audio operators, and 1 audio designer. Internet radio “Asparez” will broadcast 10 hours daily. During the first three months of the operation, the internet radio will operate for 16-hours, after it will switch to 24-hour broadcasting. Internet radio “Asparez” will provide the audience with public content. The grant is aimed to purchase equipment and furniture for implementation of "Media Hub for Civic Activism" project (Grant 18538)

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-09-23

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18538

Organization:

Asparez, Journalists' Club, NGO

Grant Amount:

59931 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support “Asparez” daily newspaper to strengthen content, expand coverage and dissemination network and to establish internet radio “Asparez” in order to provide readers/audience with independent, diverse and alternative content. This will be done through expanding the staff of reporters in Yerevan, Syunik and Gegharkunik regions; developing content of the daily and publishing special supplements covering civic activism and activities of partner NGOs; expanding dissemination-sale network of the newspaper to deliver the daily to major cities including Yerevan; establishing non-profit internet radio “Asparez”. The “Asparez” newspaper will be published 5 times a week; additional 20 supplements-inserts will be printed for the daily. In total 17 correspondents will cover political and social developments taking place in Armenia, as well as prepare analytical and investigative materials for the daily. These correspondents will also provide materials and news for the internet radio “Asparez”, which will start its operation in November 2013. The team of the internet radio “Asparez” will consist of 7 persons - 1 editor, 3 reporters, 2 audio operators, and 1 audio designer. Internet radio “Asparez” will broadcast 10 hours daily. During the first three months of the operation, the internet radio will operate for 16-hours, after it will switch to 24-hour broadcasting. Internet radio “Asparez” will provide the audience with public content

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-07-01

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18527

Organization:

Public Journalism Club

Grant Amount:

3660 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support operation of an alternative media space, Media Center, for becoming a discussion platform and a resource center for civil society and media. At least 35 press conferences and discussions, 15 debates, 4 open air events (film screenings) and 10 regional discussions in cooperation with Partnership for Open Society (5 in Gyumri and 5 in Vanadzor) will be organized and broadcast live. It is proposed that Media Center will become a collaborative platform for civil society, media, politicians, and artists where discussions, debates, movie screenings, and interviews will be organized around current social and political developments taking place in the country. A website will be designed for operation of Media Center, where all information, video recordings, resources, films, and announcements will be available for general public, civil society, and media. Project Board will be formed to ensure effective operation of Media Center. The grant is aimed to purchase equipments for implementation of Media Center project (Grant 18509). Project Board will be formed to ensure effective operation of Media Center. USAID/ Counterpart will invest $1,441

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-07-01

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18509

Organization:

Public Journalism Club

Grant Amount:

99596 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support operation of an alternative media space, Media Center, for becoming a discussion platform and a resource center for civil society and media. At least 35 press conferences and discussions, 15 debates, 4 open air events (film screenings) and 10 regional discussions in cooperation with Partnership for Open Society (5 in Gyumri and 5 in Vanadzor) will be organized and broadcast live. It is proposed that Media Center will become a collaborative platform for civil society, media, politicians, and artists where discussions, debates, movie screenings, and interviews will be organized around current social and political developments taking place in the country. A website will be designed for operation of Media Center, where all information, video recordings, resources, films, and announcements will be available for general public, civil society, and media. Project Board will be formed to ensure effective operation of Media Center. USAID/ Counterpart will invest $38,914 and British Embassy will invest $7,678

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-03-29

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18490

Organization:

Housaber CJSC, Yerkir Media TV Company

Grant Amount:

39984 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support production of "Bardzradzayn" TV program on Yerkir Media TV channel in order to ensure discussion of important social and political developments taking place in the country. It is proposed to broadcast “Bardzradzayn” TV debates/talk shows with participation of 2-4 guests. 32 discussions will be broadcast during 9 months period. TV programs will be broadcast once a week at prime-time and rerun during the week. Mini-series followed by talk shows will be aired up to 10 minutes duration. Topics and guests for TV programs will be agreed with the Foundation. TV programs will become a platform for fostering discourse on public interest issues, creating comprehensive discussion and debate on issues of marginalized groups in an aim to change misperceptions and attitudes of the general public

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-01-23

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18443

Organization:

Public Journalism Club

Grant Amount:

71298 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to create a Media Center, which will be a physical space, that gathers representatives from all mainstream international, domestic, and diasporas media organizations and from civil society organizations. It will be used to transfer pertinent and timely information gathered by the participating civil society organizations, for dissemination by the media. The space will feature online broadcasting capabilities, and will host various experts and individuals for providing interviews. It will be managed by Public Journalism Club. The space will remain active in the aftermath of the elections, and will aim to shut down by the 31st of March. The Netherlands Embassy will invest $12,676, USAID/ Counterpart will invest $9,489 and British Embassy will invest $5,700

