Armenia launches ‘public ambulance’ charity project

The Armenian Ministry of Labour and Social Security is launching a project called “Public ambulance”, the aim of which will be to quickly help those in need of food, clothing and other necessary items just as small pieces of furniture and technical equipment.

The first stage of the project will be to gather data about those in need of aid.

Who will carry out the project?

The assistance process itself will be coordinated by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

Mechanisms have been developed so that the assistance provided is proportionate to the needs of its beneficiaries and is evenly distributed in different residential areas. The ministry says the project should help form a “culture of mutual aid.”

The ministry will work on the project with public organisations and individuals.

“The idea of ​​launching [the programme] has been discussed for several years, but now we have reached the logical conclusion of the process. The main purpose of this system is, in fact, the systematic collection of data and the response to urgent needs.

“This presupposes work on the ground – that is, both local governments and existing public organizations should be involved in the process in order to solve problems more efficiently and precisely”, said Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zhanna Andreasyan.

She also noted that the ministry will strictly supervise the activities of the programme, but that  gradually the role of the ministry will be reduced only to transmitting the necessary information to public organizations and benefactors who will be ready to help people.

Scope of the project

The project will operate not only in Yerevan, but also beyond its borders:

“We plan from time to time to carry out programmes for those border areas in which … [people] are particularly financially disadvantaged,” said Astghik Minasyan, head of the social assistance department.