HOPESHINE
Code: 10caf850-a2e3-11ed-bfb2-fa163ef8d720 Copied
About the project
HOPESHINE
📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Voluntary Service of Armenia-Republican Headquarters of Student Brigades (HUJ) was founded in 1965. HUJ is a member of the Coordinating Committee of International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) at UNESCO and the Alliance of European Voluntary Service organizations.
HUJ organizes volunteer exchanges with partner organizations abroad and holds a database of 3000 volunteers registered in HUJ as of today.
The main activities run by HUJ are for and with volunteers, mainly the young people and students. The regular activities of organization include exchange of volunteers with different organizations, opening international work camps in Armenia, preparation and sending volunteers to different trainings, seminars and work camps abroad, as well as ESC long-term programs.
The essential aims of the organization are to raise the social competences and employability of the youth by organizing activities for national and foreign volunteers in various programs in Armenia (workcamps, training courses, medium and long-term projects) as well as facilitating the participation of local and national volunteers in similar projects abroad; to take care of orphans, children with special needs and socially indigent people by proposing activities to and for them and making them more visible for local, national and international communities.
💼 What the programme involves
The aim of this work camp involves renovative tasks, including painting work, as well as maintenance and improvement of the territory.
🏠 Accommodation on site
Volunteers will stay in the dormitories of the school. They will be provided with beds.
🍲 Food
Volunteers will prepare the food by themselves on the principle of duty. You will taste all kinds of
Armenian traditional food, such as dolma, khorovats (barbecue), kiabab, khashlama, incomparable fruits of Ararat Valley - apricots, grapes, peaches, apples, berries etc. and vegetables.
📍 About the location
The camp will be opened for the 9th time and is already a popular and traditional one. The special school for visually impaired children was established in 1939 in Yerevan. This school is the only one in Armenia where the education is organized using the Braille system. Most of the children stay in the school during the school year and return home only for holidays. The school gives children secondary and specialized education. From 2014 - 2023 volunteers renovated classrooms, halls, banches.
🎒 Leisure activities
Armenia is called an open-air museum. You will have lots of interesting excursions and visits to historical monuments and museums, which will be organized during the work camp.
The excursions to the following sights will be organized upon the decision of the camp and all the visits will be free. The proposed list of the excursions is the following: Echmiadzin Mother Cathedral, Zvartnots Cathedral ruins, Garni Pagan Temple, Geghard Monastery Complex with a program of World Heritage Initiative, Lake Sevan (with a barbecue on the beach). Volunteers will visit Matenadaran-storehouse of ancient manuscripts, Historical Museum of Armenia or National Gallery of Armenia, museum of famous film director S. Parajanov, Vernissage-Armenian big souvenirs market under the open sky. Different games, Armenian dancing and language lessons will be organized in the workcamps.
Leisure time for joint workcamps are individual.
⚠️ Requirements
It is very important to bring with you different board games, songbooks, and children’s songs to work with children and for using in the performances/concerts which will be organized on the last day of the work camp.
During the workcamp volunteers will organize the Intercultural days when each volunteer will present his/her country, so please bring photos and booklets describing your country, recipes of national dishes, products and spices and national songs.
You can bring your musical instruments, CDs with your favorite national songs and music and, of course, your high spirit and creativity.
🤝 Meeting point
Armenian volunteers of your camp will meet you at the airport in case your arrival time is between
8:00-24:00 and will take you to the camp. Please note that if you arrive before the starting date of the camp, the Armenian volunteers may not be available to pick you up.
If your arrival time is after midnight, you will have to look for a bus to the center of Yerevan or take a taxi to the work camp.
After sending your application and being accepted to the work camp, you will soon receive an email from your camp leader, please reply promptly.
ℹ️ Additional information
Visa-free regime for EU and CIS citizens. The updated list of countries not needing visa to enter Armenia is available here: http://mfa.am/en/visa
Interested in this project? Create your account and apply online.
Sign in to apply📅 Available sessions
HUJ3
06/08/2024 at 00:00 → 19/08/2024 at 00:00
HUJ2
17/07/2019 → 30/07/2019
HUJ4
10/08/2023 at 00:00 → 23/08/2023 at 00:00
HUJ 3
06/08/2024 → 19/08/2024
HUJ4
02/08/2023 → 15/08/2023
ℹ️ Key information
Age required
18–99 years old
Solidarity donation
100.00 EUR
French tax residents may be eligible for a tax reduction of up to 66% of their costs (membership, plane tickets, solidarity donation).
📍 Location
Yerevan, Armenia
Armenia
🌍 Location info
Local currency
Armenian Dram (AMD / ֏ )
Exchange rate
1 AMD = 0.002483 EUR
Rate as of 31/05/2026
Timezone
Armenia Standard Time
Local time: 21:01 (12/11/2026)
🛡️ Before you leave
✅ Features
🏠 Accommodation
🗣️ Languages spoken