I finally made it into ORRAN a couple of days ago (I�ve been wanting to visit since my arrival). Their mission is to divert children of the slums from street life and from begging. Check out their site on www.orran.am. I visited the Center with Katy Pearce, Madlene and Shant and although we turned up unannounced, the staff was very accommodating. ORRAN ensures that the children attend school, after which they walk to the center and receive daily nutritious meals, receive individual attention with their homework, and a fulltime pediatrician is present to attend to their needs.

Amongst the staff are local and Diasporan Volunteers. What ORRAN also does, is involve the families of the children to assist in every way they can voluntarily once a month. ORRAN is hoping to expand their center to cater for the children and elderly. The most amazing part of the unannounced visit was the fact that we saw with our very own eyes how it all worked. In one room, a local volunteer was teaching the children an Armenian song to children aged from 4 to 15. In another room, children were being assisted with their homework and receiving individual assistance. What I�m saying is that, it was so refreshing to see that this place actually worked, there was no formal preparation made for us. I fell in love with Samvel, an 8-year-old boy, who was so happy to see guests at the center that he couldn�t wipe the smile off his face. As I left, all I could do was congratulate Gail Howard, (exec. Director) on an excellent job.

Yesterday, I went to an all day conference organized by The Armenian Chamber of Commerce on Due Process and E- Governance. Over the next couple of days, I�ll be bidding farewell to most of my friends who are going to their respective homes for Christmas.