League of Women Voters to host Armenian Clean Community Coalition

Armenian representatives to meet with League leaders, members of Congress, and DC government

Published: Tuesday September 29, 2009

Washington - The League of Women Voters is set to welcome five members of the Clean Community Coalition from Southern Armenia this week as part of its program, "Coaching NGOs in Armenia on Coalition Building for Effective Advocacy: U.S. Study Tour." The week-long program will illustrate how trash collection, landfills, and other waste-management issues are handled in the United States, giving participants the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and hone advocacy and coalition-building skills.

According to Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment, Armenians throw out more than one million tons of trash each year into unlined, untreated garbage dumps, or into the nearest river. Because environmentally sound landfills are too expensive for most Armenian cities, the government had largely proven ineffective in solving the crisis.

"Since the conclusion of the workshops in 2008, the Clean Community Coalition has put their advocacy skills to work, briefing mayors across Armenia on their goal to clean up trash and other waste in the cities," said Mary G. Wilson, national League president. "They are already seeing success. To date, members of the Clean Community Coalition have been invited by several mayors to be part of the government's efforts in cleaning rivers and trash collection."

"Participating in this year's study tour are an impressive and diverse group of professionals, representing the NGO Center Civil Society Development Organization (NGOC); the Fund Against Violation of Law (FAVL); the Armenian Young Women's Association (AYWA); the Syunik Disabled People Support NGO in Voghji; and the Women's Association of Kapan," Ms. Wilson continued.

"Our Global Democracy team has set up an ambitious agenda, including trainings with the Advocacy and Lobbying Department of the League of Women Voters; visits to DC Public Works, DC Water and Sewer Authority, and the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership; and meetings with Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D.-N.Y.), Congressman Frank Pallone (D.-N.J.), and D.C. government officials from Mayor Fenty's Clean City Initiative."

"We are excited to host this courageous group from Southern Armenia, and I am confident that-like all of our exchange programs-we will learn much from each other," Ms. Wilson concluded.