It has been several months that Armenia pan-Armenian fund is asking all Armenians around the world to donate money under the slogan “Give water – give life”. I tried to a give a google search to understand how serious the water problem is. I searched “there is no water in the village” and displayed dozens of pages. Those who have ever asked themselves why women and men in remote regions look older and more tired, will find the answers to their questions here because the life is twice more difficult in those areas.
For example, in Lori’s Mghart village people are using the water of the gold mines (belonging to the Multi Group company). There are water problems in villages such as Lanjazat, Vosekavn of Tavush region, Norabak village of Gegharkunik region. It is more than 20 years that there is water problem in Yeghvard village. Vanadzor’s Saramej village does not have water for many years. Fantan village does not have water since 1991. The number of villages that don’t have water is more than the number of people involved in the list of donors of the Armenia pan-Armenian fund. Even there are villages where people buy drinking water.
The water problem results in many other problems too. For example, there are villages where there is no first class child, or they go to the school of the neighboring community by crossing a long distance on foot. Because of this problem life becomes very difficult and families leave from their villages.
Many people do not want to live without water in the 21 century. When my relatives visit me from my native village Koghb of Noyemberyan region, I ask them about the situation and memories I have from there. It turns out that every second house is empty.
Maybe such fundraising is organized for the purpose of saving villages in Armenia and/or Artsakh. Of course they may send Hrant Tokhatyan to the US to be the showman of the fundraising and make jokes.
Finally films made on the fund budget could not leave indifferent our compatriots from Diaspora, especially alumni from this or that Armenian college. They have transferred their ice-cream money to Armenian and Artsakh funds for providing water supply in villages. This was the 14th fundraising of Panarmenian Foundation. Organizers managed to raise more that 12.2 million USD charity and charity promise. Local and Armenian entrepreneurs from Russia promised to join the donation. However, it will not happen on the spot already, but during the dinner with RA President Serzh Sargsyan. Every action has its culture, starting from bagging to national fundraising. An aggressive bagger who is persistently asking money from you only because he lavishes series of blessings on behalf of God is unpleasant. Panarmenian fundraising emphasis is starting to express persistence too. We regularly remind Armenian Diaspora that they are in due debt towards their motherland. It is a big debt which is never settled in the course of 14 years’ fundraising. If you have followed the creeping line on a TV screen, you would certainly have noticed that the basic donors are Armenians from Diaspora. Although, they do not have the same enthusiasm about the fundraising either. According to a sad joke, if the Diaspora’s Armenians take their hands to their pocket during Panarmenian fundraising, it is in the purpose of taking out their handkerchief, and not the purse. Vast majority of Armenians has not participated either. And it is not because they wanted to save up 1000 AMD or more, or never wanted our villages to be equipped with water, but because they are fed up. After all village accommodation with drinking or irrigation water is a state strategic priority. It cannot be solved in such fragmental manner and on accident principal. It cannot depend on this or that benefactor’s or Diaspora’s Armenian feeling of guilt or love towards his motherland. It cannot depend on 500 AMD transferred from people’s cell phones. It’s just not serious. We are already a 20 years old country; however there are villages where the issue of drinking and irrigation water is still pending since the first day of Independence. It is already in the stage where the logic of having water pipe line is lost long ago, the villages are half-empty. And putting water pipe lines is costly and takes much time. 14th fundraising is finished. We are yet to have its 15th anniversary.