Aurora launches new round of support for Artsakh

ArmInfo.The Aurora for Artsakh program created to help children and adults facing a grave humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of the 2020 Artsakh  (Nagorno-Karabakh) war continue to assist projects that contribute to  the long- term social development of the region. As announced  earlier, one of the guiding principles of the program remains keeping  it fast, efficient, and unencumbered by bureaucracy.

According to the source, in the current phase, Aurora will support  nine new projects focused on finding sustainable solutions for a wide  range of issues, including proper healthcare, social reintegration,  empowerment and education. The projects were selected following the  Partnership for Artsakh, that took place in UWC Dilijan on May 2,  2021. It brought together partners from the Aurora for Artsakh  program, representatives of local and Diaspora organizations, NGOs  and charity foundations, Artsakh officials, and the media, who agreed  that for the region to succeed, a special priority should be given,  among other things, to human resources and high-quality specialists  in Artsakh who will be involved in the restoration work on the  ground.  Here are the projects:

1.Involving medical professionals from Armenia and abroad in the  medical institutions of Artsakh (in cooperation with the Ministry of  Health of the Republic of Artsakh); 

2.Supporting Wounded Soldiers:  Social Integration Program (in  cooperation with the Aznavour Foundation and "Support to Wounded  Soldiers and Soldiers with Disabilities" NGO); 

3.Supporting the beekeeping program for displaced families (in  cooperation with the "For Artsakh" National Movement NGO); 

4.Organization of Wushu classes for the children living in the border  villages of Artsakh (in cooperation with the Artsakh Wushu Kung Fu  Federation); 

5.Bilingual (French-Armenian) workshop on dramatic art for youth from  Artsakh (in cooperation with the Framart Cultural Foundation and the  French-Armenian Union); 

6. Lead by Compassion (LwE) (in cooperation with Refugees United  Soccer Academy (iACT) and GOALS ARMENIA); 

7.Founding a bakery for a displaced family in the village of  Khnatsakh in Artsakh (in cooperation with the "Jraghactsner"  Charitable Foundation); 

8.Economic Empowerment of Youth Affected by NK Conflict (in  cooperation with the "SOS Children's Villages" Armenian Charitable  Foundation); 

9."2020 Artsakh War: Losses, Challenges & Steps for  Resilience-Building" (a research project in cooperation with the  Armenian Association of Social Workers).  

10. "The projects supported in this phase are focused on the social  development of the families affected by the war, healthcare, culture,  education, and sports, and will help different population groups,  from children to elderly people, further increasing the number of  beneficiaries of the Aurora for Artsakh program. Notably, a great  deal of attention is paid to the creation of development  opportunities for the youth of Artsakh," said Narine Aghabalyan, Head  of Aurora for Artsakh Program.

In total, since the launch of the program in November 2020, it has  provided support to 80 projects in cooperation with 55 partners, both  local and international, and allocated $1,740,000 to help those  affected by the war. The program also contributed to strengthening  Aurora's partnerships with distinguished international entities like  SOS Children's Villages, iACT and the Aznavour Foundation, among  others.

Aurora for Artsakh will continue through 2021 into 2022 and keeps  expanding by reviewing new project proposals and accepting those who  meet the selection criteria into the program. We are grateful to our  supporters whose generosity makes this possible and urge everyone to  donate to the program through the #AraratChallenge movement.