“Our students are gifted and have interesting perspectives and viewpoints about the world.”

“Prkutyun” (Salvation) NGO is the salvation for children with intellectual disabilities who graduate from school and face issues of socialization.

“In fact they have no place to go and no one will hire them. There is no place in Armenia where they can go and feel free, there is nowhere to protect them from teasing and mocking,” Arpine Abrahamyan, director of Prkutyun NGO, said in an interview.

“Prkutyun” is the only daycare and recreation center for young people with intellectual disabilities. It has 66 young attendees from different communities of Yerevan but many come from Arzni and Parakar communities. The employees of the center try to make every day interesting by giving attendees primary education as well as apprenticeship classes. The center offers art classes including painting, art with rice, clay ceramics, theatre and more. Anush Yedigaryan, the coordinator of the center, showed us the clay works, knitted bags and painting done by the students. “They are gifted and have interesting perceptions and viewpoints,” she pointed out.

Full text in Armenian