Paros “Lighthouse” Charitable Foundation is proud to announce the Grand Opening of its 13,000 sq. ft. shelter/women’s center in the village of Ptghounk in the Armavir region. This impressive facility is the first of its kind in Armenia. Special guests from around the world, Armenian government officials, and NGO representatives attended the opening ceremony on July 2, 2011. Very Reverend Fr. Barthev Gulumian blessed the altar in the prayer room as well as the staff and residents a few days following the event. The building is the achievement of California residents Zuhrab and Seta Ghazarian who have been inspired to serve their homeland by their humble wish to fulfill God’s work. The Ghazarian’s have constructed the center to assist pregnant girls, abused mothers and their babies, feed the elderly, offer Bible study classes for people in the surrounding community, and with local clergy perform the sacrament of Holy Baptism in the Armenian Church. Fifteen fully-appointed rooms safely house and feed neglected mothers with their babies as well as pregnant women. In addition, the complex accommodates the Foundation’s administrative offices, medical exam rooms, dental office, restaurant-style kitchen, reception hall, and sewing and computer training centers. All services are provided free of charge. The shelter is currently home to three teenage mothers and their babies.Each of these young women relates a heart-rending story of abuse and tragedy. Seta shared, “On July 28th, God used us for His Glory again. We were blessed by saving another life. We welcomed our third teenage girl with her four-month old baby boy. She grew up in an orphanage and married very young. She had the baby, but her husband and mother-in-law kicked her out of the house with her infant son. After spending several days and nights in the streets, she decided to commit suicide. She put her baby safely on the ground and tried to throw herself from a bridge. But God sent an angel down to help her, and save both mother and child. When they reached our facility, they were examined by our in-house physician, and found to be undernourished, but otherwise healthy.” On August 21st, Paros Lighthouse Charitable Foundation saw the birth of its first baby of the shelter. This happy event came after much tragedy for the new mother. She miscarried her first baby because of repeated beatings by her husband. When she turned to her father for safety, her stepmother sent her back to her husband. Soon, she was pregnant again. The husband started beating her and she again ran to her parents, who insisted that she get an abortion. However, her parents had no money, so they tried to force an abortion by starving and beating her. Determined not to lose another baby, the young woman phoned a hotline, which led her to the shelter. After spending the last four months of her pregnancy at the shelter, the young mother gave birth to a healthy, 6lb. 5 oz. baby girl named Irina. The pair will reside at the shelter until the child is ready to attend preschool. During her time at the shelter, the mother will receive childcare classes, regular health and wellness check-ups, dental exams, and on-site vocational training. Once the mother and child leave the center, the Foundation will continue to offer free daycare in its cheerful and well-equipped playroom. “Feeding the Elders” is a new program offered at the facility. Once a week, senior citizens from nearby villages are picked up by the Foundation’s van and driven to the center where they receive a three-course, home-cooked meal in the dining room. Seta noted, “In the U.S., seniors receive Social Security and Medicare. Here in Armenia, they are often a forgotten sector of society, especially the ones who don’t have grown children to care for them. Most stay hungry. We have compiled a list of needy elderly from five local villages in the Armavir region. In addition to providing a healthy meal, every week we supply them with basic living essentials.” The money to pay for “Feeding the Elders” is received from donations of 0 per week as “madagh” or alms. Other programs include weekly “Bible Study,” which boasts a rapidly growing attendance ranging in ages from 4-74, and “Group Christenings” with local priests who have baptized more than 30 adults and children since June. Since the Bible study class began three months ago, local residents have been flocking to the center to receive the Word of God as well as requesting to be baptized. An in-house gynecologist and therapist provide more vital services. The gynecologist works five days a week and gives free check-ups to women from the surrounding villages. Seta explained that “50% of the women have gynecological problems” that require hospital care. An in-house therapist is available to counsel the shelter residents and women from the nearby villages. These services and treatments, including hospital stays, are offered free of charge. The opening of the shelter/women’s center has not detracted Zuhrab and Seta from the humanitarian outreach they began over ten years ago. Each month in small, poverty-stricken villages tucked away in Armenia and Artsakh, they distribute clothing, shoes, toys, blankets, kitchenware, wheelchairs, and foodstuffs. In May, they received their eleventh shipping container of donated items from the U.S., which Zuhrab and Seta packed and loaded from a suite of warehouses they own in Long Beach, California. Paros Lighthouse Charitable Foundation collaborates with many local, regional, and international organizations in its benevolent work. Its partners include the U.S. Embassy, United States Agency for International Development, local women’s rights groups with their hot lines, Tufenkian Foundation, Fund for Armenian Relief, Armenian Relief Society chapters, Fuller Center for Housing Armenia, and supporters from the United Arab Emirates. The Foundation also collaborates with seven different maternity hospitals. Recently it established a hot line, which is advertised on radio stations throughout Armenia, to give at-risk girls and young women the information they need to contact the center directly. Zuhrab and Seta Ghazarian have been providing assist ance to the poorest of the poor in Armenia since 2000. The idea of Paros (meaning "lighthouse" in Armenian) was established by friends and supporters of the Ghazarian family, and grew out of their concern for Armenian women and children as well as the integrity of the Armenian family. Paros Lighthouse Armenian Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, public benefit corporation registered in the State of California and Republic of Armenia. 
In addition to monetary donations to feed the elderly and the shelter’s residents, the Foundation currently needs folding or stackable chairs, new computers, a podium, area rugs, and a piano. For more information and to donate, please visit www.parosfoundation.org.

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