DVV International in Armenia

About Us: Overview

Established in 2002, DVV International’s Armenia Country Office (DVV International Armenia) has evolved in the last decade into a key player with respect to introducing and enhancing Adult Education (AE) and Lifelong Learning (LLL) in Armenia. DVV International Armenia’s efforts in support to AE and LLL include both advocacy for policy and systemic change, pilot testing of AE initiatives and projects, capacity building of organizations and professionals. Thus, in concert with DVV International’s global strategy, DVV Armenia focuses its work on ensuring education opportunities for adults, especially for disadvantaged population groups, while also emphasizing advocacy for national AE framework as well as establishment and enhancement of AE Centers and support to AE associations. Increasing awareness about these concepts and enhancing  cooperation  among  policy makers, governmental and  non-governmental educational organizations and  civil society is a key aspect of DVV Armenia’s work. 

Since its inception in Armenia in 2002, DVV has worked at micro, mezzo and macro levels through five 3-year project cycles (2003-2005, 2006-2008, 2009-2011, 2012-2014, 2016-2018).  While DVV’s core funding comes from Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), it also implements civic education and conflict resolution/reconciliation projects with financial support from German Foreign Office. 

Interventions implemented in Armenia have ranged  from vocational training for the unemployed and other vulnerable groups to training of trainers/teachers to experience sharing through study visits to support to the Association for Adult Education and Life-long Learning (AE&LLL and establishment of Adult Education Centers (AECs). In the last  7-8 years DVV-Armenia’s portfolio has integrated such aspects of non-formal adult education as civic education ( through pubic discussions or projects addressing traumatic past and oral history ) and cultural education  (i.e. adult education in museums) as well Armenia-Turkey Reconciliation and other projects. 

Our Work: Some Specifics 

  • We work with the national authorities and the civil society on policy level to enhance, promote and integrate the core values and philosophy of Adult Education and Lifelong Learning in Armenia. It is our conviction that wider range of skills-based and vocational trainings offered in response to job market needs will eventually result in reduction of poverty and set the foundations for sustainable development, while civic and cultural education are essential for democratic participation, tolerance, multiculturalism.
  • To further facilitate cooperation between CSOs that work in AE and lifelong learning and build social partnerships, DVV International in Armenia has supported two AE umbrella organizations, Adult Education Association and Armenian Lifelong Learning League. 
  • We have helped to set up and run three Adult Education Centers in regions of Armenia (two of which are currently functional) providing skills-based vocational trainings and general guidance to the vulnerable local population in order to increase their chances of employment and boost their income.  
  • We also cooperate with local museums all over Armenia in order to introduce  innovative educational programs for adults. To this end we train and retrain the museums staff, organize study visits and allocate small grants for implementation of the best projects. 
  • We work with local and regional partners on topics of traumatic historical past and reconciliation in an attempt to stir wider social debates on controversial issues our societies have to face in order to live a better and brighter future. 
  • To increase institutional capacity of its partners at all levels, DVV International in Armenia supports their participation in regional and international forums and exchanges.
  • We sponsor publication of professional content, both print and digital, on a wide range of social and educational topics. 
  • We organize multi-formatted discussions, debates and lectures on a variety of topics that bolster involvement in community and country level developments since we believe that civic activism and democratic participation are essential to any society and are to be taught and encouraged as part of adult education. 

OUR Milestones and Results 

  • In June 17, 2017 DVV International Armenia celebrated its 15th anniversary in Armenia with around 100 partners from different sectors including NGOs, Government, International Organizations, AECs, museums and alumni of different DVV-supported projects.
  • There is a relevant division within the Ministry of Education and Science that deals with the continuous and additional education (a term used in Armenia) policies and programs.  Due to Ministry, DVV International and other stakeholder efforts, the Armenian Government has developed relevant regulations for „Recognition of Non–formal and Informal learning” and introduced short-term non-formal courses into state-run VET institutions.
  • In 2007-2010,  DVV’s partnership with the Adult Education Association resulted in the first National Conference on ''Adult Education and Lifelong Learning in Armenia'', annual Adult Education Weeks, publication of the ''Lifelong Learning'' magazine and other activities.  Instituted in 2012 Armenian Lifelong Learning League (LLL) is a member of the European Association for the Education of Adults. The online e-learning platform (http://idas.league.am)created by ALLL through DVV’s support is being developed as an easy to access modern AE resource for adult learners, educators and multipliers.  
  • Two Adult Education Centers currently supported by DVV annually provide trainings to around 300 beneficiaries through 20+ training courses developed in response to market demands and target group needs.
  • Museum Education Center established in 2014 is instrumental in building museum staff capacity to design and implement educational programs at museums. Several training sessions for over 100 museum staff result in introduction of educational program in museums through improved knowledge, DVV-supported grants or participation in annual Museum Nights.  
  • On June 22, 2017 DVV International Armenia has signed a Memorandum with the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, National Academy of Sciences of Armenia to establish the Oral History Center that promotes oral history as an alternative/complementary method of history inquiry and teaching that challenges official history narrative and creates alternative history discourse
  • In 2015-2016 DVV-established partnership with the online Boon TV helped to promote and popularize  AE and LLL in Armenia through a total of 9 short videos that reached over 60,000 viewers.  Since 2017 DVV International Armenia is supporting the “Civic Initiative in Education” involved in  public monitoring of education sector reforms. Over 90 participants attended four discussion sessions on transparency and accountability in education, while around 4000 followed online. 
  • Several projects implemented by DVV International in Armenia have contributed to better understanding of some traumatic aspects of  historic  past. This included a series of Armenia-Turkey Reconciliation projects such as “Speaking to One Another: Adult Education and Oral History Contributing to Armenian-Turkish Reconciliation” or Armenia Total(itar)is dealing with Soviet repressions in Armenia.
  • Several projects implemented by DVV international in Armenia have been documented through books and publications such as Continuous Education in Museums, Stalin Era Repressions in Armenia: History, Memory, Everyday Life, Mush, Sweet Mush and  others. 
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