SUMMER 2026 INITIATIVE · SYUNIK, ARMENIA

Culture on the Border

For children growing up in the shadow of conflict, creativity isn't easy to access…
…this year, things are changing.

GORIS · KAPAN · TATEV · TEGH

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When the children from Family and Community's Metsamor center staged their puppet shows in Tavush's villages last year, the village children had never seen anything like it. They were really excited, with some of the younger kids thinking the puppets were real — talking to them, hugging them, playing with them.

GREG BEDIAN
Former Operations Director

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Watch our intro video to find out more

01 The Issue

For children living in Armenia's border regions — like Syunik — it is harder to access cultural and creative opportunities. Schools are under-resourced. Cultural centers are distant or nonexistent. Travel is difficult. Art and culture pass these children by.

The result: a generation of young people whose creative potential goes unseen and unrealized.

02 What We Are Doing

The Tufenkian Foundation's Culture on the Border initiative brings together cultural organizers and creative groups from across the country for a summer of events throughout Syunik — from urban centers like Goris and Kapan to villages like Svarants and Tegh.

Creative expression, delivered directly to the places that see it least — and need it most.

This is how we unlock creativity.

03 What Your Gift Provides

🎨 Workshops — art and music sessions led by professional artists, right in local villages.
🎵 Supplies — instruments, paint, paper, pencils, and clay for every participating child.
🚌 Transportation — so families can take part, wherever they live.

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A paintbrush. An instrument. A stage.
Your gift puts them within reach of a child who has never had one.

❤️ Donate now

Established in 1999, the Tufenkian Foundation addresses the most pressing social, economic, cultural, and environmental challenges facing the people of Armenia. Since its inception, the Foundation has supported community initiatives as well as civic activism and public advocacy campaigns to help improve life in Armenia, while providing housing, education, social, health, and livelihood support for the Armenians of Artsakh. Today, we are focused on resettlement and development projects for local communities and forcibly displaced families from Artsakh, strengthening rural areas, and building resilience where it is needed most.

Culture on the Border

Lets Unlock the Creativity of Young People

Team Members