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-01-21

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18477

Organization:

Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression, NGO

Grant Amount:

8110 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to monitor implementation of Armenia's commitments related to Open Government Partnership initiative, to assess the level of information transparency of the governmental bodies. CPFE will monitor implementation of the activities envisaged in Section 2.1 "Promoting Access to Information" in Chapter 2, "Increasing Access to Information" Action Plan for Open Government Partnership. In particular, the following obligations will be monitored: ensuring transparency of asset declarations, standardization of official websites’ content, and improvement of knowledge and skills of public servants on access to information. An analytical report, expert opinions and recommendations will be prepared and published. A round table discussion will be organized to present and to discuss monitoring results and recommendations within the framework of Partnership for Open Society

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-01-21

Program:

Media

Grant Number:

18227

Organization:

Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression, NGO

Grant Amount:

33980 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to promote freedom of expression in Armenia, to protect the rights of journalists and media, to monitor hate speech in media and to analyze possibilities to overcome it. The project will be directed to study the situation of freedom of expression and media, to respond to violations of the rights of journalists and media, to prepare quarterly and annual reports. Violation of journalists’ rights will be observed and measures will be taken to protect them, statements and press-releases will be published and distributed. 2-3 court cases will be initiated to protect journalists’ rights in the courts. Online, print media publications and TV programs will be monitored in incitement to hatred. 9 media outlets will be monitored in detection of hate speech – 3 national TV channels, 3 national newspapers, and 3 online publications. Hate speech monitoring will be conducted in 2 stages - April 1 – August 31, 2013 and September 1 – December 31, 2013; interim and final reports will be published and a round table will be organized to present the report and the recommendations

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-09-26

Program:

Law

Grant Number:

18603

Organization:

Boundaries of Our Rights, NGO

Grant Amount:

20900 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: supporting and enhancing the civil society human rights monitoring mechanism over pre-trial facilities. The following activities will be carried out: monitoring of human rights and health situation in the detention facilities of the RA Police through regular (at least once to each institution) and ad-hoc visits with filled in questionnaires; immediate reaction to cases of violations; preparation of annual, current and ad-hoc reports; regular update of the www.policemonitoring.org website. The Group will collaborate with the Public Monitoring Group over Penitentiary to enhance efforts for discovering torture and ill-treatment cases in pre-trial facilities, developing and using mechanisms of professional assessment of the medical services in pre-trial facilities. The Group will collaborate with medical experts, sociologists and psychologists to increase effectiveness of human rights data gathering and monitoring. The Group will also work on collaborating with media in order to increase visibility of Group’s work

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-07-15

Program:

Law

Grant Number:

18112

Organization:

Tax-Payers and Businessmen's Rights Protection, NGO

Grant Amount:

3420 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to support strategic litigation case on the gaps in the legislation related to violation of entitlement to social security. Particularly, the case concerns the amount of pensions to former servicemen, whose rank is not specified in the legislation and is equated  to another rank, thereby reducing the size of the resulting benefits. The case will be applied to Constitutional Court with further proceedings either at the Administrative Court or in the Administrative process, according to the results

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-06-01

Program:

Law

Grant Number:

18507

Organization:

Europe in Law Association

Grant Amount:

16840 USD

Purpose:

The project aims to foster impartial and independent investigation by Armenian law-enforcement institutions of election-related crimes. The team of advocates under the supervision of the project manager will appeal the decisions of the investigators and prosecutors on the incidents of crimes reported by the European Law Association NGO’s observers during the presidential elections of 2013 to the RA courts. The eight cases on the reports of election-related crimes, including obstruction to the activities of the Organization’s observers and journalists, multiple voting, abuse of administrative resources in the different polling stations will be suited by the Organization. The advocates will participate in the proceedings at all the three instances of the RA courts. This project will be co-funded by the Counterpart International

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-02-28

Program:

Law

Grant Number:

18482

Organization:

Human Rights Yerevan Center-Boundaries of Our Rights

Grant Amount:

30600 USD

Purpose:

