HIDDEN ROAD INITIATIVE
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission and Impact
    • Team Members
    • Chapters >
      • UC Berkeley
      • UC Los Angeles
      • UC San Diego
      • CSU Northridge
      • AGBU MDS
    • History
  • Summer Camps
    • Summer 2022
    • Summer 2021
    • Summer 2020
    • Summer 2019
    • Summer 2018
    • Summer 2017
    • Summer 2016
    • SUMMER 2015
    • Summer 2014
    • Summer 2013
    • Summer 2011
  • Projects
    • Henry Keledjian Service Program
    • Project Hope (Artsakh)
    • English Tutoring Program
    • Virtual Learning Resources
    • Jrashen Kindergarten
    • School Renovations
    • Tsaghkaber Kindergarten
    • UCLA Toy Drive
    • Heaters & Stoves
    • Computer Classes
    • Sturdy Shoes
    • Winter Coats
  • SCHOLARSHIPS
    • 2022-2023 Scholars
    • 2021-2022 Scholars
    • 2020-2021 Scholars
    • 2019-2020 Scholars
    • 2018-2019 Scholars
    • 2017-2018 Scholars
    • 2016-2017 Scholars
  • News & Blog
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
Hidden Road Initiative

History

Picture
Imagine living through a cold winter, where the snow is so heavy you are unable to leave your village for six months. There are no roads, no markets, and no doctors. All you have is your family, your home, your school and your faith. The villagers of Akhpradzor have lived through this every winter for generations. This village, isolated on the mountains of eastern Armenia, has no open roads from October to April—yet the villagers choose to stay on their land despite the circumstances: “We persevere! How can we leave our homeland, our mountain? We have to protect our country’ s borders!” says Ginevard, the principal Akhpradzor's only school.

A trip to this small, isolated village in the summer of 2009 served as a wake-up call for Nanor Balabanian, an Armenian UCSB student. She was working to make a difference in the world, and so, using her video camera as her only instrument of change, she gathered stories and interviewed the villagers. In the meantime, as the intern at the UN Development Program of Armenia, she was encouraged to go beyond filming a documentary and take action in promoting development. Balabanian designed an educational day camp, according to the needs of the village, that taught children basic skills in first-aid, English, arts, dance and computer skill. She hoped that with this camp, the students would gain skills that could help the villagers in the absence of resources such as doctors, art teachers, and extra-curricular activities.

Upon leaving Armenia, Balabanian felt it would be very important to fundraise enough money to fix the road that led to the main highway. However, her dream of helping fix the broken road soon appeared to be an unreasonable solution. After much research, she realized fixing the road would not be a permanent solution to the problem, since the heavy snow would destroy and damage the roads every winter.

In the beginning, the goal of the Hidden Road Initiative was to establish Internet connection in the remote village, thus creating a virtual road that would be a permanent and innovative solution to a key problem of the village—isolation. Internet would aid in combating poverty, connecting the villagers to the rest of the world, empowering the new generation of students by providing access to new resources of learning through e-education, promoting democratic development, and encouraging civic engagement and government transparency.
   
Since 2011 however, HRI has evolved to provide more educational and leadership opportunities for students in different villages through scholarship programs, development programs, as well as summer camps.


Founding Team

Nanor Balabanian
Founder, Project Manager USA team

Picture

Alexandra Basmadjian
Assistant Director, USA team

Picture




Astkhik Hakobyan
Assistant Director, USA team

Picture

Azad Balabanian
Intern, USA team

Picture

Levon   Alikhanov
2012 Project Manager, Yerevan Team

Picture



Artashes Avagyan
2011 Project Manager, Yerevan Team

Picture



Anna Aghajanyan
2011 Off-Site Project Manager, Yerevan team

Picture



Anahid   Yeremian
HRI Advisor

Picture



Tigran   Msryan
Computer Provider, Yerevan team

Picture

Contact Us

contact@hiddenroadinitiative.org
POBox 27694
​Fresno, CA 93729
About Us
Summer Camps
Projects
Scholarships
News & Blog
​Donate

Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission and Impact
    • Team Members
    • Chapters >
      • UC Berkeley
      • UC Los Angeles
      • UC San Diego
      • CSU Northridge
      • AGBU MDS
    • History
  • Summer Camps
    • Summer 2022
    • Summer 2021
    • Summer 2020
    • Summer 2019
    • Summer 2018
    • Summer 2017
    • Summer 2016
    • SUMMER 2015
    • Summer 2014
    • Summer 2013
    • Summer 2011
  • Projects
    • Henry Keledjian Service Program
    • Project Hope (Artsakh)
    • English Tutoring Program
    • Virtual Learning Resources
    • Jrashen Kindergarten
    • School Renovations
    • Tsaghkaber Kindergarten
    • UCLA Toy Drive
    • Heaters & Stoves
    • Computer Classes
    • Sturdy Shoes
    • Winter Coats
  • SCHOLARSHIPS
    • 2022-2023 Scholars
    • 2021-2022 Scholars
    • 2020-2021 Scholars
    • 2019-2020 Scholars
    • 2018-2019 Scholars
    • 2017-2018 Scholars
    • 2016-2017 Scholars
  • News & Blog
  • Donate
  • Contact Us