ANOTHER YEAR OF KINDNESS: ARMENIANOW READERS, PUBLIC AND SHOGHAKAT TV VIEWERS MAKE 2008 HYESANTA SUCCESSFUL

• Five years ago ArmeniaNow online weekly began to implement the HyeSanta charitable program. With this semi-annual report we want to speak not only about the successes of our work, but also about omissions and problems. Commencing as an action presented to readers’ attention on the threshold of the New Year, HyeSanta grew into a registered charitable foundation working round the year, with the impetus that “It is better to help a few, than to ignore everyone.” Every year presenting the stories of 8-10 socially vulnerable, desperate and helpless families living in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh we invited readers to join HyeSanta, to help people get back to their feet and live a dignified life through financial investments and joint efforts. We express our deep gratitude to all readers who responded to the stories presented by reporters. Their names can be found on our website: http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewCategory&CID=101&lng=eng For four years that the Shoghakat Television Company of the Armenian Apostolic Church has been a faithful partner of HyeSanta. The televised features based on the stories reported by ArmeniaNow journalists are high-quality examples of documentaries (director - Ara Shirinyan; author – Tigran Paskevichyan; cameramen – Arman Shahinyan, Robert Kharazyan, Suren Ter-Grigoryan, and others). Our call of benevolence became more effective when every year, simultaneously with presenting the stories about families we began to also make presentations of programs carrying the account of the work done in the previous year. All these video films are available on the ArmeniaNow website: http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=2714&lng=eng&IID=1166 The show of these films on Public TV and on Shoghakat TV created an opportunity for Armenia-based and Diaspora TV viewers to join our charitable initiative, to add and enrich it with new proposals. This way we gained very precious friends for us whose donations also made possible the gratifying job of helping need families. This year the HyeSanta Foundation’s means have originated the following way: • $1,150 – due to a charitable fundraising held after the presentation of the film at Moscow Cinema on December 24, the day that marked the start of the HyeSanta action. http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=2698&lng=eng&IID=1165&CID=2668 • $3,800 – sent via the PayPall system by our readers after the HyeSanta 2008 New Year issue of ArmeniaNow. Click here to see HyeSanta 2008 issue. http://www.armenianow.com/?action=&IID=1165&lng=eng • $3,986 – from the proceeds of the charitable fair of members of the Yerevan office of the International Women’s Club; • $1,295 – from annual donations of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund Executive Board; • $990 – from members of the Armenian Ladies Association of Manchester; • $2,015 - brought to the ArmeniaNow office from different individuals and organizations; • $1,900 – from the fundraising of the Paris-based Dprotsaser kindergarten and Targmanchats seminary. Thus, since the start of the HyeSanta 2008 charitable action till today the HyeSanta Foundation has had the honor of managing a sum of $15,136 provided by you. The fact that the sum of donations grows from year to year is reassuring (we are grateful to you) and at the same time obliging. Therefore, we think that the details of the account present below are justified. An account that is also an appeal for joint charitable work. The little charges of the Dprotsaser (School-Lover) kindergarten in Paris taught us a very serious lesson in charity – it is already the third time that they have donated money to buy cows and calves for their coeval friends living in villages in Armenia and Karabakh due to year-round consistent fundraisings. They were also joined by a number of other educational centers. Teacher Anahit Sargisian writes: “Cows in HyeSanta families this year have come from the Targmanchats seminary. Schools in Lebanon and Syria are expected to join. It has become an ‘epidemic’…” If, for example, in Martakert you meet a little cow called Paris or in Shirakamut hear the name of Capucine or in some other place meet a calf bearing the noble title of Princess, be sure that in front of you are the gifts of either Dprotsaser or Targmanchats seminary childresn. The Dprotsaser initiative brought a new dear friend to us, this time from Switzerland. The students of Geneva’s Topalian school recently staged a real celebration for the 11 children of the Sargsyan family in the borderline village of Jiliza, presenting a cow and a calf to the family. School teacher Hasmik Meliksetyan, who had traveled a long way from Geneva to Tbilisi and then to Jiliza, to realize the goal of her pupils and their parents and get acquainted with the Sargsyans, said the following: “I think that our pupils and we ourselves are in more need than this family living in a ramshackle house – we have a need and desire not to get stagnant in our welfare, to give a share of that to families living hard lives in the Homeland. HyeSanta gave us an opportunity to fulfill that wish.” Mrs. Meliksetyan had also presented her proposals on helping the Sargsyans to the Geneva-based Araks choir members. As a result, the large family received another cow and another calf. “I really did not believe that such joy was possible,” says Heghine, who was skeptical and was bitterly complaining about social inequality only a few months ago. “I believe after Mrs. Meliksetyan’s coming. She had also purchased a separator machine for us, because now we will already have a surplus of milk.” “The children will at last have substantial meal,” after a short pause the 16-year-old girl adds like a