For supporting and enhancing the civil society human rights monitoring mechanism over pre-trial facilities. The following activities will be carried out: monitoring of human rights and health situation in the institutions through regular (at least once to each institution) and ad-hoc visits with filled in questionnaires; awareness raising among detainees on their rights with a special focus on health rights through development and publication of informative and concise booklets or flyers; immediate reaction to cases of violations; preparation of annual, current and ad-hoc reports; regular update of the www.policemonitoring.org website. The Group will collaborate with the Public Monitoring Group over Penitentiary to enhance efforts for discovering torture and ill-treatment cases in pre-trial facilities, developing and using mechanisms of professional assessment of the medical services in pre-trial facilities. In order to attract new members to the Group, a call for applications will be circulated quarterly in the media. The Group will collaborate with medical experts, sociologists and psychologists to increase effectiveness of human rights data gathering and monitoring. The Group will also work on collaborating with media in order to increase visibility of Group’s work

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-05-30

Program:

Information

Grant Number:

18278

Organization:

Information Systems Development and Training Center

Grant Amount:

19910 USD

Purpose:

For institutional capacity development of the Organization in ICT policy development. Organization will conduct research on “Information systems and web resources for municipalities”. The document will develop and recommend concrete steps for both municipalities and Government bodies for further improvement transparency and accountability of governance through using information technologies. In the scope of institutional capacity development expert-analytical department within the Organization will be established and will work on continuous analysis of the sphere through implementing different researches and assessments. Advocacy activities will be implemented to realize recommendations for changes and improvement of local government information system in Armenia

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-07-09

Program:

HESP

Grant Number:

18516

Organization:

Privatissima, Educational Foundation

Grant Amount:

21012 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to organize an academic summer school for 19 bachelor and master level students followed by a year-long  mentorship program leading to research papers to be completed  by students by the end of the project.  More specifically,  the following subgoals will be pursued: 1.    To expose students to week-long thematic courses in political science, history, international relations, gender and policy by leading experts in the fields and invited western faculty. 2. To provide students with fundamentals of research to enable them to complete year-long research projects on chosen themes in groups according to their areas of interest. This will be done through mentoring scheme over 12 months of student research projects. 3. To create a network of active alumni that are able to share academic and professional opportunities and achievements with one another

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-10-30

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18522

Organization:

Shirak Center, NGO

Grant Amount:

23105

Purpose:

For attending the problems of about 4500 vulnerable homeless families in disaster area of Gyumri, who are deprived of opportunities for compensation.  In order to change situation the following will be accomplished: 1) create a factual database about the homeless and vulnerable families in Gyumri, identify the social assistance they are eligible for and build relevant legal framing of the problems; 2) organize wide public awareness through making 70 videos, publication of 10 articles about the living conditions of the beneficiary families and disseminate via mass media and online outlets; 3) organize a public campaign (3 press conferences, 3 public discussions, meetings with the local and central authorities and members of the National Assembly, preparation of petitions and statements) to mobilize citizens and empower the beneficiaries to rise the problem to local and national agendas and reach provision of social benefits by the state; 4) cooperate with human rights NGOs for protection of violated rights of the beneficiaries by the state;  5) monitor and provide consultancy with regard to the process of construction and distribution of apartments in Gyumri; 6) based on the updated data, prepare and present a report with policy and legislative recommendations on the problems of homelessness in disaster area (Gyumri)

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-08-30

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18523

Organization:

Mandate, NGO

Grant Amount:

35450 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to monitor the efficiency and operations of activities within the National Assembly in order to promote the accountability of Parliament as a legislative, political and representative body. The project will document, analyze, and publicize the main operations of Parliament, its committees, and its members. It will monitor the degree of independence in its interactions with other branches of power and its ability to act as a counterbalance. It will analyze the content of legislation and report on its relevance to the country’s existing problems, as well the consistence of party/alliance faction voting patterns compared to their stated platforms. The project will maintain an updated statistical database of attendance records, voting patterns, and declared assets, disaggregated by region, faction, legislation and individual MPs. The scope is widened to include all forms of legislation, and activities of parliamentary committees. The website will be updated on a regular basis with new statistical data and analytical articles, which will be disseminated throughout the social media channels (facebook, twitter, youtube) and print media. One report will be published at the end of parliamentary session, summarizing and analyzing the activities of the session, factions, and MPs. The report will be presented to the mass media in a public discussion event

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-07-16

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18524

Organization:

Huso Aragast, NGO

Grant Amount:

35000 USD

Purpose:

For supporting the vulnerable families of former convicts amd promoting their social inclusion. More specifically it is envisaged to support the newly established social enterprise - a bakery managed by the beneficiary former convicts. The anticipated profit will be used to  provide social and huminanitarian assistance to the socially vulnerable beneficiary families, as well as organize tutoring and arts and sports activities for 60 beneficiary children of former convicts living in two hostels in Vardashen district of Yerevan

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-07-01

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18517

Organization:

