During the press conference held yesterday the executive director of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Ara Vardanyan presented the results of the telethon “Our Shushi”. As it’s known, $15,875,043 was donated through the telethon. And part of it is a promise of further donation. Donations and pledges made during Telethon 2009 and fundraising events throughout the year will finance a slew of infrastructure and community-development projects in Shushi. Plans include the construction or renovation of roads, schools, water networks, residential complexes, and various cultural and community institutions. Telethon 2009 carried the theme “Our Shushi,” reflecting the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s strategic objective of helping rebuild the historic Armenian city, in Artsakh. The Telethon was equally dedicated to the fund’s ongoing Rural Development Program, which revitalizes scores of towns and villages throughout Armenia and Artsakh, with particular emphasis on border communities. Let us present the results of the telethon in accordance with countries. Armenia and Artsakh: $1,747,043, Russian Dinner: $5,290,000, Europe (France, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria: $4,126,000, Great Britain: $1,200,000, U.S. Eastern Region: $450,000, U.S. Western Region: 1,636,000, Canada (Toronto): $310,000, Canada (Montreal): $250,000, Argentina: $350,000, Brazil: $200,000, Lebanon: $216,000, Australia: $100,000, total: $15,875,043. By the launch of Telethon 2009, more than 20,000 Armenia residents had contributed to the fund. Of these supporters, 13,000 made donations at their local post offices, thanks to a convenient contribution process made possible by a recent partnership between the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund and HayPost (this is 10% more than last year). Thousands of other Armenia residents made donations through text-massaging, an extremely simple and convenient contribution mechanism introduced by longtime fund supporter VivaCell-MTS (over 12.000 subscribers) for its mobile-service subscribers. According to the data presented by the Fund the donations of Armenia and various other countries are presented in the table. Let us remember that the Telethon of the last year marked an unprecedented fundraising landmark for the Fund, surpassing the already impressive results of the past telethons – 35 million 9 thousand 156 USD. This global fundraising effort was made possible by the collective efforts of Armenia Fund affiliates with the following breakdown: Armenia Fund East Coast Affiliate – $200,000; Armenia Fund West Coast Affiliate- $1,300,000; Lebanon – $200,000; Montreal – $130,000; Argentine – $100,000; Great Britain – $200,000; Netherlands – $40,000; Australia – $50,000; France – $1,500,000; Germany – $85,000; Switzerland – close to $33,000, Toronto – $250,000; Greece and Cyprus – close to $40,000. A Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan stated that he would make a donation of 15 million USD for the construction of a hospital in Stepanakert. “During the November 1, 2008 dinner in Yerevan they promised 30 million USD and the most part of this amount 15 million USD was pledged by Samvel Karapetyan. The money is aimed at the construction of Stepanakert hospital and the construction activities are actively pending,” mentioned the head of the Fund during one of his previous press conferences. Let us also mention that besides the construction of the hospital with the financial means of Tashir benevolent organization (Samvel and Karen Karapetyan brothers) the building of the National Academy of Science of Armenia was fully renovated. It hadn’t been renovated since 1995. This year Tashir Fund has granted 10 UAZ vehicles to the RA Defense Ministry. Telethon 2008 broke records in public participation as well, registering significant increase in small and medium-sized donations along with major contributions. Russia-based Armenian businessman Mr. Samvel Karapetyan has pledged $15 million to be used toward the construction of the regional hospital in Stepanakert. Other major donors include Mikael Vardanyan 300.000 USD, Samvel Aleksanyan 200.000 USD, Eduardo Eurnekian 250.000 USD, Gagik Adibekyan 100.000 USD, Gagik Tsarukyan 2 million USD (construction of sports school in Stepanakert), Varujan Grigoryan 100.000 USD, Gagik Zakaryan – 100.000 USD, Norik Petrosyan, Barsegh Beglaryan – 100.000 USD, Aram Kocharyan, Khachik Manukyan, Karapet Aleksanyan, and VivaCell-MTS, a leading telecommunications services provider in Armenia. M. Baghdasarov allotted 200.000 USD during the telethon 2008 (this businessman during telethon allotted 100.000 USD for the construction of Hadrut). And during the telethon 2007 he donated 200.000 USD. Let us mention that in this list despite the fact that some of the businessmen promised to allot money but they ended up not fulfilling their promise. Most part of the 15.8 million was collected in Moscow during the official dinner hosted by the president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan in Moscow. On that day, the Russian-Armenian businessmen promised to donate 5 million 290 thousand USD to the resurrection of Shushi. The major businessmen of Armenia either donated too little or didn’t at all during the telethon 2009, held on November 27. And the major businessman of Armenia, chair of the Prosperous Armenia Gagik Tsarukyan didn’t donate any money to the Fund this year but in 2008 he had promised to allot 2 million USD for the construction of sports school in Stepanakert.
This year businessmen Hrant Vardanyan and the president’s brother Sashik Sargsyan have not donated money. There are only two wealthy businessmen from Armenia in the list of the donors. Sanvel Alexanyan has donated $200.000, and the owner of Petak mall Varuzhan Grigoryan – $101.000.
The director of the foundation A. Vardanyan assures that all officials, including those from Karabakh, have participated in the TV Marathon 2009. He did not say how much money the president had given because totally the sum of donations from the president’s office was 8.000 dollars. Former president Robert Kocharyan has donated his monthly salary amounting 320.000 dram. Robert Kocharyan’s son, businessman Sedrak Kocharyan has donated one million drams. According to the information of the foundation, the first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan has not donated anything. This year American Armenian famous philanthropists Kirk Kirkoryan and Hrayr Hovnanyan have not donated either. “During our meetings they assured that the reason was the crisis and there is no problem of mistrust,” said A.Vardanyan.
By A.Grigoryan