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A total of $10,378,465 have been raised in this year’s US Thanksgiving Day Telethon of the Hayastan (Armenia) All Armenian Fund, which had kicked off in Los Angeles on Thursday at 10pm, Armenia time.
The objective of Telethon 2015, which was held under the slogan “Our Home,” was to raise funds to construct single family homes for families in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic who have 5 children or more and lack adequate housing.
A total of $12 million were raised in Telethon 2014.
The traditional annual TV telethon of “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund has kicked off in Los Angeles at 10:00 pm (Yerevan time) today.
The aim of the 2015 telethon entitled “Our home” is to provide large families with 5 and more children with flats in Artsakh.
The amount raised will be directed to the construction of flats for such families.
The telethon will last till November 27, 10:00 am Yerevan time.
European Phonethon the results of the Armenian Fund Sponsored by Anne Hidalgo and Patrick Devedjian
1.33 million to € collected 4 days
The European Phonethon, humanitarian operation organized by the Armenian Fund of France to Armenia, Karabakh and the affected populations in Syria and Iraq, was sponsored this year by Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, and Patrick Devedjian, MP, President of the Departmental Council of Hauts-de-Seine. He ended this Sunday, November 22, 2015.
Through phone calls of over 700 volunteers, 1.33 million to € were collected in pledges in three countries – Germany, France, Switzerland – with 45,000 families and companies contacted during the four days of the operation.
Nearly 1,000 new donors have joined those of previous years, in a context of economic crisis and security tensions, bringing the total number of companies and donor families to 10 472. The number of volunteers has also increased. “Far instill fear and discouragement, say the organizers, the tragic events in Paris showed to our donors and our volunteers as resistance to barbarism begins with solidarity. While ends Phonethon 2015, these results are a message of hope that much address to French citizens who lived through the tragedy of 13 November as populations of Armenia, Karabakh, Syria and Iraq live daily in need and insecurity.
The money raised during Phonethon have three main destinations: remote villages of Armenia and Karabakh, especially those along the border with Azerbaijan, the Armenian population of Aleppo and Kessab threatened by bombing Daech, refugees and Mosul in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The Phonethon continues after November 22. You can make donations via the website or by phone www.fondsarmenien.org: No. Azur (cost of a local call) 24 0810 24 24, until 15 January 2016.
About the Armenian Fund of France: Calls are emitted from four centers (Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse) made available by Orange, official partner of Phonethon. The Fund mainly built infrastructure in Armenia and Karabakh (roads, schools, clinics and hospitals, drinking water systems, irrigation, electricity and gas, agriculture and breeding …) essential to the socioeconomic development of populations local.
This year’s Armenia Fund Telethon to promote “Our Home” campaign
This year’s Armenia Fund Telethon, which will air on November 26—Thanksgiving Day—will promote a campaign called “Our Home,” which will be the construction of single family homes for families in Artsakh who have 5 children or more and lack adequate housing. There are already 466 families identified in Artsakh who fit the criteria and 211 are known to live in unacceptable housing conditions.
Having become a Thanksgiving Day tradition for Armenians around the world, the Telethon will air from Los Angeles and be broadcast from coast to coast and internationally on cable and satellite television as well as online: www.ArmeniaFund.org
“This is truly a humanitarian project and we have received a great deal of positive feedback from our donors. It is not easy to raise 5 or more children even in the United States, let alone Artsakh. We all should pitch in to help the parents who are raising the next generation of Armenia’s scientists, doctors, statesmen and artists by providing them adequate housing. These are parents who work hard, who do their absolute best to provide for their children, but, unfortunately, they cannot save enough money to build a home big enough for their children,” explained Antranik Baghdassarian, President of Armenia Fund, Inc.
The homes that Armenia Fund constructs will have land plots of 10,000 sq. ft. each, where the families can grow fruits and vegetables. Armenia Fund will provide furniture for every room in the house as well as provide household appliances, including water heaters, refrigerators, washers, stoves and vacuum cleaners.