Helsinki Committee of Armenia

Grant Amount:

25000 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to study and assess the application of legal acts which regulate labor relations in small, medium and large enterprises as well as in state institutions, and identify cases  and causes of violations of workers' rights. The assessment will be done in comparison with RA Constitution, Labor Code, Law on Minimum Wage, ECHR, ICESCR, ICCPR, Revised European Social Charter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Field survey will be conducted among civil servants as well as employees of small and medium enterprises focusing on contracts and the individual file of each employee, working conditions, and level of awareness among employees on their rights, discrimination at workplace, existence of trade unions, occupational safety. At least one litigation case will be identified and pursued. The final Report of this assessment will be published. A round-table discussion will be organized to present findings of monitoring and steps to be undertaken to restore violated rights. Report on monitoring results will be disseminated among state institutions, local and international organizations

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-06-27

Program:

Civil Soceity

Grant Number:

17791

Organization:

Socioscope, NGO

Grant Amount:

45970 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to conduct a research focusing on accessibility of legal services for Armenian population, level of confidence of the population and ability to solve the encountered problems through legal means. The research will have three components – desk study, survey and in-depth interviews, which will examine relevant legislation and the types and nature of legal problems encountered by the most vulnerable segments of society. 2000 respondents will be surveyed in the course of the research, followed by 9 in-depth interviews.  Socioscope, Societal Research and Consultancy Center will cooperate with HCAV, Asparez, HCA, Sakharov Center and Shirak Center throughout the project to identify the scope of problems encountered by the population.  A report on key findings will be prepared and publicly presented

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-05-29

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18432

Organization:

Communities Finance Officers Association

Grant Amount:

39200 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to monitor the financial aspect of the education service delivery emphasizing the transparency and accountability in relations of the central government, Yerevan mayor office and educational institutions in Yerevan. Within the project the current situation will be analyzed to assess the level of transparency and accountability, reveal the obstacles for better transparency and accountability. Based on the analysis and evidence based data collected from the schools, guidelines will be prepared for both local government and schools to achieve improved transparency and accountability. Accordingly, awareness and advocacy tactics will be employed to raise awareness on current issues of budget transparency and financial accountability in education for the large public, in order to support of creating public demand on quality of education. One of the main objectives will be to assess transparency of decision-making process regarding fund allocation in respect of state priorities and defined mechanism (national budget, budget requests, education financing principals and etc.). In the framework of the project the experience for last three years (2010, 2011 and 2012) to reveal the weak aspects in regards of transparency and accountability in financial relation between local government and schools will be analyzed. The necessary changes of budgeting and financial management practices to gain improvement in transparency and accountability will be drafted as a project’s recommendation. For the analysis of common practices (in view of transparency and accountability) 12 schools will be selected to work with and collected data from. Methodology of the project will be based systematic and complex approaches on following: analyses of the central and local government financial relations in the area of education and local self-government and educational institution financial relations; assessment of financial management and budgeting of educational institutions; selection of schools; data collection cooperation

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-05-23

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18510

Organization:

Lore, EcoClub, NGO

Grant Amount:

1000 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: 1) to organize two public discussions in Stepanavan and Armanis with participation of active citizens, relevant NGOs, journalists, local self-government bodies and other stakeholders targeting the ecological issues and dangers related to Armanis gold poly-metallic mine exploitation; 2) to organize two TV programs with MIG TV related to the same topics; 3) prepare and publicize articles on the discussed issues via online media - Hetq.am and Ecolur.org

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-04-30

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18508

Organization:

Transparency International Anticorruption Center

Grant Amount:

5000 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to promote the free, fair and transparent local elections of Yerevan City Council to be held on May 5, 2013. Objectives set forth by the project are 1. Enhanced public participation in observation of electoral processes; 2. Electoral processes evaluated against standards of free and fair elections; 3. Activated law enforcement practices in detecting and punishing election violations

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-04-29

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18228

Organization:

French Armenian Development Foundation

Grant Amount:

25060 USD

Purpose:

For the following purpose: to schedule, organize and coordinate monitoring visits to 38 residential care institutions of Armenia in the period from May to June and September to November 2013; to collect field reports from monitors and ensure their timely transfer to working group established and coordinated by OSIAF Armenia and UNICEF– Armenia to draft final report on monitoring of child right situation in residential care institutions of Armenia; to coordinate information flow between the Group and OSIAF Armenia and provide information related to the activities of Child Monitoring Board

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-03-28

Program:

Civil Soceity

Grant Number:

18493

Organization:

Goris Press Club, NGO

Grant Amount:

