EU funded Senior Center  opens in Goris 

ArmInfo.  A Senior center for elderly people has  been opened in Goris, Syunik Province, Armenia. It will allow refugees from Artsakh to socialize in a new environment.  The center's opening is part of an EU program aimed at  empowering and improving the lives of elderly people in the Syunik  Province, as well as enhancing their quality of life.

Ruzanna Torozyan, Executive Director of the Winnet Goris Development  Foundation, told reporters that the idea for the center arose after  the forced displacement of the population of Artsakh. She mentioned  that during this challenging time, the Winnet Foundation developed a  crisis center in the Verishen Cultural Center, providing temporary  housing for the displaced Artsakh population. "However, it soon  became apparent that many elderly people remained in the community,  and with the arrival of the Artsakh residents, their numbers  increased. They needed socialization and opportunities for  interaction. The center will be precisely the platform that will help  them not feel lonely in the community, quickly integrate, and spend  time in an interesting way," said Torozyan.

According to Torozyan, the center is unique in its kind and differs  from other similar institutions in both its structure and content.  Specifically, the center will provide various services that will help  elderly people actively spend their leisure time and ensure a higher  quality of aging.

EU Ambassador to Armenia Vassilis Maragos emphasized that this small  but important project is part of a larger initiative called "The  Resillient Syunik Team Europe " being implemented with the support of  the local administration and residents, as well as through the  mobilization of resources from the EU and EU member states, including  Switzerland.

He announced plans to implement programs in the region worth over 200  million euros. Some of these projects, he said, also relate to  agriculture and the energy sector. Support will be provided by  countries such as Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, and others.

In turn, German Ambassador to Armenia Claudia Busch added that  Germany actively supports the development of assistance programs in  Armenia in all regions. "Our work is the result of the collective  efforts of our European and Armenian colleagues. We want people in  Armenia to be able to retire with dignity. That is why we supported  this program to create a nursing home. I am very pleased that  hundreds of elderly people in Goris and the region will have the  opportunity to retire in such conditions," the Ambassador concluded.

It is worth noting that as part of this initiative, senior citizens  will also be provided with ophthalmology and dental services, which  they often cannot afford due to their high cost. In the future, as  the foundation's executive director noted, they also plan to expand  the center's territory and range of services. The initiative is  supported by the EU, the German Embassy, the UN Refugee Agency, ACTED  (Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development) and the Amaryan  Foundation.