On December 23, 2017, the Aleppo Compatriotic Charitable Organization-NGO (Aleppo-NGO) held a sale of eastern foods in support of the organization’s Arevik-Armenia Center. The center provides education, care, and therapy to Syrian-Armenian children and adults with special needs.

The participation of Syrian refugees now settled in Armenia was instrumental to the charity sale’s success. Acting on their sincere desire to support the activities of the Arevik-Armenia Center, they diligently prepared and presented to the public a variety of eastern delicacies.

Attendees were also given a comprehensive picture of the center’s activities through a short, informative video that was prepared and presented by the center’s staff.

The original Arevik Center was established in Aleppo in 2001 but was forced to shut its doors during the Syrian War. In 2014, it reopened in Yerevan under the auspices of the Aleppo Compatriotic Charitable Organization-NGO. Its students receive a comprehensive array of free services, including mathematical, artistic, musical, and physical education, a daily meal, speech therapy, and theater therapy. Many of the center’s dedicated teachers are also Syrian-Armenians displaced by the Syrian War and now living in Armenia.

The center places a special emphasis on facilitating its students’ integration into Armenian civic life and holds regular outings and cultural events.