Junior Achievement of Armenia (JAA) was established in 1992 to assist Armenia's transition to a free market economy and democratic governance. JAA is an affiliate of Junior Achievement Worldwide, which is an affiliate of Junior Achievement, Inc.

Our mission is to give today's Armenian youth the necessary skills and knowledge to compete and succeed in tomorrow's world. The mission is accomplished through economics and civics education. We believe that Armenia's future rests in the hands of its young people.

Today, JAA reaches 170,000 high school students with our economics and civics programs each year. We operate classes in every region of ArmeniaHYPERLINK "map.html" (Click here for regional map) with eight regional offfices and local staff. JAA’s curriculum is also taught at campuses of the Pedagogical Institutes, where college students studying to become teachers are majoring in civics education. By 2005, nearly 20% of the total population will have taken a course taught by a JAA-trained teacher.

In addition to classroom instruction, JAA also operates summer camps, teacher training weekend seminars, a summer study abroad program, global Internet connectivity exchanges, and a U.S.-based teacher training program.

Executive Director Armine Hovannisian heads our home office, located in Yerevan, Armenia. Her highly motivated and qualified staff oversees the day-to-day operations. Mrs. Hovannisian has served as executive director since 1994. She is a native of Armenia who moved to the United States as a child. She is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles’s School of Law and was a practicing litigator prior to moving to Armenia with her husband and children more than ten years ago.

U.S. Director Ani Darakdjian heads our operation in the United States. Her duties encompass the entire spectrum of our stateside operation. She works in tandem with Armenia-based Executive Director Armine Hovannisian to help coordinate and manage all programs and activities. She holds an MBA in Management and Finance and an MA in International Affairs both from Columbia University. She has many years of experience in business development, strategic planning, and international affairs.

The Los Angeles-based Board of Directors is headed by Jack Berberian, Executive Vice President of Jons Marketplace. Each member plays an active role in the organization, dedicating a great deal of personal time and resources. Most board members have served JAA for more than five years. The primary role of this body is program development and oversight, fiscal management, and fundraising. The board meets on a quarterly basis.

In 2004, JAA established a Board of Trustees to secure long-term program sustainability. This distinguished body of annual donors is helping to build the structure that will allow JAA to guarantee a strong future in education for Armenian youth.

Over the years, JAA has established a solid working relationship with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and has been hailed on a number of occasions as a “success story.” As a result, JAA continues to benefit from USAID as a primary source of funding.

JAA works in active partnership with the following government and non-government organizations: Armenian Ministry of Education, Armenian Parliament, U.S. Department of State, USAID, Academy for Educational Development, United Nation's Development Programme (UNDP), Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Cafesjian Family Foundation, the Armenian EyeCare Project, and Rotary International.

Each year, the organization’s financials undergo an audit by Corbin and Company, an Irvine, CA-based CPA firm specializing in the non-profit sector. JAA publishes annual reports that can be obtained from our U.S. office or on our website. Armenian- or English-language copies of JAA's 9th-grade civics textbook are also available.

JAA is a 501(c) 3, non-profit organization registered in the State of California and Republic of Armenia.