Supporters’ trip to Armenia: ten years of the Norbert Neininger Kindergarten
In September, supporters of the foundation visited our kindergartens and the day clinic – and saw for themselves what their donations have achieved.
At the end of September 2026, a group of the foundation’s supporters travelled to Armenia – from a former member of the Swiss Council of States to an airline pilot, from an artist to an entrepreneur, from a kindergarten teacher to a priest. Their aim: to get to know the country and its culture better, and to see on the ground what their donations have achieved.
Ten years of the Norbert Neininger Kindergarten
The first stop was Aygehovit, in the north-east of the country. The Norbert Neininger Kindergarten is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Before the renovation, around fifty children attended – today there are more than twice as many. The municipality charges no fees, and the upkeep is covered by Mike and Romi Baronian.
The children welcomed the guests with a song, and five-year-old Irina gave a long welcome speech without notes. Schaffhausen artist Linda Graedel spontaneously picked up some chalk and painted a wall in the common room. The Martin and Jessica Blumer Day Clinic is just nearby.
The investments have an impact beyond education and health: Aygehovit long suffered from people moving away. Since the infrastructure was improved, the population has begun to grow slightly again.
Maralik and Lanjik
At the Romi Baronian Kindergarten in Maralik, the roughly 120 children were having their midday nap when the group visited. Where children once had to stay at home in winter because of the cold, underfloor heating and well-insulating tuff stone walls now keep them warm.
A few kilometres away in Lanjik stands the foundation’s flagship project, the Pino Ciaccio Kindergarten. Many of the children there grow up almost entirely with their mothers, because their fathers work in the capital or abroad. The new building is designed for energy efficiency: solar panels and a ground-source heat pump cover around 70% of the heating energy, and a hot-water reserve bridges power cuts.
A country with a long history of suffering
On the last day, the group visited the Genocide Museum in Yerevan. A sobering moment – and at the same time an incentive to continue helping Armenia. The next projects concern the water supply, where Armenian villages still have a great deal of catching up to do.
Benefit evening on 1 December
On 1 December 2026, the big benefit evening for Armenia will take place at the Sommerlust in Schaffhausen.
The Schaffhausen newspaper Schaffhauser Nachrichten reported on the trip on 27 October 2026 under the headline “Schaffhauser Hilfe für Armenien – eine einzigartige Erfolgsgeschichte” (“Schaffhausen’s help for Armenia – a unique success story”; text: Michael Stäuble).