Hayastan All-Armenian Fund to kick off Pan-European Phoneathon on November 16

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s 17^th annual Pan-European Phoneathon, led by the fund’s French affiliate and with the participation of its affiliates in Germany and Switzerland, will take place during November 16-20, mobilizing Armenian communities throughout the three countries.

Proceeds from the large-scale fundraising campaign will be used to rebuild Artsakh communities that have sustained heavy damage as a result of the four-day war this year, to provide assistance to the Syrian-Armenian community, and to support the continued growth of agricultural-development projects in Armenia’s Tavush Region.

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s affiliate in Greece will have its own phoneathon, which will be held during November 19-20 in Athens. Proceeds from this campaign will be contributed to the construction of the kindergarten of Karin Tak, a village in Artsakh’s Shushi Region. The kindergarten-construction project, now underway, is slated to be completed in summer 2017.

Valérie Toranian, editor-in-chief of the French magazine Revue des Deux Mondes, and journalist and entertainer Nikos Aliagas will serve as the godmother and the godfather of the Pan-European Phoneathon, respectively, making appeals for unity and support throughout the five days of the event.

In the course of the Pan-European Phoneathon, more than 600 volunteers stationed in Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, and Lyon will make calls to Armenian households, businesses, and organizations, to request their support of far-reaching projects that will benefit Armenia and Artsakh, as well as our compatriots in Syria.

Last year, the Pan-European Phoneathon raised a total of over 1.3 million euros, which was used for various agricultural projects in Tavush, the construction of multifunctional community centers in Artsakh, and assistance to war-affected Syrian-Armenians and Iraqi-Armenians.

Armenian communities in Europe have held phoneathons for the past 16 years, consistently expanding their donor bases and fundraising totals. Hayastan All-Armenian Fund phoneathons are also held annually in South America, through the fund’s Argentinean and Brazilian affiliates. The Brazilian-Armenian community’s phoneathon, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s last major fundraising event for 2016, will be held during November 26-27.

A testament to the growing stature of these phoneathons — whether in Europe, South America, or elsewhere — is the fact that their volunteer corps continue to draw the participation of numerous non-Armenian individuals.