ESC in Jerevan (Armenië)

Below you will find an overview of the partners of HUJ, where you can do your volunteer work. For all the details about the tasks of the volunteers in each hosting organization, have a look at THIS DOCUMENT.

– The Botanical garden (environmental activities)
– Rehabilitation Centre (organization of activities for kids with different chronic diseases and conditions)
– National Gallery of Armenia (promotion of Armenian culture through guided tours, thematic interactive and educational programs for children, punctual events at the National Gallery…)
– History Museum of Armenia (contact with the visitors, organization of special events at the Museum, creation of specific programs for children…)
– “Zatik” Child support center (organization of activities for socially disadvantaged children between 5 and 15 – leisure time, informal language lessons, homework, creative activities…)
– HUJ- office (promotion of volunteering life; participation in workshops and talks in schools on various topics such as intercultural dialogue; organization of international voluntary work camps…)
– Muracan Hospital complex (visiting children at the hospital, helping the staff members organize charitable events, activities and games for the children…)
– 14 School for children with visual impairments (organize activities for children with visual disabilities. Help them participate in diverse art workshops and support the staff in organizing these activities -painting, sculpturing, handicrafts, etc.)
– Diaconia (wide variety of tasks connected to helping socially vulnerable families: distribution of food and other supplies, organization of cultural development programs for children, renovation of the Development Center for Children, organization of recreational activities for children with disabilities…)
– Arabkir Medical Center (help the children of the medical center participate in all art workshops and support the staff in organizing these activities -painting, sculpturing, handicrafts, etc-, teach foreign languages, organize excursions, outdoor activities, sport activities and thematic meetings…)
– World Wide Fund for Nature Armenia (environmental activities such as assisting in biodiversity monitoring, data coordination and analysis, assisting in eco-trail mapping and management…)

Being between 18 and 30.
The main criterion of selection is the volunteer’s motivation and interest in the field of their project (environment, child care, art…).
Most of the projects require good communication skills in English.

For more detailed information about the profile of the volunteer for each project, see THIS DOCUMENT.

IMPORTANT: The citizens of European Union benefit from visa-free entrance to the Republic of Armenia. For a long-term stay (exceeding 180 days), the foreign citizens are entitled to get a Residence Permit. This procedure is fully done by HUJ in Armenia.

Food: The volunteers receive a certain amount of money for food on a monthly basis. They can decide themselves what, when and where to eat. There are lots of shops, food stands, cafés and restaurants available all over the city.

Accommodation: The volunteer will be living in a hostel or dormitory of the Linguistic University with other volunteers (2 people per room). The two places are very close to the city center with the various ways of getting around the city. Each volunteer is provided with the kitchen supplies (plates, pans, glasses, tableware…). To address the safety and protection of the volunteers, the Hosting Organization made sure that the guest house is situated in the safest quarter of the city.

At the beginning of every month the volunteers receive a monthly allowance consisting of:

– Pocket money (a.k.a. Volunteer’s allowance)
– Money for food
– Money to pay local transport

The transport in Yerevan consists of buses, minibuses (so-called “marshrutka”-s), trolleybuses and metro. The price of one trip is 100 AMD (50 AMD in trolleybus). Taxis are not very expensive either in Armenia. Shared e-scooters and bikes are becoming more popular, although there are no special roads for them.

The volunteers get the chance to learn Armenian by attending Armenian language courses at the Special Language Centre twice per week. The lessons are provided by an English-speaking teacher.

The volunteers work 5 days per week and have most of their week-ends free. Additionally, the volunteers get 2 holiday days for each month of their service.

Yerevan is the capital and the largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the oldest cities in the world that has been continuously inhabited. Yerevan is the administrative, cultural and industrial center of the country. The total area of ​​the city is 223 square kilometers. More than one million inhabitants live there.

Yerevan hosts a large number of museums, art galleries and libraries. Moreover, the city hosts many public celebrations that are very popular amongst both locals and tourists. Vardavar is, for example, the most celebrated festival amongst Armenians. During the festival, people from a wide range of ages are allowed to immerse strangers into water.

Armenia is also amongst the top 10 safest countries where you can safely wander around alone at night and go home safely. Public transport, including the underground metro, operates from 6 am to 11 am. Last but not least, Armenia is known for being one of the cheapest countries when it comes to taxi rides.