A Journey Around Armenia with COAF’s Most On-the-Move Team

You won’t see them on our social media pages, but you’ll often encounter them across COAF’s nearly 100 beneficiary communities. Their workday begins earlier than everyone else’s in Yerevan and continues on the road and in the communities COAF serve. Every day, regardless of the weather, they make COAF’s services accessible to hundreds of beneficiaries.

Join us for a journey with COAF’s drivers and the irreplaceable Mariam, who coordinates their work.

Mariam Lachikyan – Master of COAF’s Transportation 

How many employees set out each morning for COAF’s beneficiary communities is known only to “God”—and to Mariam, the foundation’s Procurement and Logistics Coordinator. She is the drivers’ direct supervisor and the organization’s coordinator for all staff transportation between COAF’s Yerevan office, regional centers, and partner locations nationwide.

A single glance at Mariam’s face is often enough to tell how many transportation requests she’s received that day. But even if you happen to be the 1,160th employee heading out to a community (which is what “a lot” is in numbers, according to Mariam), you can rest assured — she’ll always find a way to fit you in.

By profession, Mariam Lachikyan is a linguist. She first came to COAF in 2013 as a volunteer. For several months, she traveled through villages in Armenia’s Armavir region, gathering material for COAF’s Shrjadarts (“Turnaround”) newspaper. At the time, it never occurred to her that she would one day know the names and roads of COAF’s over one hundred beneficiary communities by heart through Google Maps.

“You could say that I travel virtually with the drivers every day, too. I’d really love to make that journey in real life someday,” Mariam says, still holding on to the hope that she’ll eventually visit the beneficiary villages herself.

What Mariam values most about working at COAF are the people and the time she spends with them.

“In both a literal and figurative sense, I grew up at COAF, and my colleagues have inadvertently become an important part of my life and my work,” she concludes.

‍“In the beginning was the Word”*, and at COAF it was Razmik Vardanyan

COAF’s veteran driver Razmik Vardanyan sums up his journey with the organization briefly, like this: “It’s been like a real movie.” The longer version of the story goes like this.

“In 2001, my former supervisor called and asked me to drive his friends around Armenia for a week. They were a couple from the U.S. (spoiler: they were future COAF co-founders Garo Armen and Alice Sardaryan). I met them, drove them around, and saw them off. Three years later, for an entire month, a woman named Alvard (spoiler: COAF’s first executive director) called me every single day offering me a job. Each time, I politely declined because I wasn’t sure they were actually looking for me. In the end, it turned out that Garo had passed along my number and told them to contact me,”  recalls Razmik, COAF’s very first driver, with his signature smile.

Before Armenia’s independence, Razmik was an entrepreneur, running a textile production site together with his brother. Later, he worked as a driver for various international organizations and educational institutions.

As Razmik himself says — and as every COAF colleague would confirm — he simply cannot sit idle, even for a minute.

“I treat COAF like my own home. If there’s something I can help with, I do it gladly,” Razmik says, before hurrying off to grab the watering can so he can water the office plants before heading out on the road.

Razmik admits that he has traveled extensively across Armenia and knew its regions and villages like the back of his hand — but thanks to COAF, he began to see them from an entirely different perspective.

There is hardly a beneficiary village where Razmik isn’t recognized, and likely no beneficiary he himself won’t recognize. With some he has not only become friends, but also turned into a regular customer of their village produce over these 22 years.

“I like buying directly from villagers and by doing so supporting hardworking people,” he says. Traveling with Razmik, you never return empty-handed.

When asked what he loves most about his work, he answers without hesitation:

“By working at COAF, I’m contributing my share to rebuilding my larger home (Armenia), and that thought still brings me joy.”

Arsen (Aghasi) Babayan: An Animal’s Best Friend 

After the “five-minute” morning coffee break, Arsen moves on to feed the animals in the surrounding area. He always has food for the cats that live in the office backyard. Animals he encounters on the road are often just as lucky — and even if there’s nothing to feed them, Arsen will be sure to pet them and chat with them for a bit.

