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Transforming Armenian Villages “Adopt A Village Project” – connecting Diaspora “Video”

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adopt-a-vilage-740By Wally Sarkeesian
Transforming Armenia
On 29 September 2016 something magical happened in Vayots Dzor Province, Armenia. It wasn’t just the sound of Armenian music or the dancing of young villagers. It was a day when the Armenian diaspora were able to connect directly with their fellow Armenians in a unique way.
The Adopt-a-Village Project (AAV) is an idea by Australia/New Zealand genocide activist Len Wicks, who is author of Origins: Discovery, a novel that features Armenia. Len married Armine Hakobyan in 2011 and since then has been on a quest for positive change in the Fatherland.
Everyone present – diaspora, tourists, dignitaries and ordinary villagers – were captivated by the simple concept of each village in Armenia having a mentor who organized direct assistance from the diaspora and friends of Armenia living in the diaspora nation. AAV uses direct, transparent micro-projects to avoid corruption. The scheme has the potential to systematically transform the nation, by strengthening the economic independence of the most vulnerable Armenians in rural villages. It’s surprising that this hasn’t been done before.

We witnessed a gathering of people from around the world at the unveiling of the Karas Monument – designed by Len as a tourist icon to symbolize the start of the Silk Road Wine Trail that he’s promoting for tourism. Excited young villagers unfurled a 125 metre Armenian flag from the monument, singing Mer Hayrenik.
They were happy to know that others cared for them and the future was brighter.
It was noted that villagers have to play their part too. They have to clean up their village, learn languages and welcome guests, especially the supporting diaspora.
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Special AAV projects were celebrated in three different villages: Rind (supported by the diaspora in Thailand), Areni (New Zealand) and Shatin (Australia). It’s an innovation intended to prepare villages for tourism and encourage the young to stay. Should we wait until the villages depopulate and die, vulnerable to those who desire our homeland?
If you would like to learn more about the Armenian Church-endorsed AAV Project, please check out the information at http://originsdiscovery.com/Adopt-a-Village.html, and contact Len through his website contacts. On the news page you can see the interviews about AAV on Armenian TV.

Armenian Villagers need donors to develop businesses independently – minister

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villagers-donorsVillagers cannot engage in entrepreneurial activities of their own unless they have donors to assist them, Armenia’s new minister of agriculture said today, calling for more active efforts towards developing the sector.

“It is important, apart from daily earnings, to start thinking also about what to do to make the agriculture develop or secure an extra profit. A strategic program is now  being developed to outline the trends potentially offering assistance. A villager today cannot logically engage in his or her own business against the absence of financial resources,” Ignati Arakelyan explained.
The minister said he hasn’t observed any progress in rural economies the past 25 years since gaining independence.

“We are now trying to develop [agriculture], as nothing has changed for the villager in the past quarter of century,” he added.

Asked what measures the Ministry of Agriculture is planning to undertake to rule out conflicts between villagers and companies procuring their produce, Arakelyan said they have embarked on elaborating a new formula. “We are in a process of developing a formula to make also the surplus procurable. The draft is available, so we will submit it once it is complete,” he added.

Three Armenian villagers killed in Azeri shelling: Defense Ministry vows ‘equivalent actions’

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Three Armenian civilians were killed as a result of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side on September 24.

Three Armenian civilians were killed as a result of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side on September 24.

The rival used artillery weapons and mortars of different calibre as it opened fire in the north-eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The shelling left three civilians killed in Tavuh Province (Paytsar Arakelyan, 83, Shushan Asatryan, 94, and Sona Revazyan, 41). report armradio.am

“As a rule, the Azerbaijani side resorts to provocative actions on the eve negotiations and meetings targeted at the peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict, intentionally escalating tension at the border. This comes to prove that the military-political leadership of the neighbouring country ignores initiatives aimed at peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and periodically destabilize the situation at the line of contact,” the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

“The current situation is a result of insidious tactics of the Azerbaijani military-political leadership and contradicts the logic of negotiations within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group and the principles of international humanitarian law,” the Ministry declared.

The Armenian Ministry of Defense urges the Azerbaijani side to refrain from steps aimed at escalation and take practical measures to stabilize the situation. It also urges residents of villages bordering Azerbaijan to avoid serving a shield for own Armed Forces.

“The Armenian Armed Forces will resort to equivalent actions to stabilize the situation and restrain the Azerbaijani troops,” the Ministry said, adding that “the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan will bear full responsibility for the consequences.”

‘119 Armenian villages were burned in Diyarbakır’

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diyarbakirda-119-ermeni-koyu-yakildi-70553MSF carried out in-house “Diyarbakir and Armenia” Speaking on behalf of the Assembly session titled Astğig Mountaineers Western Armenia Armenians, Armenian massacre in Diyarbakir said that 119 villages had been burned.

Diyarbakir – “for humanity, against capitalism and exploitation, freedom will win” Mesopotamian Social Forum, held under the slogan (MSF) scope carried out “in Diyarbakir and Armenians” session on behalf of Western Armenia, the Armenian Assembly of Astğig Mountaineers joined.


The Mountaineers made a short speech about the history of the Armenians, Armenians is one of the ancient people of this land and lived on this land for thousands of years, he added. After a short historical presentation about the Armenians suffered by Armenians in the late Ottoman oppression and exile until the Mountaineers, 2nd said Abdulhamid period a systematic manner in the transition made the Armenian massacres, “after Hamidie created first as a system against the Armenians in 1894 Sason oppression and massacre took place, “he said.

‘Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed’

Diyarbakir, the Armenian population was too much, the 1894-1896 year include 119 villages had been burned and the Armenian Church of the Mountaineers said that began to be translated into a mosque, “in the period of slaughter was sacked thousands of homes and businesses collapsed. The number of women also missed were too many to count. Massacre periods Hamidiye at the beginning of the procession in Pirinççiza Arif wanted to get personally involved in the Armenian massacres, “he said.

Mountaineers later showed pictures of before and after the Armenian massacres. He continued in the form of question and answer session. DİHA

Source: yuksekovahaber.com