Past Perfect
The Ethiopian-Armenian collective memory nurtures a unique identity
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May 02, 2008
AGBU Detroit Raises over $130,000 for Armenia Projects
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Views of a few of the renovation projects recently completed in Armenia, thanks to donations made through AGBU Detroit.
For the past few years, the AGBU Detroit Chapter has quietly yet effectively focused its efforts on raising funds for various renovation projects in Armenia. Altogether, 13 projects have been supported, with a total donation amount of $132,466.54.
The realization of these projects is made possible through the World Bank/ASIF (Armenian Social Investment Fund) program. Accordingly, the donor only contributes 10% of the total cost of the project, while the World Bank furnishes the remaining 90%. Thus, the full cost of these 13 projects actually amounted to $1,325,000.
The projects financed through donations made by individuals and organizations to AGBU Detroit serve to improve the quality of life, chiefly in various towns and villages in the remote regions of Armenia. Projects supported by the funds provided by the Detroit chapter include the renovation of community centers and schools, the reconstruction of a health center and a museum, and various rural infrastructure projects.
The backbone of this fundraising is Osep Sarafian, an architect by profession, who is an Honor Member of AGBU and also serves on the Board of Directors of the AGBU Alex and Marie Manoogian School in Southfield, Michigan. Following his first visit to Armenia in 1986, he felt the urgency to help Armenia through many organizations, of which he was a member. Since then, he has made more than 30 trips there to oversee the projects until their satisfactory conclusion.
Once Sarafian saw the efficacy of the ASIF program, he approached AGBU Detroit, suggesting that support for renovation projects in Armenia become one of its ongoing activities. After this chapter received approval from AGBU Central Board of Directors, Sarafian then proceeded to reach out to donors, members and friends, as well as other community organizations, many of whom have generously responded with donations ranging from $5,000 to $20,000.
Sarafian's endeavors have been supported by his wife, Nadya, who was the longtime principal of the AGBU Manoogian School before her retirement. Currently, she serves as the co-chairman of AGBU Detroit and assists her husband in marshalling donations for various Armenia projects.
The goal of both the Sarafians and AGBU Detroit is to promote the principles of the AGBU organization by extending a helping hand to their sisters and brothers living primarily in the rural areas of Armenia.
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