I dedicate this week’s article to benefactor Harutioun Yesaian, who just turned 90 years old and who recently donated 325,000 dollars for the construction of a hospital in Armenia. I met Mr. Yesaian last week in Toronto and asked him to reflect on the positive things in Armenia. I think he wanted to become convinced that the donations from Diaspora Armenians and Diaspora Armenian organizations are used wisely and serve their goal.

We are traditionally so egoistic that we have forgotten about the future and aren’t working together. We meet more pessimistic people in our lives than real patriots and optimistic people. We meet more people who criticize than people who make contributions.

Armenia is located in a geographical area that is surrounded by enemies that provoke so much to disallow any humanitarian organization to extend a helping hand to Armenia. Well-funded mass media outlets are always ready to make a big deal out of any error or mistake in order to leave the people in despair.

After the last parliamentary elections, USAID stopped providing funding for the Millennium Challenges Program, causing a blow to agriculture, which was already in a devastating state. The reason was the fact that the elections were unfair and undemocratic. Meanwhile, the West continues to provide economic and military assistance to Azerbaijan, which is the country that violates human rights the most and has the most journalists in prison.

There are many foreign agencies that wish to organize “orange” or “rose” revolutions in Armenia, and that’s why they try to keep the fire burning in the political field. They are supported by some circles of Diaspora Armenians who wish to undertake democratic reforms in Armenia through the creation of a remotely controlled parliament.

Each person has his or her “prescription” for Armenia’s salvation and rarely thinks about the fact that the only right and helpful “prescription” is extending a helping hand to the viable spheres of economy in order to ensure the country’s survival.

At this moment, I’m thinking of a nurse from Istanbul who spent the last years of her life listening to the Armenian national anthem on the radio and passed away with a clear conscience because she had used her life savings to open a department of political science at one of the universities in Yerevan so that young diplomats would receive training and govern the country.

I’m also thinking of the Diaspora Armenian businessman who invested 1,000,000 dollars to build a factory in Karabakh, saying: “If we lose Karabakh, damn my one million.”

I’m also thinking of Levon Kebabjian and his wife, who left their luxurious home in Paris, spent months in the mountainous regions of Karabakh and donated cows and calves to poverty-stricken families so that they could earn a living.

I’m also thinking of Armenian American jeweler Herman Khindirian, who has a heart of gold and solely provides funding for the Trchunyan Orphanage in Gyumri. I’m thinking of the Armenia Tree Project in Armenia, which helps clean the environment in Armenia to a certain extent.

Fortunately, there are quite a lot of individuals and organizations that are making efforts to save the country with their financial contributions and contributions in terms of technologies.

Kirk Kerkorian is one of those who have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to renovate cultural institutions that used to be in a devastating state.

Architect Oseb (Hovsep) Sarafian spent more than 1,000,000 dollars for the implementation of the programs sponsored by ASIF (Armenian Social Investments Fund) and assured that Armenia would receive 95 percent of that sum from the International Exchange Bank. To this day, nearly 18,000,000 dollars have been spent in programs in 122 villages across Armenia. Water supply, irrigation and renovation of cultural centers are part of those programs.

Armenia’s key issue is the outflow of brains. In the Soviet era, Armenia formed a part of a large global economy that had unlimited resources and corresponding markets. Scientists would come to Armenia because the country had become the leading center for scientific achievements. One of the proofs of that was the Mergelyan Institute. After the collapse of the USSR, many outstanding scientists moved to different parts of the world, assumed offices with a high income, and now, no matter how patriotic they may be, they can’t return to Armenia where there are incomparably few opportunities and low income.

The country also has limited resources. The gold, uranium and molybdenum mines are mainly exploited by foreign companies and sometimes cause harm to the environment. So, the country’s main resource is still the young people gifted with intellect. The initiatives of those young people are the most reliable and can help revive Armenia and counterattack the outflow of brains.

During the years of the blockade, Armenian scientists and academics were able to sell their products, export them online and contribute to the country’s economy. In that sense, the establishment of the TUMO Center for Innovative Technologies in Yerevan was a very interesting project that provides more than 1,000 youth with the opportunity to improve their knowledge of computer technologies. The Center was created by Sam and Silva Simonian from Dallas who spent more than 50,000,000 dollars on that project and will invest millions more to maintain the level and pay the staff members their salaries.

The other valuable project is the Cosmic Ray Research Center (CRRC), which is located on the peak of Mount Aragats and used to form a part of the Yerevan Institute of Physics established by physicist Artem Alikhanian in 1943. Despite the lack of investments from the central apparatus of the Soviet government, today, the division led by Ashot Chilingaryan has 80 physicists, engineers and technicians and has students, in spite of the rather difficult conditions. They are forced to spend weeks on the mountain in the winter. The CRRC has two stations on the mountain. One of them is the Cosmic Ray Research Center at an altitude of 3,200 meters on Mount Aragats, and the other is the Nor Amberd station at an altitude of 2,000 meters. The scientists at the station represent Armenia at several international conferences and have been internationally recognized. The sponsors are Armenian Americans Giragos and Harutioun Vaborjians and their families. Physicist Anahid Yeremian from Stanford has set the goal to have the CRRC internationally recognized. In reality, they and several friends established the Friends of CRRC Group, the sole purpose of which is to maintain the station and the brilliant minds through financial contributions.

Another wonderful initiative is the establishment of the International School in Dilijan. Sometimes people complain that the oligarchs of Armenia and Russia don’t support their compatriots. Levon Hayrapetyan, who is currently under house arrest in Moscow, has provided dozens of millions of dollars to his hometown Artsakh. Despite the pessimism, Ruben Vardanyan and his wife, Veronica Zonabend have invested 115,000,000 dollars for the construction of the school in Dilijan. The school is the 13^th member of the International Association of Unified Colleges” and the first international night school in Armenia. In addition to Vardanyan, other founding sponsors are Gagik Adibekyan from Russia, Noubar and Anna Afeian from the USA, Vladimir and Anna Avetisyan from Russia and Oleg Mkrtchyan from Ukraine.

As soon as you start describing some programs and initiatives in detail, you get afraid that many other programs and initiatives might be forgotten. But the above mentioned brilliant examples of contributions show the positive moods of the others. The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund and our traditional political parties certainly continue to support Armenia. There are many heroes that have not been glorified for keeping Armenia on its feet with their charities and initiatives. There are many difficulties, but some of them have emerged artificially. Many have found the way to overcome those difficulties and continue to do good deeds.

We Armenians have many scientists, inexperienced diplomats and philosophers around the world who are ready to share their ideas and present their proposals. Some of them are sincere and open-hearted, while others are phony and egoistic.

Besides ideas and proposals, Armenia needs financial contributions. Armenia will be able to survive and prosper only if Armenians turn words into actions and make investments.

YERVANT AZADIAN

Detroit, USA