Muskie [9] alumna Liana Sanamyan is working to improve the lives of chronically ill children in Armenia.
The photo essay below documents Liana in action. On this particular day, the nurses and patients all gathered around after their language classes to share what they've learned. Liana organized the occasion and facilitated the presentations. For the full interview with Liana, click here.
As a 2006 Muskie fellow at Bemidji State University [10], Sanamyan increased her knowledge and skills in the field of special education through courses in curriculum design, behavioral disorders, diagnosis, assessment, and educational research. She also learned about practical program management while interning at Amnesty International, where she coordinated large-scale youth programming. Sanamyan has built on those skills in her current work, planning and advocating for support programming for hospitalized children in Armenia.
Q. Tell us a little bit about your current work. Who are the children that you work with and what are their backgrounds?
A. I work at Direct Aid Association (DAA), a local non-governmental organization, which provides educational and psychosocial services to the children who are being treated in two children’s hospitals in Yerevan. The children we serve are children with chronic or acute diseases. Some also have accompanying special educational needs.
Q. What are your main job responsibilities and what is a typical day like for you at work?
A. I provide administrative support, supervise staff, coordinate and monitor programs, write grants and hold teacher trainings. Usually my days are loaded with multiple tasks, but the fulfillment of these tasks is also a source of inspiration for me. For example, organizing a workshop for teachers who work with children with special needs and realizing how important it is to improve child services gives me a lot of energy.
Q. How does your work contribute to development in your society?
A. Within the country, and I think within the region, we are the only organization providing educational services to children being treated in hospitals. The educational and social services provided to the children are free of charge, so even financially underprivileged children, especially from the remote areas of the country, on treatment in the hospital are able to gain a lot from our services.
Q. What do you like the most about your job?
A. It’s a rewarding job. I am able to put to work my knowledge and at the same time learn more and more. However, my passion is working with colleagues on different projects as well as organizing activities for the children, whether these are festivals, celebrations, summer camps, or outdoor activities. It’s always fun and satisfying to see children, especially the ones with diseases, enjoying these activities.
Q. How is your work influenced by your studies as a Muskie fellow at Bemidji State University?
A. Master level studies at Bemidji State University were very important for my professional growth. The program allowed me to gain theoretical knowledge, which is extremely important, and also be involved in practical activities in schools in Bemidji, which provided special education services. Practical experience gave me an extremely valuable opportunity to learn practical skills with experienced teachers. These skills help me to adapt the theoretical knowledge I have gained to the Armenian reality and needs.
Q. What are your career plans? Do you have any specific goals that you’d like to achieve?
A. As my career goal I would like to write a new project for DAA in order to improve the situation in the field of education, specifically hospital and special education to provide more and better services to those who need them. However, for the moment my main goal is to try to elevate hospital education or schooling within the hospital while the child is on treatment.
The Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program [9] is funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs [11], US Department of State, and implemented by IREX.