grownup. http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=2691&CID=2665&IID=1165&lng=eng The door to hardship and difficulties is closed for the Sargsyans, since they got a third cow and calf from Greek-Armenian philanthropist Michael Basmajian. The Union of Friends of Armenia and Karabakh headed by Basmajian contributed not only to the Sargsyan family, but also in the important matter of providing assistance to the whole village of Jiliza. The three main arteries of the borderline village – road, water-pipe and electricity line, have been made operational. In November, when we went to Jiliza together with a filmmaking crew, the road had been blocked because of the previous day’s snowfall. Our car was making turns like a figure-skater on top of Lalvar mountain on the edge of a ice-covered gorge. A busy road connecting Jiliza with Alaverdi is constructed today. The restoration of the water-pipe is also underway – for that purpose the Union of Friends of Armenia and Karabakh made an investment of $10,000 instead of the community to the Fund of Social Investments. An arrangement was made also for supplying the village with electricity – the Greek government for that purpose invested a large sum (about 140,000 euros), and Greek-Armenian philanthropists will take care of the operation of the internal network by investing 20,000 euros. Village head Mher Vardanyan, however, considers creation of jobs as the main means of helping the village whose residents either leave or grow older, back to its feet: “A milk-processing production, canning of berry, wood processing,” Mher outlines possible ways of keeping the villager in the village. HyeSanta also joins the village head’s dream and invites our donors’ attention especially to this kind of assistance projects. Working in this manner may produce tangible results, especially if the village’s head is a competent leader who cares about community concerns like Mher Vardanyan. In this sense we were in for a deep disappointment at the village of Akori. http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=1273&CID=1439&IID=1060 http://www.armenianow.com/?IID=1062 Two years ago, presenting the story of the large family of the Kirakosyans we tried thanks to philanthropists to improve the situation of this family that lived in someone else’s wooden house and considered it luxury to have a substantial dinner. But fate had a different path – the family’s father and only breadwinner, Aramayis, last year died of a rapidly developing disease. “Even before his dead body cooled the landlord told us to get him out of the house. We called the village head, he came. At that moment rain began and poured on my Aramais from the leaking roof. We had to call the brother, he came, took him to his house, took out the floor wood and made a coffin for him, somehow laid his body to rest,” Ruzan says crying. The village head, Kamo Simonyan, just gave a symbolic sum to the family of the late Aramayis. The Kirakosyans asked to convey gratitude on their behalf to philanthropist Mihran Aghbabyan whose gift, cow Miranda, and a calf, along with what they already have will at least ease a little the difficult task of feeding seven children. http://www.armenianow.com/?IID=1112 (The number of families who have so far received cows from philanthropists through HyeSanta is 12, and the number of cows and calves is 32. If we also consider the growths of cattle heads due to offspring over these years, then it will turn out that our philanthropists have already gifted a whole herd to socially vulnerable villagers in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh). This time joy to the house of the Kirakosyans was brought by parcels sent by the Los Angeles Focus on Children organization and gifts prepared by elementary grade pupils at Yerevan’s Anania Shirakatsi school. The children received not only clothes, beddings, bags, toys and stationery, but also hope that there are people who think about them, that they are not buried alive in the remote village of Akori. HyeSanta sent a letter presenting the story of the Kirakosyans to the governor of Lori. In terms of attracting the Armenian authorities’ attention, Garik Mikayelyan was fortunate. http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=2697&CID=2665&IID=1165&lng=eng Upon the instruction of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, joint actions of Armenia’s Ministry of Health and Ministry of Foreign Affairs - with participation of the staff of Armenia’s Embassy in the Federal Republic of Germany, Garik received prosthetic appliances at the clinic of the Otto Bock firm in the German city of Dudenstadt, considered to be one of the world’s best in this field. A few days ago he returned to Ashtarak with his dreamed multi-function prosthetic appliances. Garik considered the past to be a heavy nightmare and already thinks about the future: “The president received me, reassured me and said that what happened to me was not my personal problem. After I received the prosthetic appliances he also proposed to me that I would be able to find a job. I think I can become a useful specialist.” Charity knows no borders. The call for help may cross thousands of kilometers and find a response in the hearts of compassionate people. The ArmeniaNow feature telling about Garik did not leave Rudolf Dax living in Munich indifferent. His son Ivan suffers the same pain as Garik. Mr. Dax and Ivan came to Dudenstatd to visit the boy and now Garik remembers their meetings with pleasure. Even after acquiring the best prosthetics, numerous technical issues come up, and Ivan shares with him his experience of eight years. In general, 2008 has been a successful year for HyeSanta from the viewpoint of children’s health rehabilitation. Thanks to well-known American-Armenian philanthropist Jack Mazmanian, four children of the Loryans from Vanadzor and Ani Karapetyan from Geghard got rid of many