Volunteering with Orran: An AUA Student Shares her Experience
5 min read |
| Armenuhi Manjikyan with AUA instructor Mimi Zarookian |
YEREVAN, Armenia – Armenuhi Manjikyan, a freshman in the American University of Armenia (AUA)’s Business program, began volunteering at Orran, a center which provides care and services to at-risk elderly and socially vulnerable children, in November 2014.
As part of her Freshman English class, Armenhui wrote a narrative essay describing her experience as an Orran volunteer. She credits her instructor, Mimi Zarookian, as the reason why Orran became such a big part of her life.
Her passion and enthusiasm caught the attention of Armine Hovannisian, Founder of Orran. In a letter to Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian, President of AUA, she stated, “I extend my commendation to you for AUA’s admission policy regarding volunteer work at a charitable foundation. I would like to applaud AUA in ushering this new concept for the Armenian youth and express Orran’s pride in walking hand in hand with AUA in educating the future accountable citizens of our nation.”
AUA practices a holistic admissions process, meaning admission into the university is not just based on grades, but also on extracurricular activities such as community involvement and volunteering. AUA students are encouraged to volunteer throughout their academic career, and volunteer service is frequently discussed in the classroom.
Armenuhi’s full essay can be read below.
Experiencing a Child’s Love
By Armenuhi Manjikyan
I have always had a burning desire to help people, to do some good to make at least somebody’s life easier. My instructor’s inspiring speech took this desire to the next level. She told us about how she has helped surgeons during operations on children by providing translations from Armenian to English. After hearing her story, I wanted to immediately jump from my chair and act. Thankfully, the opportunity came soon after. I told my instructor that I would like to volunteer, although I did not know where. She introduced me to an organization that provides food and care to children in need. This was the start of great things happening in my life.
Since the opportunity came to me, I couldn’t let it go. Although I was so busy with classes that I literally didn’t have time for a proper meal, I managed to make time to visit the organization that I had been introduced to. It was called Orran. Orran means “haven,” which perfectly describes this wonderful organization. Children in Orran consider it their haven because they have very close relationships with the people who work there, creating a very friendly environment that makes them feel protected and loved. I went to Orran on one of those rainy autumn Sundays. Later, I learned that the children of Orran love Sundays the most because they are allowed to play the whole day. My first day there was full of emotions. I quickly became close with the children because they were so communicative. That Sunday, I played all the childhood games that I remember I used to play. It was amazing to look after kids who I did not even know, then to realize that I had become attached to them.
As I walked home from my first day at Orran, I began reviewing everything that happened. After only one day, I learned just how little a person needs to feel truly happy. The way children communicate really makes you feel like you are a part of their life. It is an indescribable feeling when a child hugs you because you helped them with their homework. I wouldn’t replace moments like that with a thousand well-paid jobs. I compared them with myself when I was their age, and it made me feel like I also needed help, but there was no hand pulling me up. This was when I really started to appreciate my parents. They may not be well-educated, but they have always been there when I needed them. The children at Orran taught me to appreciate and be thankful for what I have.
After several visits to Orran, it became not just a place where I could help others and share my love for children, but also a place to rest. The employees started to notice that I have good communication skills and can make the children feel relaxed during lessons. It really encouraged me, because I had been working hard to help them. One day, I noticed there was a girl who was not being very communicative and had very few friends. I usually tried to be more attentive towards her, but soon I realized that she was having major difficulties learning the alphabet. Although she was in 2nd grade, she still didn’t know most of the letters. Gradually, we formed a close relationship as I helped her learn the alphabet. She was learning very quickly despite her lack of motivation.
One day, I was helping the girl as I usually do, spelling each word letter by letter and having her repeat them. Suddenly, she appeared to be very tired and did not want to continue learning. I told her that I was planning to bring an interesting book of tales for her to read, as I wanted to help her become enthusiastic about the alphabet. After hearing about the book, she immediately recovered and continued with her letters.
That day, her mom was late and she was left alone waiting. One of the teachers told her that her mom was waiting outside. I helped her put on her jacket and she kissed me and left. As I was leaving Orran, I saw her holding her mom’s hand and walking down the street. She suddenly turned back, saw me, and ran to me. We embraced and she kissed my cheeks. I fought back tears and told her to return to her waiting mom.
Days passed and I continued volunteering at Orran. I received an offer to do some translations there, translating articles written by the children. They wrote about their experiences at Orran, which was very interesting for me to read as they were written in such an innocent manner. Doing translations, reading the children’s guileless thoughts and communicating with them on a daily basis created a bit of a problem for me when communicating with people outside of Orran. At Orran, I was spending my time in an environment where everybody was respectful to each other. The neglectful and irreverent behavior of people who I met in the streets every day made me feel angry about life. It seemed like everything was inverse.
Although I was doing well at Orran, there was something that was making me anxious. As I mentioned, I had promised to bring a story book for the little girl to read. It just so happened that I got sick for about a week and was not able to visit Orran. When I recovered, I brought the book to Orran, but the little girl was not there anymore. I went to Orran three times a week after that, but I never saw her again. I felt like I had broken my promise, but what could I do?
I never want to lose a child’s love.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.