The School
The Antonia Arslan Hamalir grew out of a series of CINF’s educational initiatives in Stepanakert, Artsakh. From 2017-2019, CINF made connections on the ground while offering a Summer Language Program that included courses in English and, eventually, also Italian. To see the program succeed, CINF partnered closely with Mesrop Mashtots and Artsakh State Universities as well as various Ministries and Artsakh government officials.
Calling upon these friends and connections made by Dr. Arslan and Prof. Nash-Marshall in Italy with businessmen and master-craftsmen, the Foundation determined in 2019 to initiate a Vocational Program in Artsakh. The new program would be offered in tandem with the Vocational School already present in Stepanakert, based on the third floor of School #4. The plan was initially simple: CINF would recruit from among the best Italian artisans and send them with the necessary equipment to teach in at the Vocational School, the School would provide the class space. Yet quickly realizing that classrooms would not facilitate the machinery needed, the Stepanakert Vocational School and Artsakh Ministry of Education agreed to construct a new wing designated for CINF’s courses adjacent to the School #4 building.
Inspired by the generosity of our Artsakhtsi friends, we worked to expand the vocational opportunities CINF would offer. In October of 2019, the Foundation arranged to bring Artsakhtsi governmental and educational representatives to Italy to meet potential Italian partners, including the then Minister of Economy, former Prime Minister, and Vice-Principal of the Stepanakert Vocational School. In addition to courses, CINF arranged internships for Artsakhtsi to study crafts abroad in Italy, including ham making, cheese making, wine making, hospitality, cosmetology, baking, and phytotherapy. Construction of the wing was completed that year, and then suddenly the COVID-19 pandemic brought all plans to a halt.
In the meantime, working within constraints, CINF arranged online classes designed to lay the groundwork for the Vocational Program’s start. In March of 2020, CINF began online phytotherapy lessons. Later that spring and into the summer, CINF offered several online Italian language classes for Artsakhtsi students selected to work with and learn from Italian artisans. Yet it would not be until the Fall of 2021 that courses in Stepanakert would begin.
After the 44-day-war, in 2020, recognizing the potential of the Vocational Program and what it could contribute to rebuilding and strengthening the country, the Artsakh government decided to gift the entirety of School #4 to CINF. The Antonia Arslan Armenian-Italian Hamalir was born.
In September of 2021, the first three Italian master-craftsmen (one carpenter and two tailors) finally arrived in Artsakh. They worked intimately with Artsakhtsi students for several months before returning home. Now CINF looks to the future, to offering more of these courses, and many, many other opportunities for the communities of Artsakh.
Principal - Tatevik Zaqaryan
Tatev accepted the position of principal of the Antonia Arslan Hamalir in 2020. She now works tirelessly for her students and the improvement of the school.
A graduate of Artsakh State University with a degree in Law, Tatev initially joined the CINF team in 2019 as CINF’s official lawyer in Artsakh. Later that same year, CINF-USA appointed her Regional Coordinator in Artsakh. Tatev then helped CINF receive official non-profit status in Artsakh and became the Director of CINF-Artsakh in 2020.
Hamalir Government
Founders
Antonia Arslan
CINF-USA
CINF-Artsakh
Artsakh Government, as represented by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports
Board of Trustees
Antonia Arslan
Siobhan Nash-Marshall
Rita Mahdessian
Lusine Gharakhanyan
The Hamalir is located in what once was Stepanakert’s School #4.
The building is located off the end of Baghramian Street, not far from the city’s Victory Monument. The three floor structure, miraculously, did not sustain serious damage during the 44-day-war. The building is fully functional and includes several extracurricular facilities, including a playground, gym, and small audience hall at the building entrance.
Still, all floors require renovation. CINF and Artsakh partners would also like to eventually expand the school to accommodate more students.
In coordination with the then Artsakh Minister of Education and the head of the Stepanakert Vocational School, a wing designated for CINF’s vocational courses was build adjacent to the building of School #4. Construction was completed in the Spring of 2020.
Shortly after the completion of construction on the Vocational Workshop, CINF, with the help of artisans in Italy, sent $40,000 worth of equipment to Stepanakert in order to outfit its vocational workshop. Machinery included industry-standard sewing and woodcutting machines as well as basic woodworking tools and hand sewing kits.
As course offerings expand, CINF will continue to outfit the wing with the tools necessary to train Artsakhtsi in how to master their crafts.
