SOAR - Ainjar Chapter

The creation of SOAR-Ainjar continues our efforts to expand SOAR beyond traditional borders. Ainjar, which means “running river,” is a town in Lebanon locked in the Bekaa Valley. The population of Ainjar is approximately 2,400, consisting almost entirely of Armenians. The majority of Ainjar’s Armenians belong to the Armenian Apostolic Saint Paul Church, the second largest Armenian Church in Lebanon. The Armenian Apostolic community has its own school, Haratch Calouste Gulbenkian Secondary School. Our Lady of the Rosary Armenian Catholic Church in Ainjar serves as Church for the Armenian Catholics, who also run the Armenian Catholic Sisters School.

The Armenian Evangelical Church serves the Armenian Evangelical community in Ainjar. Armenian Evangelical Secondary School of Ainjar was established in 1942 as the people of Musa Dagh settled in the middle part of the Bekaa valley in Lebanon. The school has a very unique place in the community since it educated hundreds of children during an era of poverty and disease while parents were concerned with providing a minimum threshold of living for their families. Another uniqueness of the school is its boarding department which was established in 1947 and soon became home for many orphans and children from Lebanon, Syria and the Near East.

The school with its boarding section provides renewed chances to children whose family structure, economic ability and social situation have prevented them from enjoying proper chances in life. In 1955, the school had all cycles of education starting from Kindergarten to elementary, intermediate and secondary classes upon which students have been able to complete their educational requirements within the same environment of tender loving care.

Currently, the school has national and international achievements. Students are receiving scholarships from reputable organizations and institutions via various partnerships like Amideast, Design for Change, Hilfsbund, World Vision…which shows evidence of high academic level and great need of support.

The school is also pioneering in the field of special education with the new “Personalized Education Program” designed for students with special needs, educational difficulties and psychosocial problems empowering them to believe in their abilities and achieve more.

Education, care, social and spiritual services are fundamental rights of every child. The Armenian Evangelical Secondary School and its boarding department are ambassadors of these rights.

Rev. Hagop Akbasharian
President

Rev. Hagop Akbasharian is the pastor of the Armenian Evangelical Church in Anjar (Beqaa, Lebanon) and the Principal of the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School in the same place. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1986 in a Christian family.

Since childhood, he has been an active member in the church. He was a leader in Sunday school, teenagers’ group, youth group and summer camps for many years.

His love and amazement of human beings as the image of God lead him to start his university education in medicine; however, in 2004, he was called into ministry upon which he studied Psychology at Haigazian University and received his Masters’ degree in Theology from NEST.

Before becoming the director of the school, he was a Biology teacher and the school counselor in addition to being the pastor of the church.

He has participated and lead various seminars for empowering the marginalized and vulnerable, accepting the different, Christian-Muslim dialogue…

He has a holistic approach to education which he tries to establish through giving human beings their best chance in development physically, psychosocially and spiritually.

Sossi Aintablian

Sossi Aintablian was born in Beirut and migrated with her family to Ainjar during the Lebanese war. She is a graduate of the Armenian evangelical secondary school of Ainjar. She is married and has three daughters. She is a science and music teacher in the school, is a member of the Alumni committee of the school, and a member of the Board of the Evangelical church in Ainjar. She has served as a teacher in the Sunday school of the church.

Nanor Kelenjian Akbasharian

Nanor Kelenjian Akbasharian is the director of the Armenian Evangelical Boarding School in Anjar,Bekaa,Lebanon.

She was born in Beirut on 5 March 1989. She graduated from the Armenian Evangelical Central High School in 2007, and from the University of Balamand, Faculty of Health Schiences with a Bachelor of Nursing in 2007.

After receiving her education, Nanor interned in the St. George University Medical Center as a Registered Nurse. She later worked as a Coordinator in the Pediatric department of Howard Karagheusian Socio-Medico Center and in 2013 she was assigned as the Health Coordinator of the medical department in the same primary health care center.Her role as a health coordinator was not only to manage the medical department but also to plan and execute preventive campaigns in schools, refugee camps and also neighborhoods in coordination with International organizations(UNHCR,IMC & IOM).

Nanor has been in her current position as the director of the Armenian Evangelical boarding school since July 2016 , after marrying Pastor Hagop Akbasharian and moving to Anjar. She manages the staff members administrative procedures of the boarding school, also she is an active member in the Armenian Evangelical Church in Anjar.

Nathalie Kendirjian

Nathalie Kendirjian is a member in the executive committee of the boarding department. She is a kindergarten teacher in the Armenian Evangelical Secondary school. She enjoys working with children helping them reach for their dreams through education. She believes that every child should be valued and treated with respect. ‘An education should empower a child and help him or her make a positive contribution to the world’.

Nathaly and her husband live in Ainjar. She is also involved in various committees like the Armenian relief cross and Hamazkayin cultural organization. Nathaly enjoys reading and writing. She also runs a book club together with 4 other women.

‘The Armenian Evangelical boarding school is a happy place to be and I am extremely proud to be part of the team’ she says.

Mirna Kurdian

Mirna Kurdian was born in 1986 in Ainjar Bekaa Lebanon. She attended Calouste Gulbenkian Secondary school for 8 years. In 1994. She moved with her family to Beirut and attended Yeghishe Manoukian school and then Rabieh Evangelical school from 1995-2002. Due to financial difficulties she moved back with her family to Ainjar and attended the Armenian Evangelical secondary school, graduating in 2004. She continued her higher education in Lebanese International University and got her BA in communication arts: Radio and TV. Since 2008 she has taught in the Armenian Evangelical secondary school. She teaches English to the elementary level students and Math and Chemistry to the intermediate level students. She is a member in the Alumni association of the school.

Dikran Hovannes Tumberian 

Dikran Hovannes Tumberian was born in Ainjar, on 24 July 1986 as the sixth member of the family among seven children. His father’s name is Hovannes Tumberian and his mother’s name is Vartouhi Shannakian. He received his education from Armenian Evangelical Secondary School of Ainjar and graduated from the same school.

Inspired from his school’s science teachers, he continued his education and received Bachelor of Science in Physics from Lebanese International University, and continued his education for one year as Master’s degree program in Physics. He continued studying and received Teaching Diploma in Education from Lebanese International University.

In addition to teaching which he loves, his favorite hobby is agriculture. He likes taking care of vegetables and trees with ecofriendly ways to have beneficial, healthy and clean environment. Dikran is a member in the executive committee of the Armenian Evangelical Church in Anjar.