At home, he has finches and a cat, and soon, a dog as well.

“I’ve loved animals since childhood. There hasn’t been a day when I didn’t bring a stray cat home — which my family wasn’t exactly fond of,” he says with a smile. “I’ve kept just about everything: fish, hedgehogs, dogs, cats, and all kinds of birds.”

Arsen — also known as Aghasi Babayan — is one of COAF’s longest-serving drivers, someone who has grown deeply attached to both the work and his colleagues over the years.

“I feel a sense of family here. The people are warm, and so is the atmosphere,” Arsen says, adding that one of the most rewarding parts of the job is witnessing the joy of residents in beneficiary communities when new infrastructure is built or new programs are launched in their villages by COAF.

Armen Hayrapetyan – Coffee, Good Music, Seat Belts, and We’re Off! 

COAF’s seasoned driver Armen begins and ends his day with coffee. It’s hard to imagine him without a cup in hand. On the days he’s on duty at the office, he’s constantly (and thoughtfully) reminding everyone to eat well and take breaks now and then.

Although Armen is widely loved and respected by his colleagues at COAF, few people know about his musical past. For 20 years, he served as a warrant officer in the Special Military Orchestra of the General Staff of Armenia’s Armed Forces, where he played the clarinet.

During his years of service, the orchestra took part in military parades in Armenia and abroad, welcoming and seeing off dozens of presidents and high-ranking officials.

“The visits of the two Popes from Rome were especially impressive,” Armen recalls — a man who happens to know the national anthems of over 100 countries by heart.

On a recent Yerevan–Debed business trip, Armen shared that thanks to COAF, he rediscovered Armenia for himself — its distant, nearby, border, and frontline villages. He gained close friends, and, thanks to the foundation’s doctors, learned to especially respect and trust healthcare workers.

“Over the years, I’ve learned something new from everyone, lessons I often apply in everyday life,” Armen says, though he doesn’t consider himself a particularly curious person.։ 

In any case, judging by the questions he asks his colleagues from all departments, it’s clear that Armen is a casually inquisitive colleague who asks probing questions.

Karen Makitchyan – the Longer the Road, the Better

When Karen the driver first showed up at COAF’s Yerevan office in 2021, he was initially often introduced to everyone as “our Uncle Manvel’s son.” Manvel Makichyan was one of COAF’s oldest drivers who, upon retiring, passed the steering wheel on to his son.

Before joining COAF, Karen had worked as a driver in various organizations, and in his younger years, he worked in security at Zvartnots International Airport.

“As it happened, because of my work I’ve been to almost every region in Armenia. There are probably just a few remote villages I haven’t managed to visit yet,” says Karen, whose favorite destination is, of course, Lori, for the simple reason that Odzun is his father’s native village.

Karen is a man of few words and always ready to help. He says that this way he feels more useful this way and does it gladly.

He never gets tired of being on the road — quite the opposite. The longer the road, the better.

Hovhannes Papazyan – COAF’s Honored Folk Master

Hovhannes Papazyan is the newest recruit on the team of veteran drivers. He joined COAF about three years ago. He starts his day having coffee with his team at the office, regardless of if he’s already had a cup at home.

“Before hitting the road, we always have coffee together and manage to exchange a few words,” Hovhannes shares.

Over many years working as a driver for the Armenian State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the State Revenue Committee, he had heard about COAF, though he hadn’t fully pictured the size of the staff.

“Because of my job, I’ve been to the regions a lot, but thanks to COAF, I’ve discovered new communities for myself,” he admits, adding that what he appreciates most is the organization’s warm atmosphere and the feeling of being surrounded by kindness.

Few people know that Hovhannes studied art at the National Center of Aesthetics named after Henrik Igityan. Later, he specialized in silversmithing, and in 2017 he was awarded the honorary title of Armenian Folk Master by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia.

“From time to time, I return to silversmithing. I hope that one day I’ll have more time to create,” he says.

Postscript

Օur journey has come to an end — we hope you enjoyed the ride. Thank you for choosing COAF’s “highways.”