“Coming off the heels of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, we reflect not only on our survival but our future – our children, the beneficiaries of this year’s Telethon’s target project. I am glad we are combining our efforts with our Western Region affiliate this year. It projects unity and highlights the importance of this year’s project. By streamlining our efforts and joining our unique talents and resources, we will better serve Armenia and Artsakh by reducing costs and operational expenses, thus allowing more funds to be allocated for projects. We call on all Armenians in the United States and around the world to watch the Telethon and donate generously for this noble program,” stated Khoren Bandazian, President of Armenia Fund USA, the Eastern Region affiliate of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund.
According to the program, priority will be given to low income families, as well as the families of active duty officers of the armed forces, families of veterans of the Artsakh Liberation War and to the survivors of soldiers who lost their lives defending Artsakh.
“This is a great partnership benefiting the children of Artsakh. Their parents do the heavy-lifting of providing for the children through their hard work, the government of Artsakh does its part by providing subsidies and allowances for every child, and we will build them new beautiful homes. The Fund will only be able to do this with the support of our donors, who we cannot thank enough for their generosity and caring. Today, when we hear about Azerbaijan’s unprecedented aggression against the peaceful population of Artsakh, it is important for all of us to send a powerful message to our brothers and sisters that our support for Artsakh is stronger than ever,” explains Ara Vardanyan, the Executive Director of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, Yerevan.
The Telethon airs for 12 hours on Thanksgiving Day, November 26 beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.
On September 19, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund officially unveiled Shushi’s newest institution of higher education, the Yeznik Mozian Vocational School, with Nagorno Karabakh president Bako Sahakyan heading the jubilant opening ceremony.
The construction of the ultra-modern campus was made possible by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s French affiliate, through the bequest of Yeznik Mozian. The project received additional support from the government of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yeznik Mozian Vocational School is the only institution in Artsakh to specialize in the teaching of construction-sector trades.
The opening ceremony was attended by close to 100 delagates from France, including members of the late Yeznik Mozian’s family, Parliamentarians, leaders and representatives of regional and city councils, clergymen, representatives of French-Armenian organizations, and industrialists. The delegation was headed by Bedros Terzian, chairperson of the Fund’s French affiliate, and accompanied by Ara Vardanyan, the Fund’s executive director.
The two-story campus has a total area of almost 4,050 square meters. Designed by French-Armenian architect Alain Daronian, it’s modeled on French vocational schools and was built with the assistance of an advisory committee. Project coordinator Robert Aydabirian, who is also the vice president of the Yeznik Mozian Vocational School and a member of the Fund’s French affiliate, has played an instrumental role in the implementation of the complex project. “The opening of the vocational school which our uncle, Yeznik Mozian, dreamed of, is the best reward for years of hard work,” Aydabirian said. “Already 70 students are enrolled for the school’s inaugural year. Thanks to its supporters and young faculty, this school will graduate cadres of highly qualified professionals, who will go on to contribute to the development of cities and villages across Artsakh. By applying the latest technologies and novel approaches to various aspects of the construction industry, the school’s graduates will help foster a positive environment for economic growth, which in turn will have a wonderful impact on all sectors of the population.” At the end of the ceremony Robert and Hermineh Aydabirians were awarded with Diploma of Honorary Citizens of Shushi.
Designed to accommodate up to 450 students, the school features all required amenities for teaching a curriculum that combines general education and specialized vocational courses. Those amenities include well-appointed classrooms, fully equipped workshops and labs, a library, a storage space for educational materials and machinery, and central heating and air-conditioning.
Students, who come from various regions of the republic, will receive a three-year education. While general academic courses will give them a solid intellectual foundation, they will specialize as locksmiths, metalworkers, roofers, welders, ironworkers, plasterers, masons, painters, tile setters and polishers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and HVAC technicians. As part of their coursework, students will also acquire hands-on experience by working part-time at local construction companies. The school’s staff, have received their training and certification in France. To ensure compliance with European educational standards, the Yeznik Mozian Vocational School has entered into a long-term cooperation agreement with a vocational school in France.
