From our team on the ground

10/3/2023

There are some conversations in life that one will never forget.

While visiting a family from Artsakh in Armenia, I saw a 92 year old woman who was sitting up straight, hands on her knees, and staring at the floor. She was still like a statue. I came over to hug her. She burst in tears. Kneeling in front of her I was trying to console her.

- I am so sorry, said I

- What for?

- It is our generation’s fault. We messed up. We lost our homeland.

- You don't have to apologize. But the graves will forgive you.

This hurts.

10/5/2023

Yesterday was a good day. Two families have a roof over their heads now.

Two out of 120000 looks tiny in numbers. But for these families it was huge.

We're grateful to all who helped. It was truly a team effort.

10/6/2023

We shifted gears today to help our people who suffered severe burns during the organized explosion of the gas station. We visited one of the hospitals. There is a huge lack of medicine in all hospitals. Luckily, we had a doctor with us who knew what medicine was needed right now. After shopping at over a dozen pharmacies, the list was exhausted and we delivered the needed medicine. Doctors were elated that they can help the patients now.

We spent $2052.76 on medicine and medical supplies and almost the entire day of driving. Needless to say that  after what we saw at the hospitals that care for the wounded, we will do it again and again if it helps our people and brings some relief.

A huge thank you to all  owners of pharmacies who gave discounts. Every penny counts in this effort. Our doctors and nurses are our heroes. They are saving lives, indeed.

Once again, this was a team effort. Remarkable, but even if we met somebody helping us for the first time, we worked together like we knew each other for many years.

10/7/2023

Spent a day looking for folding beds. From Argavand to Prospect of Marshal Isakov - no luck. Prices skyrocketed and just a few were in stock. And we need at least 20 for our people. Surmalu, Petak, and others had none. Even Arinj Mall came up empty. Let's see what tomorrow brings.  

10/8/2023

Thanks to our friends at VLV Electronics for their support and reliability, there are 35 space heaters available for our Artsakhis. Each unit carries a one year warranty.

We are grateful to VLV for discounts and flexibility.

10/9/2023

Today, we were fortunate to meet Gor. A quiet, shy man, but when we could not find folding beds all over the city to help those who slept on the floor in temporary housings, he brought a shipment of folding beds to Yerevan. We acquired 40 for  those in need. The best 1200000 drams we had ever spent .

A great story comes with that. We met Gor a few days prior. He called to tell, that he has the beds now. The next step was to find a pickup or a van or something to transport them. This is when we met another guy, Levon who brought his Tundra. Then we needed to store the cots somewhere to begin the distribution. This is where Gevorg called,  offering his garage. And just like that, the logistics chain was complete. People who never met before worked alongside like they knew each other for years.

The power of people.

10/10/2023

We shifted gears yesterday again. Our friends called asking for help to acquire more medication for our people who received burns during the gas station explosion.

This time we organized a little better so we didn't have to spend nine hours driving around. Most of the medicine was in one location. And a few hours later the Republican Hospital received all medication they've asked for. Yes it was over $6400 but it was for our people. Doctors tell us that the two rounds of medication supply should yield much better results and they have enough medicine for a complete recovery now. We wish our compatriots a speedy recovery.

10/11/2023

We spent yesterday and today delivering needed supplies to various areas of Armenia. As a result, over fifty people received cots, space heaters, bed sheets, towels, clothes, first necessities (soap, shampoo, personal hygiene, kitchen utensils, and so on).

We met a pastor from our Gandzasar church. It was a moving moment. He was very grateful for the support and most importantly for the fact that we drove for two and a half hours to deliver it. The indomitable spirit of our people.

Our hats are off to all refugees for their inner strength.

10/12/2023

We always try to find a silver lining in any calamity in life. One of them is an amazing unity of people in difficult times. In a previous post we told the story with cots. Well we finally got around to taking a picture of the pickup that saved the day. That pickup went all over Armenia delivering aid. So I asked if this pickup has a name. It looks like a tank, as it is a customized Tundra with its oversized tires for rugged terrain. Actually they came very handy when we got lost by the lake Sevan and had to make a trail to get back on track. After that trip we decided to call the pickup Sunny. Well, it is big and yellow. Has enough lights to light for miles. And most importantly it brings warmth to people.  

10/23/2023

We have good news to share. We're able to acquire an additional 10 heating elements. Since the demand grew as winter is approaching, we only had 2 left in stock out of 35.

10/27/2023

Yesterday we went outside of our normal operations. We received a call from a friend describing the dire situation in a psychiatric ward in Dilijan and asking for help. Lack of basic sanitation, water, severe staff shortage (one person for the whole establishment) to mention a few. Moreover, over 40 patients from Artsakh were dropped in the same facility. Since these people can’t advocate for themselves, a few good Samaritans spoke up. Here is one of them: https://www.facebook.com/abraham.gasparyan/posts/pfbid024knn5cWegiN5SWJ19sGaDagnYm7QW8K8oMU2DMYQdvUxq4aRoLNmCk65Y2yosyysl

After reviewing the situation we decided to act providing necessary aid. One of our friends found a construction company who agreed to do the repairs for free. But they needed supplies – toilets, faucets, sinks, etc. This is where we came in and asked for a complete material list. Today another friend acquired and delivered all necessary materials to the site. Kudos to Ideal hardware store for helping with a substantial discount. In addition we provided space heaters as there is lack of heat in some parts of the building.

Overall over a dozen people are taking part in this effort. The power of people.

Our FaceBook post in regard to deplorable living conditions in Dilijan

P.S. If you wonder how this could have happen or who should’ve addressed these problems – the facility upkeep falls under the city of Dilijan purview along with the Ministry of Health and Social Services. Such questions should be addressed to them.

Դիլիջանի համայնքապետարան / Dilijan Municipality / Мэрия Дилижана 

ՀՀ առողջապահության նախարարություն 

ՀՀ աշխատանքի և սոցիալական հարցերի նախարարություն 

11/5/2023

About a month ago we visited a hospital in Yerevan where people who received burns during the gas station explosion were patients. Doctors report that because of an additional medicine, they were able to bring almost all people back. In case of 70% burn rate chances of survival are slim to none. And our doctors and nurses fought for people to get them better. We are happy to hear that most of our compatriots are now out of ER and on their way to recovery. We wish them a speedy healing.

Thank you to the doctors and nurses for their tireless efforts.

11/14/2023

In one of our previous posts, we mentioned a 92 year old woman. We’re pleased to report that this family will have a place soon. One of their friends offered them to live in their family house rent free for the time being. However, the empty house needs major remodeling before anyone can live there. This is where we and our friends at the Ideal hardware store came in. Thanks to all involved the family will have a remodeled bathroom, finished rooms, and most importantly centralized hydronic heating system in the house. As of yesterday, all necessary supplies were delivered to the house. Huge Thank You to Ideal store for a 30% discount. Thank you to all who are working on the house now. We are all in this together.

Our FaceBook post has more details about this project.

11/18/2023

A family of six situated in Kharberd contacted us describing their situation. No heat and lack of food triggered our response. These children just came out of almost a year of blockade and need food more than ever. And winter is upon us. Much gratitude to our friends who stepped in and brought some comfort to our people. It is a blessing that we can make things better in these difficult times.

Our FaceBook post has more details about this project.