Lorik Humanitarian Fund launches 2026-27 scholarship campaign for Artsakh students
GLENDALE, Calif. — Lorik Humanitarian Fund has launched its 2026-27 Aznavour Saghyan Scholarship Fund campaign after providing 114 scholarships to 100 students forcibly displaced from Artsakh during the 2025-26 academic year.
During the 2025-26 academic year, the Aznavour Saghyan Scholarship Fund distributed $60,810 in tuition assistance through 114 scholarships awarded to 100 students. With a full year of university tuition averaging about $1,000 per student, these scholarships covered a significant portion of the cost of continuing their education.
The 100 scholarship recipients studied at 27 educational institutions across Armenia and pursued 31 different majors, including medicine, engineering, education, business and the arts.
The Aznavour Saghyan Scholarship Fund was established to help students continue their education after the forced displacement of the Armenian population of Artsakh. For many families rebuilding their lives in Armenia, university tuition represents an additional financial burden at a time when they are also working to restore housing, employment and financial stability.
“These students were forced from their homes, but they remain determined to continue their education and build their futures,” said Shunt Jarchafjian, president of Lorik Humanitarian Fund. “Our donors made it possible for 100 students to receive assistance last academic year. We want to make sure that financial hardship does not prevent these young students from continuing the education they have already worked so hard to pursue.”
The scholarship program is named in memory of Aznavour Saghyan, mayor of Martuni, who died defending his community during Azerbaijan’s Sept. 19, 2023 attack on Artsakh.
Due to current funding limitations, the new scholarship program is initially prioritizing students from the Martuni region of Artsakh. Additional donor support will allow Lorik Humanitarian Fund to provide educational assistance to more students.
The scholarship program is part of Lorik Humanitarian Fund’s broader effort to help families forcibly displaced from Artsakh move beyond immediate humanitarian aid and establish long term stability in Armenia through education, permanent housing, healthcare, small business development, youth programs and cultural preservation.
“Last year’s results show exactly what donor support can accomplish,” said Jarchafjian. “One hundred students were able to receive assistance toward their education. Our goal now is to build the next scholarship pool and give another group of students that opportunity.”
Students and donors can learn more about the Aznavour Saghyan Scholarship Fund, view stories from scholarship recipients and find information about the 2026-27 program at LorikHF.org/scholarship.
