Yazidi activist will meet with local community and visit Artsakh
The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is happy to announce that Yazidi activist Mirza Dinnayi, 2019 Aurora Prize Laureate and Co-Founder and Director of Luftbrücke Irak (Air Bridge Iraq), has arrived in Yerevan. Mr. Dinnayi plans to attend several events before travelling to Artsakh and will remain in Armenia until December 11, 2020.
Mirza Dinnayi was named the 2019 Aurora Laureate on October 19, 2019, at the ceremony in Yerevan that was held during the Aurora Forum. Driven by his passion to save lives, this Yazidi activist has found a way to overcome numerous bureaucratic and logistic obstacles to help the most vulnerable members of the Yazidi community during numerous conflicts in Syria and Iraq. In the course of his visit to Armenia, Mr. Dinnayi will visit the Erebuni Medical Centre and Heratsi Hospital Complex to pay respect to those wounded during the war against Nagorno-Кarabakh.
On December 8, after meeting with the representatives of the local Yazidi community, Mirza Dinnayi will attend a special ceremony dedicated to the cancellation of a new international postage stamp created by the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative in cooperation with HayPost. The annual tradition of issuing a fundraising stamp featuring the Aurora Prize Laureates was established in 2017 with the release of the first stamp depicting 2016 Aurora Prize Laureate Marguerite Barankitse. On December 9, Mirza Dinnayi will go to Artsakh to meet with local officials and people affected by the war. This visit is a part of Aurora's international program of inviting world humanitarian leaders to Artsakh.
“This year has proven to be exceptionally hard for all of us, and it’s now more important than ever that Aurora remains a shining beacon of hope for everyone in need,” said Mirza Dinnayi. “I’m delighted with this long-anticipated opportunity to return to Armenia and personally express my solidarity and support to the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and everything it stands for. It’s heartbreaking to see what Armenians, this courageous and ancient people, had to go through and are still going through. Our nations have so much in common, and it brings me exceptional joy to be here.”
Drawing on his vast experience of dealing with the aftermath of armed conflicts, Mirza Dinnayi will have a chance to take a closer look at some of the 20 projects in Artsakh supported by Aurora and talk to their direct beneficiaries. Following the ceasefire established on November 10 between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative has stepped up to bring the people of Artsakh immediate humanitarian relief. In addition to launching the #AraratChallengeforArtsakh fundraising campaign, the Initiative has also called on its international community to share knowledge and provide support to ensure effective solutions on the ground in Armenia.