CINF Returns to Artsakh, March 2019
This month, the Christians In Need Foundation (CINF) representatives made their annual spring trip to Armenia and Artsakh. CINF President, Rita Mahdessian, Vice President, Siobhan Nash-Marshall, and Advisory Board Member, Antonia Arslan were joined this year by seven Italian guests. Guests included representatives from the Veneto Chamber of Commerce, Veneto master craftsmen, founders of the Don Carlo Gnocchi Technical School in Milan, and a Hospitality School Rector.
Italian guests accompanied CINF in order to initiate a series of vocational courses in Artsakh to begin this summer. Courses are intended to stimulate the development of cottage industries led by expert Artsakhtsi artisans. Veneto master craftsmen, familiar with the cottage industry system, will prepare the Artsakhtsi to build small, profitable businesses that produce excellent goods made in Artsakh. Courses so far are planned to include carpentry, metalworking, tailoring, cooking, and hair dressing. The Hospitality branch of the Don Carlo Gnocchi School will also be sending three hospitality interns to work in hotels around Stepanakert to help train staff in Western service standards.
On March 12th, Italian representatives were warmly received by the Principal of the Technical School in Stepanakert. Upon arriving, the School was quickly revealed to be a perfect fit for the program, already equipped with a beauty parlor and sections dedicated to cooking, woodworking, and metalworking. CINF’s Italian guests were thrilled by this potential partnership – so much so that they revisited the Technical School and its Principal three times during the trip. Before leaving Artsakh, representatives of the Don Carlo Gnocchi Technical School invited the Principal to join them in Milan to see their state-of-the-art vocational institution and further discuss their exciting collaboration.
The following day, CINF’s Italian guests met with the Artsakh Minister of Commerce. The Minister expressed his excitement to work with Italian educators and Veneto artisans to bring CINF’s vocational courses to Artsakh.
Within the next few months, CINF will continue to facilitate communication between Italian educators and artisans and Artsakh representatives. CINF’s first vocational course is planned to open this coming September.