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DETROIT,
RACINE ARS HOST PROGRAMS RAISING OVER $10,000 TO SUPPORT JAVAKHK On
Friday, December 6 in Detroit, and Saturday, December 7 in Racine the
ARS chapters in those communities hosted public presentations on the
present condition of the Armenians of Javakhk. Over $10,000 was raised
at the two events, enough to pay for the complete renovation of the
youth center for Javakhk's young Armenians. Both events were hosted
under the auspices of the ARS Eastern USA. In
Detroit, the presentation began with remarks by ARS Eastern USA
chairperson Georgi-Ann Oshagan. Oshagan also introduced the guest
presenters, Jirayr Beugekian and Ivan Ardhaldjian, both from Boston. In
Racine, the presentation began with welcoming remarks from Lucine
Samessian, Chairperson of the Racine Soseh ARS chapter. Zohrab Khaligian
of the Racine "Marzbed" ARF gomideh introduced Beugekian and
Ardhaldjian. The
guest speaker explained that their presentation was the result of a
proposal to the ARS Eastern USA to send Armenians from the United States
to Javakhk to document the situation of the Armenian community, and to
develop projects to assist them. The
Armenian community in Javakhk dates back to the time of the Urartian
Empire. History was altered when Communist leader Josef Stalin turned
Javakhk over to Georgia, thus leading to today’s dispute over the
territory between the native Armenians and nationalist Georgians.
Because the Georgians control the government, the Armenians face
discrimination and are forced to live in dire economic and social
conditions. High unemployment and deplorable living conditions, such as
a total lack of electricity and running water in some Armenian villages,
is leading to the emigration of the Armenian population. Another
cause of the current dispute is the strategic location of Javakhk. The
region is a bottleneck of both north-south and east-west transportation
routes. The proposed Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline and existing railway
connection between Turkey and Georgia both pass through Javakhk. In
addition, the mountain range of Javakhk, which extends all the way to
Nagorno-Karabagh, is of great importance for Armenia as it serves as a
natural defense against Georgia and Azerbaijan. Due
to the current situation, the international Armenian Relief Society Inc.
established the ARS Javakhk Committee to oversee and develop plans to
assist the social, cultural and educational needs of the Armenians of
Javakhk. The committee has been successful in legalizing the activities
of the ARS in Georgia and raising awareness of the socio-economic
situation. Indeed, the ARS is the only non-governmental organization
with legal status to operate in Javakhk. A local ARS social office has
just been established, along with a boarding school for Armenian
students. Through the efforts of the ARD, a major hospital which had
been closed was reopened. The ARS Javakhk Fund was also created to
directly assist these and other projects. The
ARS Eastern USA, Inc. has also developed projects to assist the
Armenians of Javakhk under the auspices of the ARS Javakhk Fund. These
projects include the establishment of a center for Armenian youth,
development of a sawmill which will create much needed employment
opportunities, and installation of electricity to three Armenian
villages. Each project will cost $15,000, for total cost of $45,000. Following
the Detroit presentation, donations were received totalling over $8,000.
In Racine $2,000 was donated. As
part of the fundraising effort, portraits from the region by photo
journalist Onnik Krikorian were available for purchase and were sold out
by the conclusion of the two events. Upcoming
Javakhk events will be hosted by the ARS chapters in Lowell on February
23 and Providence on March 9, with more to be announced in the coming
weeks. |
COMMUNITY EVENTS TO SUPPORT JAVAKHK
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