COAF’s Social Work Program: Empowering Families, Transforming Communities
Editor’s Note: The following article addresses difficult subject matter, including domestic abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
In a quiet village home in Armavir, COAF social worker Emma Vardanyan sits at a kitchen table with a mother and her toddler. The child has been showing developmental delays in speech and behavior, while the mother—recovering from domestic abuse—struggles to find her footing.
Step by step, and visit by visit, Emma helps her navigate state assistance programs, connects her to a psychologist and a speech therapist, and encourages her to attend a vocational course. Two years later, the mother is earning her own income as a hairdresser, and her child is thriving in kindergarten.
This is what social work at COAF looks like: resilience grounded in steadfast support over time.
Addressing the Hidden Struggles of Village Life In Armenia
Rural communities in Armenia face layers of challenges—poverty, limited access to healthcare, domestic violence, educational gaps, and individuals lacking awareness about their legal rights. COAF’s social workers often become the first and only professionals to enter these homes, listen to silenced voices, and provide guidance.
As Emma, one of COAF’s longest standing social workers with over a decade of experience, puts it:
“Social work isn’t just a profession—it’s a calling. You have to believe in people’s ability to grow and thrive. Our goal is to help families become so independent they no longer need us.”
Nakhshun Afanessian, COAF’s Social Work Program Manager, emphasizes that this transformation is the result of both compassion and structure.
“Our approach is systematic—we don’t just respond to crises; we build systems of trust, safety, and empowerment around each family. Behind every success story are months of coordinated teamwork and follow-up.”
From Fieldwork to COAF Child and Family Centers: How the Model Evolved
COAF has been engaged in social work since 2003–2004. In the early years, teams went directly into villages and worked out of borrowed schoolrooms or corners of outpatient clinics. At the time, there was no dedicated infrastructure, just a deep commitment to reach families in need, wherever they may be.
That changed in 2021 with the opening of the first Child & Family Centers (CFCs). Psychologists, social workers, and speech therapists began working under one roof, forming a true multidisciplinary team. COAF’s beneficiary communities and their families could access centralized services, while home visits continued for those unable to travel.
Today, our social workers are at the heart of this model, linking families with COAF’s psychologists, educators, and healthcare providers.
Inside COAF’s Social Work Program
The program rests on two main pillars:
- Case Management
- Identifying families in crisis
- Conducting in-depth assessments of socio-economic, legal, and psychological factors
- Developing individualized support plans
- Providing ongoing counseling, follow-up, and referrals
- Responding rapidly during emergencies such as war, pandemics, or displacement
- Educational Programs
- Parenting skills workshops and consultations
- Human rights education for children
- Awareness campaigns on domestic violence, bullying, and inclusion
- Programs for seniors and disability rights
Our social workers also carry the critical responsibility of redefining what their profession means in Armenia. Where people in the country once regarded “social workers” only as distributors of aid, COAF has shown that social work is about regaining dignity, being aware of one's own rights, and long-term independence.
Stories of Impact
COAF’s impact is best seen through the families it supports. In Emma’s time at COAF, she has worked with hundreds of individuals, but a few stories stand out.
A Wounded Veteran Rebuilds His Life
After the 2020 war in Artsakh, one wounded soldier struggled with devastating injuries, trauma, and financial hardship. Emma worked with him over the course of one year, providing coordinated support from herself and the COAF psychologist. He accessed medical care, rehabilitation, state benefits, and eventually vocational training. Today, he owns a thriving barbershop.
“I just showed the way,” his social worker recalls. “He did the work. That’s what social work is about.”
Breaking the Cycle of Violence
A young mother, once trapped in an abusive marriage with little say or agency, came to COAF with her 1-year-old child. To avoid scrutiny, she told everyone that she was going for their baby, a partial truth to mask her own cry of distress. Through a combination of counseling, parenting support, and vocational training, she has grown into a confident, independent woman. Her child, who once struggled with speech delays, now communicates, plays, and learns alongside peers in kindergarten.
Creating Safe Spaces for Children
Each summer, Emma works at a Human Rights Summer School run by COAF, where children learn acceptance, respect, and self-expression. For many, it’s the first time they feel free to speak openly. “Miss Emma, can you come teach at our school too? It’s so fun here!” one student exclaimed. Emma recalls this as a rewarding moment when she saw her work empower children to imagine themselves as independent, self-sufficient adults.
Common Challenges Addressed
Every family is unique, but certain challenges appear again and again across COAF’s years of fieldwork :
- Poverty and financial instability
- Low levels of education
- Lack of parenting knowledge and skills
- Limited access to healthcare
- Violations of rights (women, children, adolescents)
- Domestic violence
COAF’s social workers don’t wait until these problems escalate—they focus on prevention. From awareness sessions on hygiene and child behavior to legal literacy and counseling, the goal is to strengthen families before crises deepen.
Integration Across Health & Education
Social workers don’t operate in isolation. They are bridges that connect families to COAF’s broader ecosystem of programs.
- In healthcare, they ensure that free dental services and preventive screenings reach the most vulnerable families—not just the well-connected.
- In education, they prioritize access to scholarships, clubs, and opportunities for children who might otherwise be left behind.
- In community development, they coordinate with municipalities, schools, and clinics to ensure every referral leads to real, consistent support.
Changing Perceptions
In the past, social workers were often dismissed as “aid distributors.” Over years of consistent presence, COAF has reshaped this perception in the communities where we have worked. Today, in long-term beneficiary communities, social workers are seen as trusted professionals—people turn to them but for solutions, guidance, and hope.
This shift is cultural as much as practical: families now understand that empowerment, not dependency, is the ultimate goal.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/coaf/53875947014/in/album-72177720319052276/
The Ripple Effect
At COAF, social work reaches far beyond individual care—it’s the quiet architecture of community resilience. From home visits in Hatsik to parenting workshops in Myasnikyan, from the guidance offered in living rooms to the professional training at the Youredjian Child and Family Center in Myasnikyan, each effort is part of a single, unifying vision: a rural Armenia where no family stands alone.
Every success story carries the weight of many others. A child finding their voice. A mother rediscovering her strength. A veteran rebuilding a sense of purpose. A family learning to trust again. These moments—small in isolation yet immense in impact—form the heart of COAF’s work to transform lives, and strengthen the very fabric of the communities raising up Armenia’s next generations.
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