[Stepanakert/Kornidzor/Goris/Yerevan] — In response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Artsakh and Armenia resulting from Azerbaijan’s unprovoked attack on September 19, the Tufenkian Foundation is providing essential aid and shelter to displaced Artsakh Armenians. In addition, the Foundation is working to amplify awareness of the dire circumstances faced by the thousands of Armenians as they are forced to emigrate from their ancestral homeland, ending thousands of years of indigenous Armenian presence in Artsakh.
- Food Relief
Immediately after access to Artsakh was restored via the Lachin Corridor, the Foundation dispatched thousands of ready-to-eat food packages for the people gathering in Stepanakert who had been evacuated from their villages. As refugees began to arrive in Armenia, food packages were distributed along the road once they were outside the corridor and in Goris schools where refugees were being temporarily housed.
In conjunction with the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA), Tufenkian volunteers also set up a tent near the Goris refugee registration center to distribute ready-to-eat food. Working with the Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations, ready-to-eat food packages were distributed to people stuck without food in the Lachin Corridor in the massive 60 km traffic jam, which at times took over thirty hours to traverse. Going forward, as refugees are shuttled to different areas of Armenia for resettlement, Tufenkian will continue to provide food aid.
- Evacuation Support
In a critical humanitarian endeavor, the Tufenkian Foundation secured buses to go to Stepanakert to help evacuate people who did not have the means to leave themselves. This was part of a greater effort organized by the Artsakh and Armenian governments to evacuate over 6,000 people, including many elderly and socially vulnerable.
- Shelter Support
The Foundation identified over two dozen homes in Syunik to house displaced Artsakh Armenians and has already provided people with emergency accommodation. In addition, along with partners such as the Women’s Support Center and the Family & Community NGO, hygiene supplies, folding beds, linens and other household items are being distributed.
- Media Collaboration
Tufenkian team members were on hand in Kornidzor and in Goris to liaise with international media, assisting them with accreditation and access to Red Cross, NGOs, and government representatives. Team members also provided foreign reporters with background information about the causes of the humanitarian crisis and Azerbaijan’s decades-long efforts to depopulate Artsakh of its indigenous Armenian population.
To help the Tufenkian Foundation to continue to provide assistance to the people fleeing Artsakh, please donate today, and please ask your friends and family to join in our efforts.