YMCA groups of Armenians date back to the Ottoman Empire in the 1880s. However, the official establishment of the YMCA Movement in the Republic of Armenia took place in 1992 with the support of Y Care International, which had been giving support in response to the 1988 earthquake in the province of Lori. YMCA Armenia gained full member status of the European Alliance of YMCAs in 1999, and full member status of the World Alliance of YMCAs in 2014. It has 5 member associations operating in Gyumri, Vanadzor, Spitak, Vardenis, and Paraqar. YMCA Armenia runs 3 main programmes: the ‘Building leaders for Armenia’ project; support for Syrian refugees; global leadership and youth exchange projects.