Roughly 40 kilometers northwest of Gyumri sits the quiet, remote village of Krasar. It’s home to 16-year-old Olga, a TUMOian who, every Wednesday at exactly 3:45 PM, sets off on an 8-kilometer walk that takes about 40 minutes to reach the TUMO Box in Ashotsk.

With no public transportation between villages, the walk isn’t a choice. It’s simply part of Olga’s routine.

“There’s not much to do in Krasar,” she says. “That’s why, when TUMO came to our school and introduced the program, my friends Asya, Syuzan, Smbat, Tatev, and I all signed up right away. We were so excited that even the lack of transport couldn’t stop us.”

And while TUMO provides free transportation from the Box to the Hub, the hardest stretch, from village to Box, is where too many journeys end before they begin.

Before TUMO, Olga had no idea she could create digital illustrations or 3D models. Now, she’s gained skills in both, along with photography, robotics, and music.

Through TUMO, she’s discovered how broad and exciting the world of creative technologies can be and how many opportunities they hold.

Olga’s favorite part of the route? The field of wild daisies she passes through, sometimes stopping to gather a few.

But the walk isn’t always this romantic. She’s trekked through heat, rain, and even snowstorms just to make it to class.

“Sometimes the weather is really rough, like today,” she explains. “There have been times when the extreme heat or cold made it too hard to walk, and I had to skip. Other times, if we’re lucky, we’ll find a car passing through and chip in to pay the driver to drop us off.”

For workshops and learning labs, Olga travels to TUMO Gyumri using the free transportation provided.

During this summer’s Alt July, she joined Gor Yeghoyan’s minimalist street photography learning lab, where she wandered the streets of Gyumri, capturing still moments in motion. In another learning lab, she and other TUMOians created music using everyday sounds from their surroundings.

“I remember my first time at TUMO Gyumri. I was amazed by the building,” Olga says. “Then I got to meet teens from all over the region. We’ve become friends and even worked together on different projects. But what I love most is the team. Our learning coaches and workshop leaders are always ready to help. They never let us feel alone.”

Olga dreams of becoming a psychologist one day. “I love working with people and trying to understand them,” she says. “And I know the skills I’ve gained at TUMO will help me in the future, because psychology draws on so many fields.”

She also knows there are plenty of teens like her in her village who are curious, creative, and ready to learn but unable to reach TUMO because of transport barriers.

That’s why we’re building a nationwide transportation network using electric minibuses to reach more villages and open the door for teens like Olga.

With your support, we can get them there.

Every journey to TUMO starts with you. Donate today and help more students like Olga take the first ride.