The name of this Armenian village is written both in large and small letters on the road sign that warns travelers they are reaching Yeghegnut. The residents of this community don’t want to give up the old name, Ghamshkut, and still use it to say where they come from. It has the same meaning as “yegheg” (reed in Armenian), they say, “ghamish” is just the Turkish word for it.

Photo: Vaghinak Ghazaryan/Mediamax

The village itself is not very small, but everything revolves around one place, the secondary school with its 65 pupils. The modest number has brought the students of higher grades closer together and forged friendships between them. 

“We can’t help spending a lot of time together. We gather at school and stay there half a day, so we know each other very well, the boys especially. Although, the girls are a part of our group too,” says Gor Avetikyan from the 9th grade.

Photo: Vaghinak Ghazaryan/Mediamax

Boys and girls of different ages come out of the school. While I’m inquiring about their village, they argue between themselves where they should take me as the place needs to be interesting, the road – short, and they want to give me a comprehensive image of their community.

Photo: Vaghinak Ghazaryan/Mediamax

They tell me (filling in the gaps after their peers) that Yeghegnut is one of the largest villages in Lori marz. It was founded in 1856 and the locals are very hospitable – they receive everyone like a family member. However, these friendly people were once known for being quarrelsome. 

Photo: Vaghinak Ghazaryan/Mediamax

“People called us the angry karate guys from Korea,” Martun explains.

“Are you still quarrelsome?” I ask.

“Not so much.”

“Don’t be so sure,” the others warn him, laughing.

The traditional, historical “foe” of the people of Yeghegnut is the neighboring Debet village. Gor points to a mountain and says the land there was won though a dispute.

“People grew potatoes over there during the Soviet times, now it’s a hayfield. It belonged to no one before, but one time there was a dispute and they said, if we put an egg on the highest point, it will roll down to Debet. That’s why they decided to give the land to Debet. But someone from our village, what’s-his-name, said that if you put an egg on the top of Mount Ararat, it will roll down to Yerevan, but Ararat is in Turkey now. So, they gave the land to our village,” says Gor.

Other stories the kids tell me are about the descendants of the noble house of Mamikoyan living their last days in their village and River Debet starting in Yeghegnut.

Photo: Vaghinak Ghazaryan/Mediamax

Engaged in this conversation, we approach “France”, which is how the locals call the neighborhood comprised of small container houses donated by the French. A little further, there is “Germany”. We head for Gor’s house to rest and later go to COAF (Children of Armenia Fund) SMART Center, the three-winged pride of Lori. Gor says all students from his school starting from the 5th grade attend SMART clubs.

Gor is an only child, so the focus of the family is always on him. His mother Ruzanna says if there’s a dispute or concern in the family regarding Gor, it is always about education. They worry that his extracurricular activities might have a negative impact on the school studies.

Photo: Vaghinak Ghazaryan/Mediamax

“He is very fond of SMART Center, so I don’t want to stop him from going there. I am quite jealous of the kids who attend it,” says Ruzanna.

Classes first, Internet and fun second. Gor has set new priorities for himself, because he doesn’t want to lose his place at SMART and all the opportunities it offers.

“The center has changed us, the way we think. The first change was our environment, the company we keep. We didn’t socialize with kids from other villages, and there was animosity between us. We started talking at SMART and soon made friends, and the relations have changed. We are freer now and we understand more. There is a big difference between the time before and after SMART Center.”

Photo: Vaghinak Ghazaryan/Mediamax

Gor is going to become a web developer. He wanted to study robotics at SMART, but he saw “media literacy” in the list of subjects taught at the center. The unfamiliar name caught his eye.

“It was something new to try. I’ve learned about this difficult profession, journalism, and I realized how hard the journalists work to bring us truthful news. I used to believe every report before this course, now I check the same news in different sources to see if it is true. The course is helping me identify false reports, which is very important in any occupation.”

Photo: Vaghinak Ghazaryan/Mediamax

Gor is learning English as well. Next, he wants to join robotics and debate clubs. Gor is already making plans for future and his only concern is that he will probably have to leave the village to get education and work.

Photo: Vaghinak Ghazaryan/Mediamax

“I dream that our village becomes a better place, develops and offers more opportunities. I want us to be able to do here all the things people can do in the city. We have to begin win ourselves. If we change, our environment and village will progress too, but that requires a long time, because we still think there are no possibilities in the village.”

According to Gor, they need adults’ help to make change, but they get none as a rule. The grown-ups used to have reservations about SMART as well until they saw the children’s progress.

Photo: Vaghinak Ghazaryan/Mediamax

Gor’s grandmother Sonya is listening to the conversation between him and his friends. She grows upset in the end – caught up in the talk, her grandson “hadn’t eaten anything”.

The minibus waits for Yeghegnut’s kids at 15:30 to take them to SMART Center. They still need to make it to the neighboring Vahagn first and take aboard the students waiting for them there.

The free robotics club at COAF SMART Center is open to children and young people over 12. The course is aimed at giving the students understanding of how the problems humankind faces can be solved with robots. The students learn to design, build and program useful robot prototypes.

You can learn more about COAF SMART by calling +374 10 50 20 76 or visiting https://am.coafkids.org/coaf-smart/.

Lusine Gharibyan 

Photos by Vaghinak Ghazaryan (for Mediamax)