COAF was founded in 2004 after the businessman Garo Armen visited Karakert village in Armenia’s Armavir region and witnessed the level of neglect that rural residents were facing.

[3] The organization highlights that the COAF SMART Initiative aims at advancing rural communities by increasing access to comprehensive education, technology, and opportunities through a centralized approach.

It is open to the surrounding rural populations, offering after-school programs within the framework of a SMART Citizenship Curriculum for children of the age 3 and higher.

[6] COAF was founded by the US-Armenian businessman and scientist Garo Armen who was born in Istanbul, Turkey and moved to the US at the age of 17.

For Armen, learning that the villagers didn’t have access to drinking water and were forced to buy it from the nearest city[9] was a decisive driver for the foundation of COAF.

COAF’s work began by addressing the lack of water, heating systems, and sanitary facilities through necessary infrastructure improvements.

Based on research outcomes, the organization prioritized four development areas: education, healthcare, child and family services, and economy.

[12] After completing renovations of the Karakert kindergarten, medical post, and community center in 2005, nearby villages of the Armavir region started to join COAF’s programs.

Collaborative education, including project-based and action-based learning in cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains, take center stage in COAF’s SMART Citizenship Curriculum.

Along with infrastructure improvements, this includes the implementation of education, health, child and family services, and economic development programs to strengthen rural communities.

COAF’s focus is on disease prevention through the promotion of healthy behavior starting from primary school age to early detection.

[20] In terms of medical services, COAF implements early detection of breast, thyroid and prostate cancer through: COAF’s approach to improving villagers’ dental hygiene is through prevention which includes educating children on oral hygiene, fluoridating teeth, ensuring regular tooth-brushing activities by establishing specialized stations (Brushodromes) in schools and providing 1st and 2nd-grade students with toothpaste and toothbrushes.

They also identify issues such as bullying, domestic violence, interpersonal relations, and barriers for people with disabilities as they work both one-on-one and with the whole community.

[26] One of COAF's declared goals is to achieve economic vitality within Armenia, demonstrating the potential for opportunity and growth within villages to adults and young people.

[27] Some areas of economic development provided by COAF include interest-free loans for local businesses, entrepreneurship training for high school students, and the installation of irrigation water pipelines.

These programs aim to provide residents with the tools needed to succeed and generate income, fostering a deeper connection between citizens and their communities.

It offers necessary services to tourists (ATM, payment terminal, drinks, snacks, filling stations, charging sports, etc.

The goal is to become the main regional center for conferences, professional training, summer schools and exchange programs for local and international organizations.

At the same time, the new addition to the SMART Campus marks COAF’s third social enterprise, meaning that it will be available for sports events, corporate retreats, training and meetings.

COAF has chosen Debet village[37] in the Lori region as a pilot project, where the organization aims to implement capacity building, economic development and infrastructure projects, including the renovation of the village school, kindergarten, and municipality building, as well as road and roof reparations, and the installment of street lighting and a high-speed internet connection.

Friends and philanthropists gather to celebrate the year's success, hear children from Armenian villages share their personal stories, and learn about the impact COAF has made.

The Yerevan office is responsible for the fieldwork, programs implementation, new initiatives, impact monitoring, community advancement guidance, government relations, partner cooperation, specialists’ training and kids empowerment.