1530 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to strengthen the Human Rights Network regional hub  in Syunik region and mobilize local civil society organizations around a collective agenda of enhancing civil activities and promotion and protection of human rights and public interest. It is particularly envisaged to address the labor rights problems in Syunik and promote CS voice and participation in improvement of relevant policies. This will be accomplished  through: 1) focus group discussions with workers in public and private sectors to identify major problems; 2) three seminars in Goris, Kapan and Sisian with workers on labor rights and ways of labor rights protection; 3) elaboration of policy recommendations on problems of workers with partner NGOs; 4) presentation of recommendations to relevant government officials and advocacy

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-03-28

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18478

Organization:

Goris Press Club, NGO

Grant Amount:

24660 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to strengthen the Human Rights Network regional hub  in Syunik region and mobilize local civil society organizations around a collective agenda of enhancing civil activities and promotion and protection of human rights and public interest. It is particularly envisaged 1) to empower local NGOs in human rights issues via three trainings on human rights protection and advocacy tools; 2) empower local journalists via a training on coverage of litigation; 3) promote public debates/discussions and increase awareness and civic activities through: a) two interactive performances in public schools on children rights, b) organization of discussions and debates on justice issues among the students, c) voicing up human rights violations and problems through preparation and publication of ten video stories with follow up discussions, d)  preparation and broadcasting of ten TV programs/discussions on human rights and public problems raised by NGOs and providing with expert opinions on the ways of addressing the problems with available public and legal resources; 4) voice up rights violations and create a database for registering these violations and problems in Syunik for reporting within the civil society’s country shadow reports (UPR, UN Conventions, etc)

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-01-08

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18270

Organization:

Collaboration for Democracy, NGO

Grant Amount:

47310 USD

Purpose:

For the following purpose: to protect from the violation of the right of freedom of thought and conscious through monitoring, analyzing, and reporting on the situation with the rights of freedom of thought and conscious in Armenia. To achieve targeted goals the following actions are to be implemented: 1) identify and follow up the cases of violation of the rights of freedom of thought and conscious and initiate strategic litigations based on the cases identified; 2) lobbying parliamentarians to initiate amendments to the draft law on Religious Organizations to meet the recommendations of the Venice Commission and the experts of the OSCE, follow up the progress of draft law in the parliament; 3) draft and disseminate the annual report on the situation of protection of the rights of freedom of thought and conscious in Armenia; 4) raise public awareness on the process and progress of the strategic litigations and legal amendments, organize public discussions with participation of representatives of civil society, governmental and international organizations; periodically update and maintain the www.religions.am web site

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-01-08

Program:

Civil Society

Grant Number:

18226

Organization:

Unison, NGO

Grant Amount:

36675 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: 1) to pursue the right to vote for people with disabilities in the presidential and municipal elections of 2013 through: monitoring of  the polling stations prior the presidential elections of 2013 from the perspective of access and availability; conducting observation and monitoring of the presidential and Yerevan Municipality elections; organize trainings for monitors and observers; printing and dissemination of the posters “Every vote counts” and organizing public awareness raising campaign to promote participation of PWD in the elections before the presidential elections; drafting and publishing the report on election monitoring and the corresponding recommendations and organizing press conference after the elections; 2) to promote the social protection and inclusion of the PWD through: provision of socio-psychological and legal services to PWD and their families; creation and utilization of the on-line section “Ask psychologist” on Unison’s official web site; provision of hotline and in-home services to PWD and their families; development and publishing comprehensive Manual “What to do if there is a disabled person in your family: psychological aspect”; 3) to challenge the Government-proposed new model of disability definition through: analyzing the gaps of the model and drafting report with corresponding recommendations; organizing focus groups, public debates, press conferences to present the outcomes of the analysis and recommendations to the public and the involved state agencies and authorities. All posters, reports, publications and other materials produced during the project should be agreed with OSFA prior to presentation/publication and should be provided to OSFA as of date of publication

Date of Grant Letter:

2013-02-27

Program:

Arts&Culture

Grant Number:

18479

Organization:

Theatre for Changes, NGO

Grant Amount:

14996 USD

Purpose:

For the following purposes: to re-stage, improve and modify the interactive play “Who Could Imagine?” and to organize 25 performances in Yerevan throughout a year (the city with the highest HIV prevalence and vulnerability according to UNFPA report) targeting mainly students and young people. By using a well known “Forum Theatre” method, the team will provide a safe environment in which young people will feel free to express themselves, overcome their fears about interacting with people living with HIV and understand how the lack of human rights fuels HIV transmission. With the help of the performances, the organization aims to underscore the centrality of human rights and rights-based approach in responses to HIV