First batch of school supplies distributed through AYF “Sponsor a Student” initiative

On Sunday, December 17, through the AYF-YOARF Eastern Region’s “Sponsor a Student” initiative, 54 Juniors from five different regions of Artsakh gathered at the ARF Aram Manougian Youth Center in Yerevan, Armenia to receive their backpacks. The “Sponsor a Student” initiative was launched in response to the crisis in our homeland. The AYF-YOARF Eastern Region decided to raise funds to provide supplies to school-aged children who were displaced from their homes in Artsakh. Since the launch, the campaign has raised nearly $18,000. With these collected funds, the AYF-YOARF purchased backpacks, filled them with school supplies and distributed them to displaced children this past Sunday. The backpacks include all the essentials to help alleviate the students' transition to starting school in Armenia. This includes notebooks, pens, pencils, pencil cases, rulers, protractors, erasers, sharpeners, drawing compasses, pins and water bottles. ARF Youth members of Armenia also participated in the program to help facilitate new introductions and ensure organization of the distribution. The morning began with announcements from the Artsakh AYF Central Executive and a special video from the New Jersey “Arsen” Junior Chapter wishing the Artsakh AYF Juniors a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. This gathering was an opportunity for the youth from Artsakh to come together, and while for some it was a reunion, for others it was an opportunity to meet new friends. After the introductions, the Juniors were split into teams to play games, which was followed by singing songs and reciting poems. At first, only a few Juniors were willing to sing, but by the end of the second song, everyone was volunteering to sing and recite their favorite poems. The program concluded with distributing backpacks to the youth members. Everyone left feeling excited for the upcoming events and reunions that the Artsakh AYF Central Executive is planning alongside other regions. Throughout the event, the beautiful dialect of Artsakh echoed in the room, whether it was through the games, the whispers between reunited friends or the parents’ encouragement and guidance of their children. The Artsakh dialect was not the only way the room was filled with Artsakhtsi spirit—it was evident in every opportunity throughout the event. The team names selected by the Juniors were: “Artsakhtsiner,” “Artsakhi Oujer,” “Avo,” “Monteapert” and “Artsakh” (Արցախցիներ, Արցախի ուժեր, Աւօ, Մոնթեաբերդ, Արցախ). The trivia game included questions about Artsakh’s history, geography, architecture, heroes, culture and songs. The poems and even the delicious traditional Artsakh food, like Jingalyov hats and gurgut, served as reminders of Artsakh’s resilience and the undying hope of return to the homeland. A donation of $50 sponsors a backpack and supplies for one student. The Central Executive has set a Round 1 goal of $25,000 to sponsor 500 students. Upon reaching this goal, future rounds will be announced to continue providing additional support to those children who have not yet received supplies. Future donation rounds will be aimed at delivering backpacks to those Artsakhtsis living outside of Yerevan and throughout the entirety of Armenia. As the youth organization of the ARF, the Central Executive finds it important and necessary to support our fellow youth of Artsakh and ensure that we maintain their access to education through these extremely difficult times in our nation's history. To fund successive rounds of backpack deliveries, we need your continued generosity and support. If you would like to make a donation, please visit givebutter.com/artsakhfund to support this extremely vital initiative.

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