On November 6, another nice initiative was held at the Center for Coordination of Syrian-Armenians’ Issues NGO.

UMCOR had a pleasant surprise in store for the Syrian-Armenian children who have taken shelter in Armenia.

Programs coordinator for UMCOR Armenia Anahit Gasparyan provided some details on the initiative.

“This past summer, the UNHCR’s Office in Armenia held a conference with local and international organizations. The representatives of those organizations were well aware of the key issues facing Syrian-Armenians in Armenia and raised the issue of holding some kind of an initiative for them.

UMCOR decided to join those organizations and managed to procure nearly 10,000 dollars.”

UMCOR addressed Director of the Center for Coordination of Syrian-Armenians’ Issues NGO Lena Haladjian with the request for clarifications about what could be done with that amount of money, taking into consideration the current needs of the Syrian-Armenians.

The sides agreed to order jackets for nearly 400 Syrian-Armenian children between the ages of 7 and 14. “We decided on the colors and forms, and thank God, we got beautiful samples,” Anahit said.

The organizations ordered the jackets from the Armenian Tosp Factory.

“We understand that this is not that big of a help, but we’re pleased with the fact that we were able to ease the burden of our Syrian-Armenian compatriots a little,” Anahit mentioned, adding that UMCOR might implement another program with the Center for Coordination of Syrian-Armenians’ Issues NGO to help the Syrian-Armenians in Armenia.

The package of materials included colorful blankets, accessories for newborns, hygiene kits and writing accessories provided by UMCOR’s humanitarian aid department and members of the AGBU Aleppo Alumni Committee in Los Angeles.