Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

LA: Armenian Church group fund drive to help refugees in Sudan

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • LA: Armenian Church group fund drive to help refugees in Sudan

    Los Angeles Daily News
    Jan 3 2005

    Youths turn faith into action

    Armenian church group starting fund-raising drive to help refugees in
    Sudan


    By Alex Dobuzinskis
    Staff Writer


    For Armenian-American youths in a Burbank-based church organization,
    the mass killings of civilians in Sudan echo their own people's
    genocide, and they want to extend help.
    To demonstrate that commitment, the Armenian Church Youth
    Organization will start a $15,000 fund-raising initiative Thursday on
    the observance of Armenian Christmas.

    Sudanese youths have been invited to participate in the event, which
    will be held at the Burbank headquarters of the Armenian Church of
    North America Western Diocese.

    April 24 is generally the date when Armenians mark the killings that
    occurred from 1915 to 1923 in the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
    Approximately 1.5 million died in what Armenians say was genocide.
    The Turkish government always has denied genocide occurred and claims
    the Armenian deaths were due to war.

    "When we're marching on April 24, when we're (decrying) the crimes
    that have been committed against us, we say, 'Never again,"' said
    Matthew Ash, youth director for the Western Diocese.

    Ash sees parallels between the Armenian Genocide and the humanitarian
    crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan, since both Turkey and Sudan
    have denied accusations of genocide.

    "It robs something from the victims' families because they're
    suffering and the person who caused that suffering isn't even
    acknowledging it's happening," Ash said.

    In recent months, tens of thousands have been killed or died of
    disease in the Darfur region, where armed groups called Janjaweed and
    pro-government militias have killed and raped villagers after rebels
    took up arms last year, according to the United Nations. Aid workers
    are faced with helping the more than 1.5 million people who have been
    displaced by the conflict.

    The $15,000 the ACYO plans to raise is expected to be enough to
    provide food and shelter to 400 Sudanese refugees for 40 days,
    according to the organization. The money will be sent to Care
    International.

    The ACYO was formed in 1946 and has 650 members in California and
    Arizona. Most of its members are in their teens or early 20s.

    Thera Der-Gevorgian, 17, of Glendale joined the organization eight
    months ago and is part of the recently formed Burbank chapter.

    She said she, too, sees similarities to the Armenian Genocide in
    photos of the crisis in Darfur.

    "Everything that happened during 1915 that happened to us the
    Armenians is happening right now to them," she said. "They're just a
    different color than us."

    The ACYO's Burbank chapter meets at the Western Diocese headquarters
    and has more than 10 members. The organization is trying to establish
    a chapter in Glendale.

    Archbishop Hovnan Derderian said youths with the ACYO have had
    contact with members of the Sudanese community in Southern California
    and that it is important to offer them support.

    "After all, when we speak about religion and faith ... faith should
    be reflected in action," Derderian said.

    The ACYO plans to raise money for Sudan through a mailing campaign,
    over the Internet and through appeals at events and plate collections
    at churches.

    One of the past projects of the ACYO was an initiative to support
    hundreds of children orphaned by a 1988 earthquake in Armenia. Now
    that many of those children are moving on to college, the ACYO has
    launched a new initiative called Brighter Future for Armenia, to
    provide nearly 300 students with $365 a year each to help pay for
    college.
Working...
X