In the words of Bedros Terzian, the Yeznik Mozian Vocational School stands out as the largest education project supported by the French-Armenian community to date, in terms of not only funding and man-hours, but also the school’s long-term vision and far-reaching impact on the socio-economic development of Artsakh, through the development of a specialized workforce which this republic sorely lacks today.
A businessman and benefactor Armenian living in the United States, Andranik Baghdasaryan offered 900,000 dollars to Armenian Hayastan Fund. This is the Armenian president Serge Sakissian, Chairman of Hayastan Fund Administration who announced on May 27 at the 24th meeting of the organization’s office. Armenian President Andranik Baghdasaryan thanked for the gesture and gave him a degree of “donor-benefactor” in the name of Armenian Hayastan Fund. Outside the Phonéton the Armenian Fund (Hayastan Himnatram) records of donations throughout the year.
Krikor Amirzayan
In the spring of 2010, Afghan officials struck a deal to free an Afghan diplomat held hostage by Al Qaeda. But the price was steep — $5 million — and senior security officials were scrambling to come up with the money.
They first turned to a secret fund that the Central Intelligence Agency bankrolled with monthly cash deliveries to the presidential palace in Kabul, according to several Afghan officials involved in the episode. The Afghan government, they said, had already squirreled away about $1 million from that fund. Report nytimes
Within weeks, that money and $4 million more provided from other countries was handed over to Al Qaeda, replenishing its coffers after a relentless C.I.A. campaign of drone strikes in Pakistan had decimated the militant network’s upper ranks.
The C.I.A.’s contribution to Qaeda’s bottom line was just another in a long list of examples of how the United States, largely because of poor oversight and loose financial controls, has sometimes inadvertently financed the very militants it is fighting.
While refusing to pay ransoms for Americans kidnapped by Al Qaeda, the Taliban or, more recently, the Islamic State, the United States has spent hundreds of billions of dollars over the last decade at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, some of which has been siphoned off to enemy fighters.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/world/asia/cia-funds-found-their-way-into-al-qaeda-coffers.html?emc=edit_na_20150314&nlid=49769097&_r=0
In recent years, international and Azerbaijani media more and more reports about financing of terrorist group called “Islamic State” (IS) operating in Azerbaijan. In its turn, the Azerbaijani website “Publika.az” reports that in the northern regions of Azerbaijan representatives of the extremist wing of Islam, Kharijites, established a “Jihad Fund”, where money is being transferred every month to help the IS.
As noted in the article, Baku police is watching after some large objects that are suspected of financing the IS. Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations of Azerbaijan Mubariz Gurbanli stated recently that “if they find financial sources contributing the IS and sending the Azerbaijani youth to Syria or their contiguity to various terrorist organizations, they will be destroyed immediately.” Publika.az assures that Gurbanly would never have spoken so if he was not already informed of the availability of financial resources.
Azerbaijani theologian Aydin Alizadeh, commenting on the situation, stated that the annually amount collected by the extremists is almost $5 million. According to him, the funds are accumulated also through transfers from abroad, and through donations from business organizations, as well as funds of members of extremist groups.
“Publika.az” reminds that earlier Ukrainian site “Umma.ua” wrote of the sum of 5 million, quoting Gurbanly who said that extremist groups receive money mainly from large shopping malls, supermarkets and so on.
Source: Panorama.am
The European Phonethon, humanitarian operation organized by the Armenian Fund of France to Armenia, Karabakh and the affected population in Syria, under the sign of solidarity and sharing and sponsored this year by Adriana Karembeu and Patrick Fiori has closed this Sunday, November 23, 2014.
Through phone calls given by nearly 750 volunteers from Orange platforms (Lyon, Marseille, Paris, Toulouse), plus 1.37 million € were collected in pledges in Europe with 60,000 families and companies contacted during this operation.
For the president of the Armenian Fund of France, Bedros Terzian, “Once again, neither the economic crisis nor the uncertainties of all kinds began the unwavering solidarity of our volunteers and donors with Armenia, Karabakh and distressed populations in Syria. In the year 2014, through their dedication and generosity, France, Germany, Greece, Switzerland and Belgium, as in all countries where the Armenian Fund is established, they send a strong message of hope in the coming soon.
Thousands of poor families will benefit from projects that these gifts will achieve: Agricultural Development in Armenia; rural centers of social action in Karabakh; construction of the Vardenis-Mardakert highway; etc. Over 1.24 million € in pledges from France, Germany € 71,000, € 27,000 from Switzerland, Greece € 21,000, € 6,000 in Belgium, etc. Similar operations are taking place right now in the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina and Lebanon, as well as in Armenia and Karabakh.
The Phonethon continues after 23 November. You can make donations through the website or phone www.fondsarmenien.org: No. Azur (cost of a local call) 0810 24 24 24, until 31 December 2014.
GLENDALE—On October 16, Armenia Fund kicked off its 17th Annual Telethon, which will be taking place on Thanksgiving Day 2014. Leaders from Armenia and the Diaspora gathered at Phoenicia Restaurant in Glendale, where the projects of the past year and plans for the coming year were discussed. This year’s Telethon will be dedicated to raising the money needed to finish the Vardenis-Martakert highway – already partially completed – and continue several other ongoing projects.
Guest of honor, Deputy Prime Minister of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and Artsakh War veteran, Artur Aghabekyan, spoke about the importance of the Vardenis-Martakert road to trade, agriculture, local manufacturing, and tourism. He added that the additional tie between Artsakh and the rest of Armenia would have a significant impact on Artsakh’s economic growth and general well-being.
Last year, $11.25 million was raised to build the road while the remainder of the $22.6 million raised was earmarked by donors for other Armenia Fund projects, including bringing drinking water to villages, schools, healthcare, and agricultural development. The total cost of building the Vardenis-Martakert highway is $33 million.
The work is already underway, as described by Armenia Fund executive director, Sarkis Kotanjian. “The path for the highway, measuring 72 miles, has already been fully widened and the foundation has been laid. Along the way, 16 bridges have been replaced or reconstructed and loose soil and riverbanks have been reinforced to prevent against erosion. Two layers of asphalt have been poured over the first nine miles of road.”
Integral to economic development and security, the Vardenis-Martakert highway will increase trade by promoting the free flow of goods, allowing for greater trade with Russia and Georgia. This less curvy scenic road into and out of Artsakh will also encourage tourism which will benefit the areas around it. Kotanjian states that the road will pay for itself quickly, saying the “Goris-Stepanakert highway cost about $11 million but foreign tourists have spent almost $45 million in the areas served by it since the road was opened.”
Antranig Baghdassarian, chairman of Armenia Fund, spoke plainly: “Each one of us has a responsibility for our homeland’s security.” It was in this vein that Armenia Fund was created 23 years ago, with the sole purpose of strengthening Armenia, he said.
During this year’s kickoff gala, a short documentary was shown about benefactor Jerry Turpanjian, who will be honored for his significant contributions to Armenia and Artsakh during the Armenia Fund Annual Banquet Gala to be held on November 23.
Among leaders present were Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Glendale Mayor Zareh Sinanyan, and representatives of Armenia Fund member organizations, reflecting a broad cross-section of the Armenian community in the United States.
In California, the Telethon will air live for 12 hours on Thursday, November 27, 2014, from 8AM to 8PM PST. It will be broadcast on KSCI Channel 18 in Los Angeles, KTSF Channel 26 in San Francisco, KSAO Channel 49 in Sacramento, and KGMC Channel 43 in Fresno, and on all Los Angeles-based Armenian television networks. The Telethon will also be webcasted on www.armeniafund.org.
Donations can be made over the phone by calling 1-800-888-8897 or through a secure server connection at armeniafund.org/donate starting now.
Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Since 1991, Armenia Fund has rendered more than $250 million in development aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia Fund, Inc. is the U.S. Western Region affiliate of “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund.