BY ALLISON KOZICHAROW; EDITED BY BERNICE BORN
WiRED International and Armenian Caritas recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work jointly to host health training programs throughout underserved communities in Armenia.
WiRED Executive Director Gary Selnow, Ph.D., said, “WiRED has been working with Caritas in Armenia for several years, and we have always valued our relationship. Now, under the terms of this MOU, we are looking forward to even more productive collaborations that will improve health education on behalf of communities across Armenia.”
Armenia Caritas focuses on public health for the most vulnerable groups, social protection and care, community-based development, reintegration of returnees and humanitarian activities. The organization has provided direct assistance to many thousands of people across the 125 communities of Armenia.
Armenian Caritas is a part of Caritas Internationalis (see sidebar), a nongovernmental organization with a vast global reach, which makes significant contributions to ongoing health care and humanitarian crises everywhere.
As stated in the MOU signed by Dr. Selnow and Armenian Caritas’ Executive Director Gagik Tarasyan, the two organizations will cooperate in providing medical and health education to physicians, nurses, community health and social workers in Armenia. The effort will be assisted by staff in existing and soon-to-be-created training centers in Armenia. The agreement will allow for translations of WiRED’s training materials into the Eastern Armenian language and will provide hardware as feasible.
Dr. Selnow has expressed his sincere appreciation to WiRED – Armenia’s program director, Mr. Sebouh Baghdoyan, for his tireless work on development of the MOU and preparations for the signing ceremony.
WiRED has teamed up with Caritas Internationalis in the past. In 2014, when the Ebola epidemic hit West Africa, Caritas requested and immediately distributed WiRED’s Ebola modules in English and French to all of its clinics, hospitals and other affiliates throughout the region.
WiRED contemplates a fruitful and dynamic partnership with Armenian Caritas in the coming years.
Caritas Internationalis
Armenian Caritas is a part of Caritas Internationalis, a Catholic charitable organization founded in 1897, which serves the needs of people living in poverty and which responds to disasters caused by conflict and climate change. Local Caritas organizations deliver health care in both emergency and day-to-day situations and provide medicines for treatment programs in key areas of HIV, tuberculosis and noncommunicable diseases. At the international level, Caritas advocates for access to medicines and health care.