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Helping the disabled in Armenia

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  • Helping the disabled in Armenia

    Glendale News Press
    28 Feb2005

    Helping the disabled in Armenia

    Nearly $10,000 was raised during event for Pyunic, an organization that
    promotes rights of disabled in Armenia.

    By Robert Chacon, News-Press and Leader

    GLENDALE -- The Armenian earthquake of 1988 destroyed the use of
    Greta Khndzrtsyan's legs, but it did not destroy her desire to achieve.

    The double amputee was two years old when the earthquake struck --
    rescue workers found her in the arms of her deceased mother under
    piles of rubble -- and is one of the disabled athletes from Armenia
    competing in the upcoming Los Angeles Marathon wheelchair race that
    was honored Sunday at a luncheon fundraiser by Pyunic, an association
    that promotes the rights of the disabled in Armenia.

    Close to $10,000 was raised during the event at Brandview Collection
    through ticket sales, donations and a silent auction. The money will
    fund a variety of programs to help disabled people in Armenia.

    "In Armenia, it's not like in the U.S.," Pyunic board member Lori
    Sivazlian said. "The country does not have critical ways of assisting
    them. Disabled babies in Armenia are usually placed in orphanages."
    Disabled-person access to things such as public transportation,
    high-rise buildings, homes and sidewalks is virtually nonexistent,
    she said, though her group is working to change that.

    Pyunic was formed after the earthquake that killed 25,000 people,
    and left hundreds of thousands homeless, injured or disabled. It
    helps raise funds for equipments and advocacy work.

    "Every time I see a person in a wheelchair enter a bus here in the
    U.S., it reminds me of what we want to achieve," Pyunic President
    Sarkis Ghazarian said.

    There are 130,000 disabled people in Armenia, Ghazarian said, adding
    that the country is years behind in assistance for disabled people.

    For Khndzrtsyan, representing Armenia in the Los Angeles Marathon on
    March 6 is a source of pride, she said. This is the second time she
    has traveled from Armenia to compete in the marathon.

    "The last time, my arms and hands were all bloody from the competition,
    but I still completed the race," she said about the race two years ago.

    Marine Hakobyan also made the trip from Armenia and is competing for
    the first time in the wheelchair race. She was left paralyzed from
    the waste down after the earthquake.

    "I have never done this, but I have trained enough and feel good,"
    she said.

    Some of the roughly 200 people who attended the luncheon walked away
    with paintings, jewelry, rugs and arts and crafts made in Armenia.

    "I came her to support Pyunic in their efforts," said Glendale
    resident Angele Eskandari, who acquired a silver necklace during the
    auction. "People are not as aware in Armenia about disabled issues
    as they are here in the U.S."

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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