InternationalIn 20 years, how FAR we've come
Published: Thursday July 23, 2009
New York - More Armenian doctors are offering better care to more people. More Armenian orphans have the chance to get an education. More Armenian children who were once neglected or abandoned now have the help and support they so desperately need. More young Armenians have a chance to better their careers. These marks of progress prove that the Fund for Armenian Relief is making a difference to many Armenians.
In 2008 – twenty years since FAR's founding – the organization continued and even expanded its mission, all thanks to the resilience and dedication of its supporters, who stood by the organization through challenging economic times. The recently released FAR 2008 Annual Report chronicles all of these achievements by highlighting not only the cumulative successes of last year's work and achievements, but also those special partnerships that made that work possible – partnerships with donors, fellow organizations, supporters, and volunteers.
The report details how last year, nearly 30,000 people in Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding region saw their lives change with FAR's help. Six years of hard work on the Humanitarian Assistance Program in Nagorno-Karabakh (HAPNK), which was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has brought new homes, health centers, clean drinking water, and employment to those whose lives had been torn apart by years of war.
People like Shmavon Petrosyan and his family have seen their lives transformed ever since FAR restored the house that had been crumbling around them due to the fighting. And for those in the village of Astghashen who for years lived without any place to access medical care, HAPNK's work may mean the difference between life and death. Now, a new medical center serves 2,000 people in the region.
FAR also continued to forge ahead with its tireless efforts to support children, helping the most vulnerable Armenians, like Kostas and Nadya, find the love and support they need. Abandoned by their abusive father, then abused by their mother, the two were sent to live with grandparents, who eventually could no longer care for them. With help from FAR's Homeless Children's Center, the two were placed in the loving care of a foster family.
A safe haven for at-risk children, the center has rescued homeless children and those who are victims of abuse and neglect since 2000, offering them everything from temporary shelter and intervention services to legal assistance. With the support of the Helen and Ed Mardigian Family Foundation, the organization helped nearly 1,000 at-risk youth in 2008 – more than ever before.
The annual report, which can be downloaded from FAR's website, also shows how FAR's other long-standing and ongoing programs, like the Gyumri Information Technology Center (GTECH) is helping to transform a region by offering post-graduate training in electrical engineering, computer chip design and development and web technologies.
The success of GTECH is gradually reversing the economic decline from which Gyumri has suffered since the devastating 1988 earthquake. Highly skilled graduates are staying in the region, using their skills to invest in their homeland and building a growing middle class.
Natives like Kristina Zayimtsyan, who saw their homes reduced to rubble in December 1988, are now part of a movement to strengthen their hometown. Kristina almost died in the earthquake when the walls of her school collapsed around her. Now a student at GTech, she is focusing on using web design as a way to move closer to her dream of becoming a designer.
"Our city has a future and I believe in it," she attests. "We, the youth, will shape the future of Gyumri."
The report also reveals how more healthcare workers in rural areas enhanced their skills through the Continuing Medical Education Program (CME), which offers customized training from prominent doctors in Yerevan. This sort of opportunity is crucial to enhancing medical care in Armenia, especially in remote rural areas.
A doctor like Armenuhi Rstakyan, who has always been devoted to her hometown community, can now better serve her patients – both Armenians and Georgians – in the Javakhk region of Georgia. As a gynecologist, Armenuhi provides necessary medical care at the Maternity Welfare Center in the town's regional hospital.
She faces obstacles daily. In addition to there being no light, no water, and very little equipment, Armenuhi has been isolated from the advancements in her field.
CME changed that. After a month of training with leading specialists at the Maternal and Child Health Protection Research Center, she learned about the latest technologies and modern operating techniques in her field. She networked with leading specialists, participated in English language lessons and in computer literacy courses. Now back home, Armenuhi can better serve her patients, impart her knowledge to her colleagues and ultimately spread the benefit to an entire community.
Beyond these, FAR's work impacts the arts and sciences, education, the elderly and the destitute. The report shows how the work of the FAR family provides the foundation for lasting social and economic change by making broad, sweeping changes while at the same time touching recipients in deeply personal ways. And it is only through the continued commitment of this dedicated network of FAR's supporters and volunteers that the organization each day in solidarity builds a stronger Armenia.
connect:
farusa.org
