The Menq and Moonq Humanitarian Social Program has been launched in the Syunik, Gegharkunik, and Tavush regions, with the aim of contributing to the integration of the displaced population from Artsakh in their new places of residence, supporting them psychologically, and helping them move forward.
Menq & Moonq Humanitarian Social Program has been launched in three regions of Armenia at once: Syunik, Gegharkunik, and Tavush, with the aim of contributing to the integration of the displaced population from Artsakh in their new places of residence. In addition to numerous social problems, the people of Artsakh also need psychological support in order to overcome the difficulties of starting a new life. The Menq & Moonq Program particularly emphasizes the dialogue between the youth of Artsakh and the youth of the regions, since it is they who will cooperate with each other in the future and create new values. The duration of the program is one year, and it is planned to involve up to 1,500 beneficiaries.
The Menq & Moonq program consists of five activities. The first is the Educational Two-Day Art Workshops, the goal of which is to unite the youth of the regions with the Artsakh Armenian youth who have settled there. 8 Educational Two-Day Workshops will be attended by 12-18-year-old youth from Artsakh, Syunik, Gegharkunik and Tavush. Together, they will study the basic knowledge of clothing design and collage art, get acquainted with the nuances of photography and performing arts. In the Oral Stories Workshop, the youth will learn to collect the accumulated wisdom of the nation, and the Recipe Collection Workshop will focus their attention on traditional dishes typical of the region. The Educational Two-Day Art Workshops also include a Music Workshop, where the youth will listen to and learn to distinguish Armenian songs and melodies.
The two-day, 1-hour-long courses will be conducted by professional specialists in the field. The joint works created during this time will be displayed on the program’s website and during the summer camp planned for 2025. It is expected that more than 200 young people will participate in the workshops.
The summer camp is the second direction of the Menq & Moonq program. It promises to be an unforgettable experience for the participating young people. The camp will last for a week and will involve about 180 young people from Artsakh, Syunik, Tavush and Gegharkunik regions. The leaders will conduct communication and psychoeducational courses, which will be complemented by psychological games. The camp will have an educational nature, combining the educational component with interactive entertainment games.
The next important direction of the Menq & Moonq program is Community Events. It is largely aimed at social integration. Women displaced from Artsakh and their children will participate in a sewing master class with their children, together they will reminisce or learn to work with thread and needle. They will decorate the tablecloth spread on the common table with their preferences, resulting in a joint panel. During this psychotherapeutic workshop, a national song will be sung, local musicians and bands will perform. And at the end of the event, all participating women will receive sewing machines from abroad as a gift as a way to ease their household chores or generate additional income. The six community events will have at least 60 participants aged 12-90.
In order to help the displaced people from Artsakh, as well as the entire Armenian people, overcome the severe wounds of the war, another direction will be launched – the Psychoeducational Podcast. With the best psychologists in the field participating in the podcast interviews, we will try to alleviate the pain of personal losses, learn to manage stress and straighten our backs so that we can continue to live in a new reality and with new goals. The podcasts will be posted on the official Youtube channel and website of the program, as well as on other social platforms, ensuring wide distribution.
The fifth component of the Menq & Moonq program is to support start-up businesses in Artsakh. Many of the Artsakh residents who established their businesses in Armenia after the war and forced displacement have encountered difficulties in the local business environment. This extremely important support for them will help, first of all, to competently present and sell the products or services they have created. The support will include a short course on the basics of entrepreneurship and sales organization, individual business consulting, as well as participation in New Year’s fairs and exhibitions. This program supporting start-up businesses will involve about 37 beneficiaries.
All five directions of the Menq & Moonq program serve one common idea: to integrate Artsakh Armenians in their new places of residence, support them psychologically and help them move forward.
The Menq & Moonq program is implemented by the Development Principles NGO in partnership with the Sign of Hope (SoH) organization and with funding from the Federal Foreign Office of the German Republic (GFFO).