Children of Armenia Fund
«Հայաստանի Մանուկներ» Բարեգործական Հիմնադրամ (ՔՈԱՖ) | |
| Abbreviation | COAF |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
| Type | Charity Non-profit Non-governmental Inc. is a 501(c)(3) |
| Purpose | Rural development |
| Headquarters | New York City Yerevan, Armenia |
| Location | |
Area served | 64 rural communities |
| Methods | Community development, capacity building, advocacy, youth empowerment |
Key people | Garo H. Armen (founder) Korioun Khatchadourian (director) |
| Budget | Up to 50 million USD invested |
| Employees | 120 (2020) |
| Website | coaf |
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Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) (Armenian: «Հայաստանի Մանուկներ» բարեգործական հիմնադրամ (ՔՈԱՖ)) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization with headquarters in Armenia and the United States focused on child-centered development of rural Armenia. According to the foundation, they have served over 107,000 beneficiaries from 64 rural communities in 6 out of 11 Armenian provinces.
COAF was founded in 2004 after the businessman Garo Armen visited Karakert village in Armenia’s Armavir region and witnessed the level of neglect that rural residents were facing. Consequently, COAF was created to reduce poverty in rural Armenia through “education, healthcare, child and family services, and economic development programs.”
The declared mission of COAF is to “provide resources to children and adults with COAF SMART initiatives to advance rural communities through innovation.” The foundation advocates for an Armenia where all children, youth, and their families have the opportunities and resources to realize their full potential and contribute to the advancement of the world around them.
In 2015, COAF began developing the COAF SMART Initiative to address systemic gaps in rural Armenia. The organization highlights that the COAF SMART Initiative aims at advancing rural communities by increasing access to comprehensive education, technology, and opportunities through a centralized approach. To that end, the COAF SMART Center, a technology-rich educational hub, was established in the Lori Province, Armenia. It is open to the surrounding rural populations, offering after-school programs within the framework of a SMART Citizenship Curriculum for children of the age 3 and higher.
The organization envisions the SMART Center as a model for rural development and the beginning of a mindset change for a whole generation. Since the opening of their first campus in Lori, COAF aims to launch a SMART Center in each region of Armenia.
The organization meets the standards of international charity assessment organizations such as GuideStar, Better Business Bureau and Charity Navigator.