Dec

24

HyeSanta 2008: Making a difference and making a mark

Filed Under ArmeniaNow Weekly 

HyeSanta 2008: Making a difference and making a mark“My children want warm clothes and want to eat their fill . . .”

What could be simpler? With so much prosperity daily changing Armenia’s demographics, what could be more easily achieved?

These, requests like Manushak Balayan’s, have been at the heart of ArmeniaNow’s HyeSanta program since it began five years ago.

With help from readers like you, we have offered basic care for many, arranged education for some, taken some for medical treatment, and helped our “heroes” find jobs. Since our modest effort started and then became the HyeSanta Foundation, more than 50 families have been assisted in means that range from buying chickens, to finding free computers, to getting passports for refugees, to eye surgery. We have even helped one of the families to but a house and some land.

Each August we update readers on how their donations have been used. Click here to see how we managed your charity during the past year.

This, though, is only part of the story that we believe is our success. For, along with supplying aid to the needy, the HyeSanta mission has also been to promote the spirit of giving among local Armenians. Happily, we have learned that these who for so long relied on outside help for survival, are willing and even eager, to help their own. We’re glad to give them the chance. And our belief has been rewarded, in seeing that what began as a means for Diaspora to help the Homeland has become a fine example of the Homeland helping itself.

Over the past year, HyeSanta distributed goods and services that could be valued at about 14,000$. More than two-thirds of that came from Armenians living here.

This week, we present a series of family profiles that are representative of the kinds of difficulties HyeSanta addresses throughout the year. Next week, we will present 8 video documentaries shot by our partner Shoghakat TV based on these stories as well as 4 video reports (director Ara Shirinyan, authors Armine Petrosyan and Tigran Paskevichyan, cameraman Arman Shahinyan) presenting the success and problems of the project, that demonstrate why it is worth to continue this effort.

As we launch HyeSanta 2008, we welcome your contributions. Click here, to make your donation to become a HyeSanta Helper. We challenge our international readers to reward your Homeland family’s generosity by demonstrating your support of their goodwill.

HyeSanta and ArmeniaNow wish all our readers a blessed Christmas and happy New Year. Thank you for sharing our belief that it is better to help a few, than to ignore everyone.

John Hughes, ArmeniaNow editor
Armine Petrosyan, HyeSanta director
Source: http://www.armenianow.com

Permanent link:  http://www.armpress.com/armenianow/2007/12/24/775/

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