chronic diseases. http://cpanel.host.am/~karabakh/src/index.php?lang=en&nid=9533&id=3 They passed medical examinations and were operated on at Children’s Hospital N1. After Ani’s surgery on tonsils, she no longer has difficulty in breathing which caused serious heart problems. Mr. Mazmanyan’s benevolence was not limited to just undertaking the transportation, food and surgery expenses. Arriving in Armenia from the US with his spouse and accompanied by a peer supporter Vigen Avetyan, he visited Loryans in Vanadzor and undertook the solution of the house heating and water supply problems. Only comprehensive consistent work can bring expected results. Poverty unfortunately crushes people and drives them into despair, but when people come to offer their continuos work against this despair and helplessness, success is guaranteed. Old friends of ours, Nelly and Armen Minasyans, are those people. Nare Minasyan brought this year her favorite computer game to the children of the Asatryan family in Metsamor. “I play with pleasure myself,” smiles the mother of the children, a big child herself, Yeghsik. http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=2692&CID=2665&IID=1165&lng=eng Other permanent supporters and sponsors of the HyeSanta, Anahit Bakhshyan and Gayane Miribyan, also visited this wonderful family. Ms. Bakhshyan paid the six month rent of the apartment Asatryans live in upon the request of her relatives from Holland. This kind of investments is also valuable and repaying. We have donors, who, for example, have undertaken the payment for electicty for the Karapetyan family (Geghard) and providing certain families with food products, medicines, hygiene and other necessary items. Sometimes even the smallest support may bring to unexpected results: compassion and candor are a powerful force. This year HyeSanta continued to promote the project and agitate for charity in various circles of society. Just like the last year, the members of the Yerevan Women International Club responded to our messages. This year again they had a working meeting, HyeSanta film screening and discussion at the Marriott Armenia hotel. The ladies handed the foundation 1,196,000 drams ($ 3,986) the profit they got at the New Year bazaar selling their hand work pieces. We are grateful to the honorable members of the club for a continuous support both financially and morally. Undoubtedly, the most unexpected responses come from children: the pupils of the Yerevan School No. 78 we so deeply touched with the hardships of their peers’ life presented by HyeSanta that a 7th grade boy made a spontaneously born suggestion: “Let’s buy goods for low prices somewhere and sell them for higher ones somewhere else and get food and clothes for the children with the money we earn.” Let’s hope this young businessman will really be able to help solve the social issues of our country by his work in the future. But before that, he needs to realize the true reasons of poverty and find right ways to exterminate them with the help of the parents and the teachers; and also – to get lessons in culture of benevolence, where the school has a big role. Church and charity are the traditionally unseparable moral pillars of our society. The visit of the members of Armenian Apostolic Church Youth Center to ArmeniaNow became the start of our future cooperation. The group of students from a number of Yerevan universities (the pedagogical, economics and engineering universities, as well as the Institute of Theater and Cinema) headed by Deacon Suren Gevorgyan visited Shirakamut to get acquainted with the Papoyan family. http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=2690&CID=2665&IID=1165&lng=eng Many of the young people returned home deeply moved, as the health of Hakob, suffering from mental disease, had drastically deteriorated. That day the blessing of the Papoyan’s house was organized under Father Movses Ashuryan of the St. Harutyun Church in Spitak. The students’ second visit to Shirakamut was in May with a clear decision in their mind on the way to help the hopeless Alisa who suffers from the illness of her husband and the constantly growing problems. They cultivated the two land lots of the Papoyans all the day through. They had met the executive director of Armenian-Dutch “Agro Project” Center Koryun Hovakimyan to get professional advice and 550 kilograms of high quality potato plantings of B sort as well as fertilizer. A coincidence or not, but the person who launched repaying activities in various spheres in the fatherland after the distructive earthquake of 1988, and his organization had to take part in helping a family from just the epicenter of the disaster to recover its consequences 20 years past. Recently HyeSanta visited the Papoyans again to buy a cow for the family. Alisa gladly showed the luxuriant bushes of potatoes and said: “It hailed heavily this year, but my field has turned quite green. Hakob, when he comes to sound mind from time to time, says God sent us the priest and those people, and I know everything will be OK.” Alisa’s restored hope is the best result and the highest appreciation. HyeSanta frequently appeals to the help of the representatives of the church. Well aware of the needs of their parish, the advice of the devoted clergy and their support load us spiritually and steer our undertakings. We had an emergency in winter: one of the last year HyeSanta’s beneficiaries Vazgen Hovhannisyan was taken to hospital with high temperature. http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&IID=1113&CID=1997&AID=1917&lng=eng Throughout all the period while he was recovering school headmistress Lilya Asatryan, Gayane Mirabyan, a good friend of Vazgen’s and the priests who came to see him through Gayane were by his side. In spring Vazgen was baptized under Father Grigor Hovhannisyan in the St. Sargis Church in Argavand. And Father Yesayi Artenyan granted the boy an opportunity to fufill his dream: Vazgen put on a robe and served the mass in the Church of Holy Trinity. Only the cooperative and serious work anchored by love and compassion can bring results. HyeSanta is lucky in this: we have both good partners and devoted friends. The role of the “Yura Bakhshyan” charitry foundation in this is exceptional. The Mercedes Benz minibus kindly provided to HyeSanta by the initiative of the head of Heritage Party board, member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Anahit Bakhshyan has crossed thousands of kilometers reaching the presents sent to our families from the various corners of the world. Our most deep acknowledgements go to the “Yuri Bakhshyan” charity foundation for giving us this highly needed opportunity. Our network of our partner organizations in Karabakh also grows. With the support of the chairman of the “Non-Governmental Organization of NKR Refugees” Sarasar Saryan, we managed to gasify the apartment of Eleonora Bukgakova, a resident of Shushi who passed through the hardships of being a refugee and a prisoner of war. http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=2694&lng=eng&IID=1165&CID=2665 Elya’s son Dmitri is back from the army. It is now the time for him to get job and education. Especially as Shushi seems to gradually begin getting on foot, like its residents do. One of the most distressing stories of this year HyeSanta is on its way of getting resolved. Many might remember the story of Anahit and young Siranush living in the basement of a dormitory building in the town of Abovyan. Let alone the dangerous neighborhood of the electric power wires in the tiny hovel, a rat had bitten the kid’s finger. http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=2689&lng=eng&IID=1165 The story got many responses and Anahit and Siranush received many guests. The benefactors presented Siranush with toys, clothes and stationery. The Minasyan family also visited the girl and Nare gave her his magic wand. It was wonderful to observe the children spelling magic wishes shaking the glowing wand. Believe it or not, Siranush’s dream came true. She has now moved to a wide room in the neighboring dormitory with her mother. This room received with the help by Anush Afrikyan, the chairwoman of the condominium and the means of the donors, will soon be repaired and brought to proper condition. The student friends of HyeSanta have expressed willingness to do the repair works themselves relying on their own fantasy. HyeSanta realizes well the problems of the Andreasyan family do not end at this point. Siranush will go to school this year and her only friend – her hardly literate mother with poor health – will hardly be able to face all those challenges that will appear in the future. To question on why Siranush does not go to a kindergarten, Ano says: “They don’t treat my child well enough. No one plays with her in the yard, saying she is poor.” We continuously follow the fate of this orphan mother and daughter, who have nothing in this world but themselves and, maybe, also a new room in the dormitory that will hardly change their life. What would be better to change? May be the attitude of the neighborhood? Of course, in the larger sense of the word. HyeSanta appeals to all those organizations, state and non-governmental, which are committed to changing the hard life of anahits and siranushes, in providing opportunities for their education, work and proper earning. We are confident joining our efforts we will have the result. We have such examples. The family of Senik Karapetyan from Geghard is a good example of the families who get rid of the social burdens owing to the cooperation between various organizations and individuals. http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=2688&CID=2665&IID=1165&lng=eng Living in a metal house, this family stirred sympathy from the first sight: there was so much love between the parents and the children that it seemed unbelievable in the social deadlock they had appeared in. The Tufenkian and the HyeSanta charity foundations jointly bought a piece of land in 1,250 square meters for the Karapetyans so that Senik could provide his family by cultivating it. Industrious and creative, Senik had managed to also dig a pit on the land by his ‘house’ and lay three rows of stones of the walls. This year the Armenian Habitat organization responded to the story about the Karapetyans by ArmeniaNow. After the visit of the organization’s director Ashot Yeghiazaryan and the mapping of the locale Karapetyans received a pregnant heifer from the organization within the framework of the partnership with the Heifer Project International Armenian office. According to the principles of the program the beneficiary takes an obligation to return ‘the debt’ in three years by giving another pregnant heifer to another needy family. They have also receiving 10 saplings within the same program. While the Armenian Habitat team would create a new organization, the Fuller Center for Housing, (www.fullercenterarmenia.org) opposing to the policy of interest rate taking from the beneficiaries because of the inflation, Senik would work. He took a loan and bought more stones. Senik Karapetyan is confident he will work and pay the loan. “If he manifests such a will and desire, it means he will have a home by all means and we have to do our best to make the house a reality,” says Ashot Yeghiazaryan, the head of the Fuller Housing Center. The family seems to have changed, gaining self-confidence and optimism. Ani’s health has improved much after the surgery, and she works on the soil equally with the grown-ups and tends the cow. We believe we will get the chance to tell you about the Karapetyans’ new house. But meanwhile we continue to work, with your help and the God’s blessing.

  armtown.com, 20 August 2008, 01:00