YEREVAN—The sight of an unkempt child inside an unscrupulous building is not the image one gathers upon entering the door at Zadig Orphanage.

Here children are well maintained and nourished, enjoy the company of each other, and appear well prepared to enter the realm of adulthood on the outside.

A seven-year-old finds security with her Teddy bear at Zadig Orphanage.

The fact they’re even inside an orphanage offers some condolence to the heart.

“We do our best to offer these children a normal upbringing,” says Ashod Mnazaganyan, who runs the facility. “It isn’t always an easy task raising those who have been abandoned at one time or another. No child should be without a home. Our doors are never closed.”

The facility is located on the outskirts of Yerevan on a street called Sargavak. Fifty children, mostly young girls, attend school, learn the necessary skills to survive independently, and prepare for a life beyond the orphanage.

The statistics can be staggering. Somewhere in the world every two seconds, a child is left abandoned. In Armenia, a number of orphanages come to their rescue. Most all have limited resources and rely on outside assistance. Very little if anything is supplied by the government.

Many churches and organizations “adopt” a child for a minute investment each year and gain a sense of pride in their welfare.

Zadig has been in operation since 1991 when Armenia regained her independence. Older girls sell products to raise enough money for provisions and other necessities.

Upon learning of our visit to Armenia, families stepped forward with a contribution to be delivered to “any orphanage.” We learned about Zadig through a previous visit to the country. Several in our tour group were impressed with the environment and how content the children appeared.

Playing piano offers a sense of enjoyment for this young girl at Zadig Orphanage.

We were met at the door by Mnazaganyan, who was more than gracious with his hospitality. Coffee and cookies were immediately served inside his office as he went into a discussion about Zadig—an Armenian word for Easter and the Resurrection of Christ.

The establishment resurrects lives.

An equal number of staff members work around the clock to offer guidance and compassion. The youngest child, we learned, was aged seven; the oldest into her teen years. One resident we encountered was preparing for university life, was raised there, and remained to lend her support.

Older girls reside in a separate building called the Rainbow House and are adept at making greeting and Christmas cards, which are very popular commodities in the commercial market.

These cards are sold universally, mostly to Armenian families who support the orphanage.

“Older children aren’t quite as adoptable as the infants,” said Mnazaganyan. “We do not receive very many at Zadig.”

Such a dilemma doesn’t negate the ability to lend assistance.