Social Worker's Day in Armenia (04/11)

In 2009, the Armenian government announced a new holiday — Social Worker Day, and set the date for its celebration — on November 4.

At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Social Workers informed that the new holiday will be celebrated by about 4 thousand social workers in Armenia.

As stated in the government decision, the first Republic of Armenia since its founding (in 1918) has faced the most difficult social problems: general poverty, hunger, numerous refugees and orphans, mass mortality from diseases.

«The situation could only be overcome by mobilizing all forces and pursuing an accurate and consistent social policy. Back on November 4, 1918, the coalition government of the First Republic formed the Ministry of Public Guardianship, which laid the foundation for the state policy of social protection of the population», — says the government decision.

After the Sovietization of Armenia, the social sphere continued to remain one of the main directions of state policy, and the sphere was subjected to especially difficult trials after the devastating earthquake of 1988, which was subsequently supplemented by a blockade, an influx of refugees, an energy crisis, unemployment, and an unprecedentedly high level of poverty.

To counter such difficulties, in the early 1990s, the first specialized structures were formed in independent Armenia to provide social assistance to the population, and the social sphere today is one of the priority areas of state policy.

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