Hidden Road Initiative

Scholar Service Program


The Scholar Service Program aims to empower university and college students from Armenia and Artsakh’s border villages to initiate and execute community development projects in their villages, by identifying pressing issues and coming up with sustainable solutions. The program began as the Henry Keledjian Service Program in 2021 by a memorial fund, established by Henry Keledjian's family in honor of his lifelong commitment to education and the Armenian community. From 2022 it is funded by the fundraising efforts of HRI’s university chapters. 

​​Learn about our scholars' latest projects

Hidden Road Initiative's
2025-2026 Scholars 

This year we have selected 7 dedicated and passionate students who have participated in HRI's summer camps or online English tutoring programs.  
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Learn more about each scholar and how they plan to utilize their higher education and expertise to positively impact the health, environment, economy and development of their village and the surrounding region.

How it Works

Step 1 - Brainstorming During this stage, scholars go through an extensive period of assessing the needs of their village. 
Step 2 - Discussing feasible ideas Based on the needs assessed in the first step, scholars discuss possible solutions to the problems they identified.
Step 3 - Writing project proposal The scholar and the coordinator work together to write the proposal.
Step 4 - Editing and finalizing proposal (Goals, Materials, Budget..) The scholar works with the coordinator to finalize the proposal and present the budget.
​Step 5  - Execution The scholar executes the project.
Step 6 - Reflection The coordinator reflects with the student on the successes and shortcomings of their project. Together, they decide how the student could continue and improve the project the following year, with additional funds. Students who show potential and responsibility may receive additional project funding for the following year.