About Emily
Emily is twenty-five years old and currently lives in Noyemberyan, Tavush Marz, Republic of Armenia. She originally is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin but lived in Dallas, Texas for 15 years so that is where she calls home. She has a Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of North Texas and is just a few credit hours short of a second bachelors in International Political Economy from University of Texas at Dallas. She wasn't able to finish because she began her Peace Corps service in May 2013.
She lived in Karashamb, Kotayk for 2 1/2 months for pre-service training before moving to Noyemberyan, Tavush in August 2013 where she lived until July 2015. She was a Community and Youth Development Volunteer, placed with the National YWCA of Armenia. Through the National YWCA of Armenia, she worked with her designated counterpart, the organization's leaders and board, along with a group of young, female volunteers to develop organizational, business and event planning skills, fundraising for building improvements and having educational and cultural programming for the community. Outside of her normal duties at work, Emily had an English Club that met weekly to help local women develop their professional English skills, improving their chances to find a job. She was also an active member and held leadership roles in the Peer Support Network, Armenian HIV/AIDS Initiative, and the Volunteer Safety Council through Peace Corps.
She lived in Karashamb, Kotayk for 2 1/2 months for pre-service training before moving to Noyemberyan, Tavush in August 2013 where she lived until July 2015. She was a Community and Youth Development Volunteer, placed with the National YWCA of Armenia. Through the National YWCA of Armenia, she worked with her designated counterpart, the organization's leaders and board, along with a group of young, female volunteers to develop organizational, business and event planning skills, fundraising for building improvements and having educational and cultural programming for the community. Outside of her normal duties at work, Emily had an English Club that met weekly to help local women develop their professional English skills, improving their chances to find a job. She was also an active member and held leadership roles in the Peer Support Network, Armenian HIV/AIDS Initiative, and the Volunteer Safety Council through Peace Corps.
About Armenia
The Republic of Armenia, known as Հայաստան (Hayastan) to Armenians, is over 1500 years old and has a lengthy and complex history. Once rulers of a vast empire that stretched from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, they now occupy a small area of land, roughly the size of the state of Maryland nestled in the Caucasus Mountain Range. It's neighbors are Turkey to the West, Georgia to the North, Azerbaijan to the East and Iran to the South. Armenia was the first country to declare Christianity as it's national religion and has been conquered and ruled by eleven different empires over the course of history, most famously by the Ottomans and the Soviet Union. In 1915, the Ottomans began a genocide of Armenian people who occupied what is now Eastern Turkey, killing over 1 million and causing 1 million more to flee abroad. Because of this, there are more Armenians abroad than there are currently living in Armenia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia was granted it's independence and is now for the second time in its lengthy history, a free country.
Recent problems that plague Armenia are it's cold war with Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, tension with Turkey over the genocide, trade restrictions that severely limit the country's economic growth and mass unemployment that results in mass migrant workers going to Russia and other CIS countries and sending remittances home.
Recent problems that plague Armenia are it's cold war with Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, tension with Turkey over the genocide, trade restrictions that severely limit the country's economic growth and mass unemployment that results in mass migrant workers going to Russia and other CIS countries and sending remittances home.
About Peace Corps
Peace Corps is a volunteer program run by the U.S. Government, founded by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. The goals of Peace Corps are to promote world peace and friendship by providing skilled men and women from the United States to countries in need for trained manpower where they agree to serve for twenty-seven months. To date over 210,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps and have been sent to 139 different countries.
Peace Corps was invited to Armenia in 1992, shortly after the country gained it's independence. Since then, over 900 volunteers have served in Armenia in 5 different fields; health, agriculture, business development, community and youth development and English Education. There are currently 68 volunteers serving in Armenia in the areas of Community and Youth Development and English Education.
Peace Corps was invited to Armenia in 1992, shortly after the country gained it's independence. Since then, over 900 volunteers have served in Armenia in 5 different fields; health, agriculture, business development, community and youth development and English Education. There are currently 68 volunteers serving in Armenia in the areas of Community and Youth Development and English Education.