Children’s rehab center, youth leadership, family business all initiatives that receive assistance from JMP
by Eric Diekhans | Special to the Presbyterian News Service
This sign greeted visitors to Armenia. (Contributed photo)
Editor’s note: Eric Diekhans is a member of Lake View Presbyterian Church in Chicago and a board member of the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief, Chicago chapter. His fiction has appeared in numerous magazines, the short story collection “Unforgettable” and a forthcoming anthology, “Uncensored Ink.” He is the recipient of a local Emmy for Children’s Television and an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in screenwriting.
I thought I knew Armenia. After all, this was my family’s fourth trip here since we adopted our youngest daughter, Hasmik, in 2006. I had seen much of the country, traveling as far south as Stepanakert in the breakaway republic of Artsakh. Each time we returned, I saw evidence that Armenia was shaking off its Soviet influence while proudly holding onto its culture and traditions. But this tour with the Jinishian Memorial Program (JMP) took me to corners of Armenia I had never experienced and allowed me to meet inspirational entrepreneurs and youth who are at the forefront of a young and dynamic country.
Eric Diekhans
Leaving our hotel on our first morning, I immediately noticed how crowded Yerevan had become. Eliza Minasyan, Jinishian’s director, told us that two-thirds of the population now lived in the capital, and it certainly felt that way. Cars and minibuses (called by their Russian name, “marshrutka”) packed the streets. It was sometimes challenging to get down the sidewalks crowded with pedestrians going to work, shopping, or enjoying the city’s many excellent cafes and restaurants.
I loved Yerevan’s energy, but I looked forward to quieter environs. On day three of our tour, we traveled to Gyumri, Armenia’s second-largest city. As soon as we stepped out of our van onto Vartanants, Gyumri’s central square, I embraced the city’s laid-back atmosphere. We enjoyed coffee at an outdoor cafe while I admired the square’s many fountains and the stone buildings that survived a devastating 1988 earthquake.
We strolled along Gyumri’s quiet avenues while Nane Khachatryan, our delightful tour guide, shared her extensive knowledge of the city’s history and traditions. We admired the small shops and insisted on going into Twinz, which sold wooden eyeglass frames handcrafted by twin brothers.
Our next stop was the Marine Mkrtchyan Psychological Center, a Jinishian-sponsored facility that provides support and rehab services to children with special needs. Despite limited resources, the center is remarkably up to date. They shared their latest findings and tools for diagnosing and treating children with autism and other issues.
We then proceeded to N7 School, where we met with students who were part of the Youth Engaged in Society debate project, which JMP has been implementing in all the regions of Armenia since 2005. The students told us how their involvement in the student council and debate team taught them about leadership and the importance of fostering democratic institutions. When we were asked to introduce ourselves, I had the chance to practice my Armenian. Unfortunately, I told them I was a “gogh” (thief) rather than a “grogh” (writer). Oh, well. They appreciated the effort.
The Vahradyan family’s successful beekeeping business spans three generations. (Contributed photo)
Our third Jinishian project that day took us down an unpaved road to the nearby village of Karmraqar.
Father, son, and young daughter gave us a tour of their extensive hives, a nearby pre-Christian archaeological site, and a small Christian chapel. The most striking part of the visit was seeing their family journal, started by the grandparents many years ago, tracking weather, wind, and other important information for beekeepers.
They invited us to see the beehives and honey frames, but Eliza and some of the other members of our group balked at having to pass through a gauntlet of bees. The father assured us that their bees were a peaceful German breed. When this didn’t reassure Eliza, the son remarked, “You were brave enough to give us a loan but are scared of bees?” Armenian humor was everywhere — simple, straightforward, wise, and multilayered.
In Armenia, being invited in for coffee involves so much more. (Contributed photo)
The family invited us to their house for coffee, which in Armenia means a full table of delicious pastries, fruits, honey, nuts, cheese, and sour cream. We learned that honey is delicious when paired with cucumbers.
To learn more about the Jinishian program, visit the website or sign up to receive JMP’s quarterly newsletter. To read previous stories highlighting JMP’s impact on program recipients, click here and here.
Click here for information about the 2025 JMP Study Tour.
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