Noubar Afeyan, Co-Founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, and Anna Afeyan, Co-Chair of the Afeyan Foundation, announce a commitment of $2 million to serve over 100,000 displaced people from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) who were uprooted from their homes following the deadly attacks by Azerbaijan in September. The donation will be provided by the Afeyan Foundation, which previously teamed up with Aurora to help the people of Artsakh in the aftermath of the 2020 war. The latest financial support will focus on several areas including meeting basic needs, providing medical and psychosocial care, and establishing longer-term educational opportunities. 

“The people of Artsakh were terrorized for months, attacked in their homes, and then forcibly expelled overnight,” said the Afeyan Foundation in a statement. “Each of the refugees deserves dignified resettlement in Armenia. With winter approaching, the time to act is now. We thank those who have already taken action and implore the global community to come together to provide the support needed to address this humanitarian crisis.” 

In September 2020, after a large-scale armed attack was unleashed against Artsakh, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative launched the Aurora for Artsakh program to help local people facing a grave humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of the war. The displaced persons were given food, shelter, and clothes, as well as kits with essentials and vital medication. Over the course of the program, Aurora allocated $2.2 million to support 93 humanitarian aid projects implemented by 70 local and international partners. The program concluded in June 2023.  

Photo: Displaced Artsakh children in Goris, Armenia. September 27, 2023 © Narek Aleksanyan