Agricultural project supports Syrian Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh R

Agricultural project supports Syrian Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

11:12 18.01.2014

As Syria’s war continues, AGBU is helping displaced Syrian Armenians
put down new roots in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). AGBU, in
collaboration with the Cherchian Family Foundation and local NKR
authorities, is distributing state-of-the-art tractors and
agricultural supplies to families in need, allowing them to plant a
new future.

In its first few months, the agricultural program has served over two
dozen families, among them experienced farmers. Forced to flee their
homes, they left behind almost everything, including agricultural
equipment, the main source of their livelihoods. Now, many are
resettling in Kovsakan, in NKR’s southwest. Their adopted town sits on
the fertile banks of the VoghjRiver, where the farmers have already
sowed wheat and barley.

Hovig Eordekian, deputy director of the AGBU Armenia Representation
office, commented, `This project gives Syrian-Armenian farmers the
resources and tools they need to support themselves as they adapt to
their new lives. We are so pleased to help these families with a fresh
start, knowing that they are also contributing to the sustainable
development of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. We all look forward to
seeing what their farms produce, and to working together as they
continue to make the transition into their new communities.’

With a generous donation from the Cherchian Family Foundation, AGBU
has purchased three new tractors, disk harrows, seeders, fertilizer
and pesticide systems, and equipment storage space. The initiative is
part of AGBU¹s expansive relief efforts in response to the crisis in
Syria. Across the country, AGBU volunteers are delivering food,
healthcare, shelter and emergency assistance to thousands of Syrian
Armenians struggling to survive. In Armenia and Lebanon, where
thousands more have found refuge, AGBU is distributing housing
stipends, grocery coupons and school fees.

Providing academic scholarships is also a key part of AGBU’s work. To
date, the AGBU-Gulbenkian Tuition Program has administered over
$150,000 to close to 340 students in Armenia. Developed in
partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Armenia¹s
Diaspora Ministry and Education and Science Ministry, the program
supports the higher education of Syrian Armenians who have been forced
to leave their country.

As the devastating conflict unfolds with no end in sight, this aid is
a critical lifeline for countless families.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress