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NEW INITIATIVES FOR AN ANCIENT LAND
Hellenic News of America, PA
Sept 26 2007
IOCC's Partnership with the Armenian Apostolic Church Enhances
Humanitarian Work for Former Soviet Republic
(Yerevan, Armenia) Armenia, an ancient Christian land of the southern
Caucasus and a former Soviet republic, struggles to move forward
from a state-controlled economy and a heavy reliance on subsidies. A
devastating earthquake in 1988 (25,000 killed, 500,000 made homeless)
coupled with regional disputes with neighboring Azerbaijan and Turkey
drain the central government's resources to deal with poverty and
unemployment (34% of the population lives below the poverty line).
Recently, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC),
in cooperation with local partners including the Armenian Apostolic
Church and Lutheran World Relief (LWR), sent and distributed $167,000
worth of quilts to hospitals and orphanages throughout the country.
IOCC Regional Director Mark Ohanian, an ethnic Armenian and veteran
of IOCC programs in Southeastern Europe, talks about the challenges
ahead and how IOCC can bring its expertise in working with the church
to help further develop Armenia.
IOCC Dateline: What kinds of social issues is Armenia facing?
Mark Ohanian
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 90s' Armenia
suffered greatly because it was heavily dependent on subsidies from
Moscow and raw materials from other Soviet republics. The country's
industrial sector is completely outdated and, in some sectors,
irrelevant. Due to political turmoil, Azerbaijan and Turkey have
imposed blockades on Armenia leaving the country with only two
small borders with Georgia and Iran. Consequently, it is extremely
difficult for Armenian businesses to import and export. In addition,
the earthquake of 1988 and the emergency aid that it required drained
the government's resources. Today, Armenia is still bogged down with
high unemployment, massive rural migration to urban centers and abroad,
and the lack of healthcare benefits for the elderly.
IOCC Dateline: Armenia has a large diaspora of some 8 million of its
people living throughout the world. Is there concern about a "brain
drain" in Armenia?
Mark Ohanian
Armenians are well known for being skilled traders and businessmen.
The country has also produced a great many artists: painters,
photographers, writers, opera singers. This area of the south Caucuses
was known as a cultural center in the Soviet Union. Armenia is a very
singular and self-contained culture and the people pride themselves on
the fact that in the 4th century it was the first country to declare
Christianity as the state religion. But since 1992, an estimated 1
million skilled and unskilled professionals have left to seek better
education and employment opportunities in Russia, Europe and the U.S.
IOCC Dateline: What kind of development work has taken place in
Armenia?
Mark Ohanian
There are a number of U.S. and international organizations here
that are focusing primarily on infrastructure: road rehabilitation,
agriculture, public health clinics and improving hospitals. However,
Armenia continues to need more assistance. Many improvements have
been made in the capital of Yerevan, but less than 10 kilometers
outside the city, you will find no rural or agricultural development.
Most people survive on subsistence farming and lack adequate access
to social, educational, and healthcare services.
IOCC Dateline: What makes Armenia a good fit for an organization
like IOCC?
Mark Ohanian
Being an Orthodox agency has certain credibility. Also, using a
faith-based approach that works closely with the Armenian Apostolic
Church is a good fit. Armenian clergy have neither the resources nor
the expertise to provide social services to their people. We can help
train them because we have done it in other countries like Romania
and Ethiopia where we have trained thousands of Orthodox priests.
Also, there is a problem here with resources not reaching the poor.
And although there is a thriving indigenous NGO sector, it is mostly
concentrated in Yerevan. The civil society and agricultural development
programs that we fine tuned in Bosnia and Serbia are desperately
needed in Armenia.
IOCC, founded in 1992 as the official humanitarian aid agency of the
Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas
(SCOBA), has implemented over $250 million in relief and development
programs in 33 countries around the world.
Hellenic News of America, PA
Sept 26 2007
IOCC's Partnership with the Armenian Apostolic Church Enhances
Humanitarian Work for Former Soviet Republic
(Yerevan, Armenia) Armenia, an ancient Christian land of the southern
Caucasus and a former Soviet republic, struggles to move forward
from a state-controlled economy and a heavy reliance on subsidies. A
devastating earthquake in 1988 (25,000 killed, 500,000 made homeless)
coupled with regional disputes with neighboring Azerbaijan and Turkey
drain the central government's resources to deal with poverty and
unemployment (34% of the population lives below the poverty line).
Recently, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC),
in cooperation with local partners including the Armenian Apostolic
Church and Lutheran World Relief (LWR), sent and distributed $167,000
worth of quilts to hospitals and orphanages throughout the country.
IOCC Regional Director Mark Ohanian, an ethnic Armenian and veteran
of IOCC programs in Southeastern Europe, talks about the challenges
ahead and how IOCC can bring its expertise in working with the church
to help further develop Armenia.
IOCC Dateline: What kinds of social issues is Armenia facing?
Mark Ohanian
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 90s' Armenia
suffered greatly because it was heavily dependent on subsidies from
Moscow and raw materials from other Soviet republics. The country's
industrial sector is completely outdated and, in some sectors,
irrelevant. Due to political turmoil, Azerbaijan and Turkey have
imposed blockades on Armenia leaving the country with only two
small borders with Georgia and Iran. Consequently, it is extremely
difficult for Armenian businesses to import and export. In addition,
the earthquake of 1988 and the emergency aid that it required drained
the government's resources. Today, Armenia is still bogged down with
high unemployment, massive rural migration to urban centers and abroad,
and the lack of healthcare benefits for the elderly.
IOCC Dateline: Armenia has a large diaspora of some 8 million of its
people living throughout the world. Is there concern about a "brain
drain" in Armenia?
Mark Ohanian
Armenians are well known for being skilled traders and businessmen.
The country has also produced a great many artists: painters,
photographers, writers, opera singers. This area of the south Caucuses
was known as a cultural center in the Soviet Union. Armenia is a very
singular and self-contained culture and the people pride themselves on
the fact that in the 4th century it was the first country to declare
Christianity as the state religion. But since 1992, an estimated 1
million skilled and unskilled professionals have left to seek better
education and employment opportunities in Russia, Europe and the U.S.
IOCC Dateline: What kind of development work has taken place in
Armenia?
Mark Ohanian
There are a number of U.S. and international organizations here
that are focusing primarily on infrastructure: road rehabilitation,
agriculture, public health clinics and improving hospitals. However,
Armenia continues to need more assistance. Many improvements have
been made in the capital of Yerevan, but less than 10 kilometers
outside the city, you will find no rural or agricultural development.
Most people survive on subsistence farming and lack adequate access
to social, educational, and healthcare services.
IOCC Dateline: What makes Armenia a good fit for an organization
like IOCC?
Mark Ohanian
Being an Orthodox agency has certain credibility. Also, using a
faith-based approach that works closely with the Armenian Apostolic
Church is a good fit. Armenian clergy have neither the resources nor
the expertise to provide social services to their people. We can help
train them because we have done it in other countries like Romania
and Ethiopia where we have trained thousands of Orthodox priests.
Also, there is a problem here with resources not reaching the poor.
And although there is a thriving indigenous NGO sector, it is mostly
concentrated in Yerevan. The civil society and agricultural development
programs that we fine tuned in Bosnia and Serbia are desperately
needed in Armenia.
IOCC, founded in 1992 as the official humanitarian aid agency of the
Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas
(SCOBA), has implemented over $250 million in relief and development
programs in 33 countries around the world.