Bright Future of Armenia Depends on our Bright Kids

The best path leading us to the country of our dreams is the new generation of Armenians that is educated, smart, intelligent, curious, and happy.

Zartnir Helps to Boost Reading Literacy and Creates a Long-Lasting Impact

Zartnir is a unique educational program that helps school students of Armenia to read great books and discuss those with their peers by creating and operating interactive reading clubs in schools of Armenia. 

We provide school students in Armenia access to the masterpieces of the world literature and teach them how to think, explore new ideas, and challenge the status quo. We do that by providing school children books of the world’s greatest authors translated to Armenian and organizing reading clubs in their schools that are led by their own teachers on site. Teachers organize weekly classes to facilitate discussions using interactive tools that Zartnir develops and shared with them.

Starting with 2 schools, 2 clubs, and 187 beneficiaries, Zartnir now includes over 100 schools, 160+ clubs, and more than 12,000 direct and indirect beneficiaries!

Join us and help include 19 more reading clubs in the program, engaging 600+ students and over 1,300+ members of their families.

We organize all this with just one staff member and the support of over 100 volunteers.

We have already demonstrated a successful example of fundraising on reArmenia, raising funds to involve 300 students from different regions in the Zartnir program.

Thanks to your investments we can enroll more than 600 school students who will be able to read and discuss world renowned books on weekly basis.

It is less than $10 to enroll one student in Zartnir. See the project budget here.

Why is it Important—Armenia is Way Behind Reading Literacy in the Region and Globally

According to the World Bank report, 35% of 10 years old school students in Armenia cannot read & understand a short, age-appropriate text.

In Azerbaijan, it is 23% and in Georgia – 14%. In developed countries, this number varies in the range of 2-7%. Human Capital is supposed to be the main driving force of Armenia, however, when 35% of school students are not able to understand a simple text, the country's prosperity is under a huge threat.

A large number of people do not have access to quality education. Around 42% of the Armenian population lives in poverty [World Bank, 2021]. It is proven that people with less financial capital are less likely to access high-quality education. That is why we created Zartnir.

Multiple studies have found that reading great books and discussing them helps students to think, and develop critical thinking. It is an effective and affordable tool to reduce inequality and improve access to education.

A student from Stepanavan about Zartnir classes:

"Before Zartnir I did not read a single book. Since I joined Zartnir's reading clubs I can't stop reading. In 6 months I am going to the army and I have one request for the team: could you send me many books to read? I want to read as much as I can before I join the army."

We are recognized in Armenia by Ministry of Education and Internationally

Recognition and Approvals

• Zartnir is officially recognized by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Armenia. The Ministry affirmed that Zartnir may be implemented in schools because our methodology and program has a positive influence on the continuous development of school students.
• Zartnir has successfully passed due diligence to join the Matching Donation Program of Apple by GlobalGiving, Benevity, and TechSoup. Now all employees of the companies that use Benevity, such as Google, Microsoft, The Coca–Cola Company, Samsung, Starbucks, and others, may donate directly to Zartnir and their organizations will match their donations.

Our team - We are a Group of Professionals and Volunteers

Zartnir is lead by the Founder, Areg Abramyan, who is a management consultant with Kearney Middle East, and Lilit Poghosyan, who is a teacher at Ohanyan school. The team is supported by over 25 volunteers who are in touch with teachers on daily basis and help teachers as needed.

School Students Improve Their Hard and Soft Skills Thanks to Reading Clubs...

Our results

• 83% of school students declare that Zartnir positively influences their academic scores.
• 97% of them are thrilled to be in Zartnir.
• 70% of teachers say that Zartnir improves the basic skills of students such as oral and written speech and makes them more tolerant and understanding.

In one of our classes, after reading the "Flowers for Algernon" students stopped bullying their classmate who had developmental difficulties. The teacher called Zartnir in tears and said that students accept their classmate as equal, and the one and that parents are extremely happy with such development.

In many schools, most of the students were not reading books before Zartnir. After joining Zartnir, more than 70% of students started to read.

And Both Teachers and Students Acknowledge Zartnir's Impact Driving a Positive Change

Nunik Khudyan, Lori region, Urasar village

"Teaching in a community where there is no library, and at school, there are very few books, Zartnir gave ample opportunities for children from remote villages to read books. Thanks to Zartnir's books, students gained new knowledge, developed their creativity, and critical analysis acquired the skills of language acquisition, communication, and exchange of information and ideas. Zartnir greatly influenced academic progress, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, written and oral speech."

Tamara Vanesyan, Lori region, Karinj village

"At first students avoided discussions, now the children remind us [teachers] about discussions. A culture of discussions has formed thanks to Zartnir. Now school students are counting the days to receive a new set of books. The changes are noticeable, especially in children who were shy and not ready for discussions."

Tamara Mirzoyan, Yerevan, School No. 155 named after Levon Mirijanyan.

"It is a great pleasure to work with Zartnir. It is the best way to boost reading and make it so colorful and interesting. While there is a fall in interest in reading, thanks to Zartnir we have a growth of curiosity towards reading and books. ...They were so impressed by the Zartnir classes that bought those books."

FAQ

1. How do we select books? Based on consortium of opinions from teachers, publishers, and our experience.
2. How do we track results? We are constantly in touch with teachers and request feedback, pictures, and support them in troubleshooting as required
3. How do we know that we can trust Zartnir? We started in 2017 with just two schools enrolled. Today, we have more than 100 schools and 3500+ direct beneficiaries only, while total number of direct and non-direct beneficiaries exceeds 50K+.