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HAND-TO-HAND
Direct
Humanitarian Relief for the People
of Kashatagh (Lachin)
a_______________________________________to______________________________________z
Teaching Charity
An Important Step In Developing A Civil
Society
The people of Armenia and Artsakh have been the recipients of
charity from the Armenian Diaspora since the 1988 earthquake that
killed over 25,000 people and left tens of thousands without shelter. Eighteen
years following the first influx of charitable contributions from
the Diaspora, very few in Armenia’s general population, who
have been able to ascertain economic security, engage in helping
the less fortunate in their communities.
The Diaspora, for the most part,
direct their charitable aid to Armenia and Artsakh through established
non-profit organizations, most notably the "Hayastan" All-Armenian
Fund, which has divisions throughout the world that transfer their collected
funds to the "Hayastan" All-Armenian Fund in Armenia.
The Supreme Body of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is the
Board
of Trustees. The members of the Board are high officials of the
Republic of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, representatives of Churches,
Diaspora parties, public, and charitable organizations, and well-known
individuals. The President of the
Board of Trustees is the President of the Republic of Armenia.
Since 1991, the "Hayastan" All-Armenian Fund has rendered
more than $160 million in short-term humanitarian aid as well as
long-term infrastructure development projects.
A substantial part of their collected funds has been invested
in the infrastructure of the liberated and strategic territory
of Kashatagh, known during Soviet times as Lachin. This is
a territory that secures a land link between Armenia and Artsakh. According
to various sources, Kashatagh's repopulation reached a peak of
about 20,000 in the late 1990s. Much of this success is credited
to donations collected by the "Hayastan" All-Armenian
Fund, smaller non-governmental organizations, and private donations
from individuals committed to the development of this very important
territory.
Over the years, however, many things have been written in the
news media about the "Hayastan" All-Armenian Fund successes
and failures. Their failures, to a large degree, revolve
around the alleged misappropriation of funds by their directors
and top government officials.
In the last few months reports have been published in the Armenian
press of the depopulation of Kashatagh. Estimates indicate
that 50% of the population has abandoned their homes and left for
Armenia proper due to inappropriate governing of the region. In
the last year control of the region was transferred from Armenia
to Artsakh. Additionally, the governor of the region was
replaced with a former prosecutor who looks upon the populous as
criminals and does not address the needs and concerns of the people
living there, thus resulting in the mass exodus.
The people who remain in Kashatagh desperately need our help. Though
it would be wonderful to implement needed changes and have things
return to what they were in the late 1990s, this is easier said
than done. What is needed now is immediate monetary support
for the population, who are going to be facing a harsh winter with
extremely limited resources. And, we need to be assured that
the support sent reaches those in need without being misappropriated.
Ideally, the "Hayastan" All-Armenian Fund would be
the natural candidate organization to carry out this crucial work,
but as mentioned, over the years it has been plagued with misappropriation
of funds since it is run by the same government officials that
have directly caused the problems we are facing in Kashatagh today.
What is needed is a charitable movement inside of Artsakh that
would not only help the people of Kashatagh, but teach the people
of Artsakh that they have the right and can help their fellow citizens.
They are entitled to be kept informed as to how their elected government
is managing the strategic link between themselves and Armenia. Most
of the population has lost loved ones in Artsakh's liberation war
with Azerbaijan. They have made the ultimate sacrifice for
their country. To threaten the future security of this territory
they have given so much for due to bad governance must be talked
about among the greater population, and accountability must be
demanded from the government bodies responsible for the present
conditions we are facing.
After carefully assessing the grave situation in Artsakh, and
especially in Kashatagh, a two-fold program has been developed
to address the issues presented. The program is called Hand-To-Hand,
which will be discussed in more detail in the "Letter
of Appeal" that follows. Briefly, the program is designed
to get desperately needed aid in the form of hard currency directly
to the population of Kashatagh, while at the same time empowering
and teaching the population of Artsakh, through participation,
the importance and value of charity.
In the "Letter of Appeal,"
you will learn about a program we, as concerned Armenians everywhere,
can actively take part in. Regardless
of how much we are able to contribute, we not only can make a profound
difference in the lives of those less fortunate, but as a direct
result of our contributions those less fortunate are given the
opportunity to make a difference as well, in this case, in the
lives of the country's poorest of the poor.
