ARS Establishes ‘Fund for Assistance to Syrian-Armenian Schools’

The ARS Central Executive Board recently formed the Fund for Assistance to Syrian-Armenian Schools to provide financial aid to Armenian schools in Syria and alleviate the financial burden of Syrian-Armenian parents.

“There is no doubt,” said ARS Central Executive Board member Zepure E. Reisian, “that the unfortunate incidents unraveling in Syria have disrupted the community’s normal course of life. The ARS Central Executive Board believes that securing the undisturbed continuity of school life is the best guarantee of maintaining the normalcy of daily existence for Armenian youngsters.”

Vicky Marashlian, the chairperson of the ARS Central Executive Board, noted how a few months ago the Society had already recognized that, as a consequence of the events in Syria, the Armenian community could suffer social and financial instability. After deliberation, the Central Executive Board concluded that the best approach would be to concentrate on helping the Syrian-Armenian schools by allotting funds for “tuitions to needy students,” thus alleviating both the financial burden on needy Syrian-Armenian families, and, at the same time, promoting the continuity of the educational mission of the schools.

“The decision of the Central Executive Board to come up with such a fund is indeed laudable,” said Anna Der Hagopian, chairperson of ARS-Syria. “The economic crisis battering the country has inevitably affected the Armenian community as well, and the number of families and scholarship recipients receiving aid from the ARS-Syria’s social services has doubled over the past year. We are confident that until next September, the ARS family will make every possible effort to assist to the maximum the Syrian-Armenian educational institutions, thus helping the community itself. We have no doubt, also, that Armenian communities worldwide, alongside the global ARS entities, will come to our assistance in other needs as they arise until we finally come out of this crisis,” she said.

Donations to the Fund for Assistance to Syrian-Armenian Schools may be made through all ARS local chapters and regional offices, as well as on the ARS, Inc. website, at http://www.ars1910.org. All proceeds will be sent to the ARS/Syria Regional Executive for distribution to Syrian-Armenian schools.