Gulbenkian Grants for Syria exceed $ 800,000 in 2013 –

Armenian Communities Department prioritises Armenians in Syria in response to crisis

Last year, the Armenian Communities Department pledged a total of €612,415 (approx. $830,000) in aid to Armenians affected by the ongoing civil war in Syria.

The Syria aid comprised three sorts of grants: Humanitarian Aid, School Aid and Emergency University Student Aid. 

Humanitarian Aid totalling €197,000 is going towards to essential items such as food, medicine, clothes and the educational needs of children in schools. We are partnering with AGBU (Armenian General Benevolent Union) and the Armenian Committee for Urgent Relief and Rehabilitation to coordinate the delivery of funds. The majority of aid is going to Aleppo, where the crisis is the most severe, with some funds also going to Damascus, Latakia/Kessab and Kamishli/Der Zor.

School Aid is directed towards 22 primary and secondary schools in Syria that are facing extreme difficulties. The 2013 budget for such support was €126,665. The funds will be released in early 2014.

Emergency University Student Aid is the largest of the three grant making areas, with €288,750 already paid or earmarked from the 2013 budget. Working with AGBU and the Armenian Ministry of the Diaspora, we helped to pay the tuition fees of all 350 refugee Syrian students in Armenia. Beyond Armenia, we continue to help refugee Syrian students with our partners at the Global Partnership for Syrian Students, chaired by former President of Portugal and UN High Representative to the Alliance of Civilizations, Jorge Sampaio.