Hand-To-Hand is about Assistance, Charity, and Compassion;
it is about Accountability, Education, and Empowerment.
LETTER OF APPEAL
Dear Armenians and Friends of Armenia,
The people of Artsakh and Armenia are truly facing hard times and they
need direct relief. Due to the present system, the government in
many ways has failed them. Furthermore, the people of Kashatagh
(Lachin) are in the worst shape. Because
there is no livelihood, no future, people are leaving and the region is
becoming depopulated.
Some Diaspora Armenians say that economic aid needs to be cut, since
a lot of information is coming from our motherland about misuse of Diaspora
funds and the abuse of power. This may be true, but many fellow Armenians
who live in the motherland, can’t make ends meet under the present
conditions. As a consequence, economic “punishment” may
become a disaster, which could further depopulate our country.
We believe there is a way to directly support our compatriots. It is
called Hand-To-Hand. The purpose of our initiative
is to bypass all possible corruption. It is an alternative to giving to
the "Hayastan" All-Armenian Fund and all other government-controlled
funds which have proven, in many cases, not to help those they claim to
help, but rather empower persons who suppress and economically deprive
those we are led to believe are going to be helped by our gifts. The program
offers two options: DIRECT CONTACT by phone with the recipient of
your financial assistance in Arstakh; DIRECT CONTRIBUTION through the
Shahan Natalie Family Foundation, which will assist a family or individual.
OPTION
ONE
1. Donors call a random phone number to a home in the city
of Martuni, Artsakh. They dial 011-374-478-2 and then pick a number
from 1000 to 3000 (example: 011-374-478-2-2654).
2. The donor identifies him or herself and asks for the man or woman
of the house.
3. The donor explains that they are calling from America and need
help to get money to a family in need in Kashatgh and want to hire them
to get the money there.
4. The donor asks for the full name of the prospective “employee” and
confirms the phone number he/she is calling since they may have dialed
one number, but were connected with another.
5. The donor e-mails us at hand2hand@snff.org the name and phone number of the person they spoke to.
6. We set up a bank account for the recipient to receive money
directly from the donor. We e-mail this information back to the
donor with the wire transfer information.
7. The donor wires, let's say, $200 to the recipient. The
bank takes $10 and .5% of the wired amount, leaving $189.
8. In the meanwhile, the recipient has received an "employment" document that he/she is to sign agreeing to only receive $139 of the money wired on a given day (a day that all recipients get their money), and agrees to take a ride to Kashatagh which will cost $20. They will visit with a family we identify who is in need and give them $119. That family will give the donor a receipt for the money received and share with him/her their story, if they choose to, and gives a Thank You Note addressed to the donor.
9. When the "employee" returns to Martuni, he/she receives the $50 balance of the money wired to them for their services.
10. The "employees" in Martuni are asked to share their
feelings of how it felt to be empowered to help a random person in Kashatagh.
OPTION
TWO
For those preferring not to participate in Option One, or who do not
have the communication skills in Armenian to communicate with the recipient
of their financial assistance, they may make a tax deductible donation
to the Shahan Natalie Family Foundation, Inc., and our staff will make
the random call and transfer the money to the "employee's" bank
account.
Smaller donation are also accepted and will collectively be distributed
in $200 increments.
________________
With your support, this program will send a message to the people of
Kashatagh letting them know that we know about the on-going situation
there and therefore are sending desperately needed help directly from
our hands to theirs. The economic implications are even greater. The
city of Martuni will benefit, as the fresh influx of money will stimulate
the local economy. It will have the same effect in Kashatagh.
Additionally, the program will show people that they have
the power to starve the corrupt system which, for the most part,
misuses Diaspora donations, and still help the people whom they
originally intended to help. Even
those who are in need themselves, the "employees," will learn
that they too can help others—those in even greater need.
All information will appear on this website for the purpose
of transparent reporting of our activities. Program
information will also be delivered to the media so people can
see that Hand-To-Hand does work. To promote this program, we will also
be advertising in the local Armenian press in the USA.
Thank you for your attention to this most urgent matter.
Sincerely,
Ara Khachig Manoogian
Artsakh Representative
Shahan Natalie Family Foundation, Inc.
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