Through KorniTun, All for Armenia brings hope to Syunik

A message from the Armenians, to the rest of the world.

How long has it been?

How long have we Armenians been living on the edge? As a nation, as a group of people, as the glorious descents of Hayk Nahapet, the brave children of Vartan Mamigonian, the churches of Ani, the fortresses of Cilicia, the melodies of Gomidas, the courage of Monte Melkonian…

How long has it been? From edge to edge…When did we get used to this?

For how long have we been tossed from tragedy to tragedy, from horror to horror, from disaster to disaster?

And yet, how many times after falling did we stand up to be reborn, to restore and to rebuild?

Armenian history is a relentless tale of intensity and extremes through time and space.

When did this start? When will it stop?

A collective experience of always teetering at the edge, on the limit, at the border.

I am Matthieu Sahakian, co-founder of All For Armenia, a nonprofit organization.

Since 2020, our organization has placed frontline humanitarian aid at the forefront of our activities. Our central mission remains providing assistance to the most vulnerable.

From humanitarian crisis to humanitarian crisis, we have dedicated ourselves to offering as much help as possible to as many as possible through our generous volunteers, passionate staff and fearless community.

Alongside our focal emergency aid work, we have also launched a series of sustainable development projects, all in the Syunik province, where we believe these resources are the most needed.

The vision of KorniTun came to me right after the 2020 Artsakh War. KorniTun is our flagship project, a community home – joint guest house and education center – in the border village of Kornidzor, at the gates of Artsakh.

We had already renovated KorniTun, and programming classes were ongoing in September 2023, when the 10-month blockade of Artsakh suddenly ended in the tragic forced exodus of the entire indigenous population of the enclave.

Programming classes for village youth at KorniTun

While Kornidzor became the center of the Armenian world for two weeks, as the very first to the very last refugee family crossed into Armenia, KorniTun became a refuge and strategic coordination center.

KorniTun was there to host our volunteers, store the tons of incoming humanitarian aid and organize the operation of our red tents in the central square of Goris…From start to end, KorniTun was there.

Artsakh is lost, but the border village of Kornidzor remains, as do all the border villages of Armenia, as does the Republic of Armenia.

I see the frontline village of Kornidzor as a metaphor for the Armenian paradigm: on the edge, at the limit. There, at the border, we walk with one foot in the present and the other on the rocky soil of an uncertain tomorrow.

The authoritarian Azerbaijani regime continues pushing its aggressive rhetoric and actions to levels that might presage a mass attack on the territory of the Republic of Armenia. The risk of an attack is real – it has always been real. But the greatest risk of all is the risk of doing nothing at all.

Opening of KorniTun first-floor classroom in February 2023

If the border village of Kornidzor is a metaphor for the present situation in Armenia, then the KorniTun project is a symbol of what we can achieve together for our people and homeland.

KorniTun is a vehicle for importing hope, education and development to Armenian border villages, while building bridges between rural areas and the outside world.

At KorniTun, we live on the edge, inspired by dreams of doing for the homeland and moved by urgency. This is the feedback we consistently receive from volunteers following their experience at KorniTun.

I’m not saying it’s the only way to act. I’m saying it’s one way, our way, All For Armenia’s way.

If this resonates with you, please join us at KorniTun and experience life at the border with us. You can also share your thoughts and ideas with us via email or on our All For Armenia social media pages.

We welcome volunteers and provide them with a place to stay on the second floor of KorniTun. Volunteers host workshops and classes for the village youth, using the first-floor classroom. Workshops can last a few days, a week or longer.

KorniTun is a place to bring development and prosperity to our most vulnerable populations by sharing and exchanging knowledge and skills with the youth and adults of the village.

Take the risk. Embrace the edge. Live at the limit. Join us at KorniTun, in the border village of Kornidzor, Syunik region, Armenia.