Afeyan Foundation allocates funding to support families displaced from Artsakh

The Afeyan Foundation, an organization building and advancing solutions for a better world, today announced it has completed the allocation of its previously announced $2 million USD commitment to help the more than 100,000 people displaced from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) last year. This financial support follows previous efforts by the Afeyan family to help the people of Artsakh after the forced displacement of the Artsakh population.

“The people of Artsakh have been subject to cruel and unimaginable circumstances for years, and after being forcibly expelled from their homes after undergoing ethnic cleansing are now facing the realities of starting over in an unfamiliar place,” said Noubar and Anna Afeyan, Trustees of the Afeyan Foundation. “It will take a large network of public and private support to ensure the people of Artsakh receive the resources and help needed to go from surviving to reviving and ultimately to thriving.”

The Afeyans continued, “We are inspired by the broad group of organizations and individuals working around-the-clock to provide support to the people of Artsakh and are humbled to play a role in ensuring this transition is positive for everyone impacted, including for Armenia as a whole.”

The Afeyan Foundation recently established a grant to UNICEF USA for UNICEF’s work in Armenia centered on the most vulnerable children and adolescents. The program will run for 18 months and focuses on improving access to mental health and psychosocial services, along with social inclusion opportunities, especially in areas where such services are limited. The aim of the program is to empower adolescents and their caregivers with the support systems and networks needed to cope with trauma and stress, reduce stigma, and promote mental wellbeing and social cohesion within their host communities.

In addition, the Afeyan Foundation has committed funding to the following Armenian organizations and programs to support several areas including meeting basic needs, providing medical and psychosocial care, and establishing longer-term educational opportunities.

• AIWA – Supporting the EmpowerPath Program to provide skill training, employment opportunities, and entrepreneurship support to Artsakhi women.
• AGBU – Programs include extending Camp Nairi; skill-building programs to advance employability for displaced Artsakh populations; winterizing humanitarian and emergency support; and a CIVITTA study of the future of displaced Artsakh people in Armenia.
• American University of Armenia / US Embassy – English language education for displaced youth focused on Shirak region.
• Armenia Artsakh Fund – Shipping medications and humanitarian aid for Artsakhi people displaced in Armenia.
• Armenian Spiritual Revival Foundation – Programs include providing group and community mental health care services to the displaced Artsakhi population and organizing psycho-social training program for local specialists.
• AYP School – Scholarships for 10 students from Artsakh
• Children for Armenia Foundation (COAF) – Supporting Project Hope for Artsakh, which is focused on early childhood development, school integration, and access to COAF’s SMART center that includes art therapy courses and other resources tailored to refugee populations.
• Teach for Armenia – Implementation of its Education in Emergencies program to help students from Artsakh integrate into new environments. This includes training for educators, after-school activities, mental health, and psychosocial support, and supporting students academically.
• UWC Dilijan – Supporting Artsakhi students with 2-year scholarships for two eligible students, along with funding for 10 summer camp students.

Afeyan Initiatives for Armenia (AIFA), an initiative dedicated to building a more vibrant, resilient and prosperous Armenia, will have oversight for the work supported by these grants.