The Aurora for Artsakh program created to help children and adults facing a grave humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of the 2020 Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war continues to assist projects that support and facilitate the region’s long-term social development. As announced earlier, one of the guiding principles of the program remains keeping it fast, efficient, and unencumbered by bureaucracy.

In the current phase, Aurora will support nine new projects focused on finding sustainable solutions for a wide range of issues, including proper healthcare, social reintegration, empowerment and education. The projects were selected following the Aurora Dialogues event titled “Partnership for Artsakh” that took place in UWC Dilijan on May 2, 2021. It brought together partners from the Aurora for Artsakh program, representatives of local and diaspora organizations, NGOs and charity foundations, Artsakh officials, and the media, who agreed that for the region to succeed, a special priority should be given, among other things, to human resources and high-quality specialists in Artsakh who will be involved in the restoration work on the ground.

Here are the projects:

1. Involving medical professionals from Armenia and abroad in the medical institutions of Artsakh (in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Artsakh);
2. Supporting Wounded Soldiers: Social Integration Program (in cooperation with the Aznavour Foundation and “Support to Wounded Soldiers and Soldiers with Disabilities” NGO);
3. Supporting the beekeeping program for displaced families (in cooperation with the “For Artsakh” National Movement NGO);
4. Organization of Wushu classes for the children living in the border villages of Artsakh (in cooperation with the Artsakh Wushu Kung Fu Federation);
5. Bilingual (French-Armenian) workshop on dramatic art for youth from Artsakh (in cooperation with the Framart Cultural Foundation and the French-Armenian Union);
6. Lead by Compassion (LwE) (in cooperation with Refugees United Soccer Academy (iACT) and GOALS ARMENIA);
7. Founding a bakery for a displaced family in the village of Khnatsakh in Artsakh (in cooperation with the “Jraghactsner” Charitable Foundation);
8. Economic Empowerment of Youth Affected by NK Conflict (in cooperation with the “SOS Children’s Villages” Armenian Charitable Foundation);
9. “2020 Artsakh War: Losses, Challenges & Steps for Resilience-Building” (a research project in cooperation with the Armenian Association of Social Workers).

“The projects supported in this phase are focused on the social development of the families affected by the war, healthcare, culture, education, and sports, and will help different population groups, from children to elderly people, further increasing the number of beneficiaries of the Aurora for Artsakh program. Notably, a great deal of attention is paid to the creation of development opportunities for the youth of Artsakh,” said Narine Aghabalyan, Head of Aurora for Artsakh Program.

In total, since the launch of the program in November 2020, it has provided support to 80 projects in cooperation with 55 partners, both local and international, and allocated $1,740,000 to help those affected by the war. The program also contributed to strengthening Aurora’s partnerships with distinguished international entities like SOS Children’s Villages, iACT and the Aznavour Foundation, among others.

Aurora for Artsakh will continue through 2021 into 2022 and keeps expanding by reviewing new project proposals and accepting those who meet the selection criteria into the program. We are grateful to our supporters whose generosity makes this possible and urge everyone to make a donation to the program through the #AraratChallenge movement.