Life.panorama.am has covered the 100 Celebrities for 100 Syrian-Armenian Children Program that the staff at the “Hayern Aysor” electronic newspaper of the RA Ministry of Diaspora created and had informed earlier. We present the interview with editor-in-chief of “Hayern Aysor” electronic newspaper Nayiri Megerdichian in its entirety.

Life.panorama.am: What is the 100 Celebrities for 100 Syrian-Armenian Children Program all about and who created it?

Nayiri Megerdichian: The 100 Celebrities for 100 Syrian-Armenian Children Program is being carried out by the staff at “Hayern Aysor” electronic newspaper of the RA Ministry of Diaspora and the Center for Coordination of Syrian-Armenians’ Issues NGO ahead of the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The number 100 is symbolic in that it reminds us of the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Among the participants are 100 singers, athletes, actors, hosts and others whose gifts will make the children happy and make the program more popular. We decided to carry out the program for Syrian-Armenian children because they are the inheritors of the Armenian Genocide survivors, and today, this sector of the Armenian nation is facing difficult times again. We engaged them in this program to convey the message that history is repeating itself.

Life.panorama.am: What is the goal of the program? How was the idea born?

N. M.: The motto for the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is “I Remember and Demand”. We remember the Armenian Genocide, and in this case, we demand that history doesn’t repeat itself. Currently, Armenians in Armenia and the Diaspora are involved with carrying out programs devoted to the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The RA Ministry of Diaspora is also involved in the action with its departments, and the staff of the ministry’s “Hayern Aysor” electronic newspaper is no exception. So, we brainstormed and thought of carrying out this program that will be very popular and will make Syrian-Armenian children happy.

Life.panorama.am: Are the celebrities only from Armenia, or are there celebrities from other countries as well?

N. M.: The people participating in this program are only from Armenia. We have only contacted Armenia’s celebrities, though there are also several celebrities abroad. We also have a goal to engage Diaspora Armenian celebrities in another program, but I wouldn’t like to go into detail on that right now.

Life.panorama.am: In which stage is the program? How many celebrities have joined the initiative?

N. M.: We already have 61 celebrities who have expressed their willingness to participate and have already handed their gifts. I commend the fact that almost all the celebrities accepted our offer with great pleasure. There are people who have offered to give more than one present. I also commend the fact that some of the female singers wanted to meet with the children in person and sing for them. Singer Zaruhi Babayan’s willingness reminded us that we can turn the day into a celebration for the children. Owner of Jambo Restaurant-Park, repatriate Artyom Vardanyan expressed willingness to host the children at the restaurant-park. Other artists have also expressed willingness to sing or host and give surprises on that day. So, the program became more extensive, and we think we’ll be able to make the children very happy.

Life.panorama.am: What are the age groups?

N. M.: As you know, there are many Syrian-Armenian children in Armenia. So, we had to be fair to everyone. After consulting with President of the Center for Coordination of Syrian-Armenians’ Issues NGO Lena Haladjian, we found it appropriate to engage the children living in Armenia’s provinces since they are more socially disadvantaged than the children living in Yerevan. Although we engaged all the children between the ages of 1 and 14, the number didn’t reach 100. So, we decided to engage the children living in the outskirts of Yerevan as well and set the age limit to 5-14.

Life.panorama.am: Will you also be engaging the children from other hot spots in Armenia? If I’m not mistaken, there are also children of Armenian families from Ukraine.

N. M.: Yes, you’re right. A couple of days ago, we also engaged 18 Ukrainian-Armenian children of the same age group, and there are already donators. The boys from Vitamin Club will give gifts to 8 children, and host Hrach Muradyan will give gifts to 10 children.

Life.panorama.am: Will such programs be ongoing on other occasions?

N. M.: It’s always a pleasure to carry out charity acts and put a smile on a child’s face. We hope to carry out other programs. We’ll see.