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PRESS RELEASE
Monday, June 10, 2013
US AMBASSADOR AND MRS. HEFFERN VISIT AGBU HYE GEEN PREGNANT WOMEN’S
CENTER IN TALIN
On Saturday, May 18, US Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern, his wife
Mrs. Libby Heffern, Former Chairman of the AGBU Western District
Committee of California Haig Messerlian and AGBU Armenia Director Arpi
Vartanian visited the AGBU Hye Geen Pregnant Women’s Center in Talin.
During the Ambassador’s Diaspora Tour in the USA last December,
Ms. Sona Yacoubian, Chairperson and Founder of AGBU Hye Geen Southern
California, invited Ambassador and Mrs. Heffern to visit the AGBU Hye
Geen Pregnant Women’s Centers in Armenia and meet the expectant
mothers to better understand the realities facing women and their
families in Armenia’s regions today.
Ms. Yacoubian remarked, “The AGBU Hye Geen Committee welcomes the
interest and the appreciation shown by Ambassador and Mrs. Heffern. We
consider the Pregnant Women Centers in Armenia a priority. Healthy
newborns and healthy, educated mothers are essential to safeguard the
future of our homeland. I also thank Haig Messerlian and Arpi
Vartanian for their assistance in arranging this visit.”
Messerlian, Vartanian and Ani Aslanian, Project Coordinator of the
AGBU Hye Geen Pregnant Women’s Center in Talin, described the Center’s
activities, accomplishments and challenges. The 20 mothers-to-be were
delighted to share their impressions and have a frank discussion about
their everyday challenges. Ambassador and Mrs. Heffern, proud parents
of five children and grandparents to one child, welcomed the
opportunity to interact with the women, learn about their concerns,
and share their experience and ideas.
To date, AGBU Hye Geen Pregnant Women’s Center in Talin has served
close to 160 women and their healthy babies.
Mrs. Libby Heffern said, “It was wonderful to see so many Talin women
actively participating in the center. I really believe that proper
prenatal care is the most precious gift for their children.”
Ambassador Heffern stated, “Thanks to the Armenian General Benevolent
Union for its great work in Armenia. Its Women Centers all over the
country are prime examples of what AGBU does for the Armenian
people. Libby and I had a heart-warming visit to the center in Talin,
where we met two dozen pregnant women and discussed their lives,
families, challenges and opportunities.”
Several constructive suggestions were offered. AGBU Hye Geen Pregnant
Women’s Center Talin is already exploring ways to turn those ideas
into reality.
Messerlian, Vartanian and Aslanian thanked Ambassador and Mrs. Heffern
for their visit and enthusiasm, and expressed appreciation for their
support to Armenia and the Armenian people. Messerlian added that
their meaningful visit and conversation with the participants meant a
great deal and would be remembered by all for years to come.
The first AGBU Hye Geen Pregnant Women’s Center in Armenia was
established in 2002, in Gyumri, with the goal of improving the health
of pregnant women and reducing infant mortality rates and complicated
pregnancies. In 2006, the second Center was opened in Vanadzor. In
2009, the Talin Center was established, replacing the Gyumri
Center. In 2011, the Nora Injijian Center was launched in
Yeghvard. Most recently, the Arshagouhi Tavitian Center was opened in
2012 in Yerevan. Maintaining a constant number of 20 pregnant women
per site, the Centers have become a place for women to discuss
concerns, receive medical exams & pre-natal care, learn through
individual and group consultations with experts and form long-lasting
bonds with one another. These Centers have become possible through the
efforts of AGBU Southern California Hye Geen Southern California. To
date, the Centers have served over 1,400 healthy babies and
mothers. For more information about Hye Geen, visit
Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.
For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please
visit