The power of unity and perseverance

Published: Saturday September 29, 2007

US Ambassador Henry Gilmore standling in line with Yerevan residents waiting to receive kerosene, Winter, 1994. Mkhitar Khachatrian

The United Armenian Fund delivered another planeful of aid - its 144th - to Armenia last week, bringing the total assistance it has delivered to half a billion dollars. This milestone is an occasion for reflection and, of course, words of gratitude.

In the aftermath of the earthquake that shook Armenia on December 7, 1988, people and governments around the world rushed to help Armenia, then a republic of the Soviet Union. Departing from past practice, the Soviet Union accepted this aid. It was clear that the damage to infrastructure was beyond the capacity of the Soviet state to repair quickly. And now that the outside world could aid Armenia, Armenians worldwide had an opportunity to go beyond earthquake relief and could help build their motherland.

As individuals and organizations large and small sought to ship aid to Armenia, it became obvious that consolidation and coordination were necessary.

It was - and is - much more efficient and cost-effective to consolidate multiple small or medium packages into a single shipment than to send them separately.

And it is exceedingly easy for several organizations to come up with the same programs, reaching the same beneficiaries, duplicating each other's efforts, while other important needs go neglected.

The Lincy Foundation brought six other major organizations together to form the United Armenian Fund. They are the AGBU, the ARS, the Armenian Assembly, the Prelacy, the Diocese, and the AMAA.

Anyone could - and can - donate to the UAF. The UAF would - and will - deliver the aid to Armenia.

The UAF represents the ability of Armenian organizations to respond effectively to an urgent need and to work together in harmony.

Beyond that, it demonstrates the best of our community's perseverance.

As the needs in Armenia - and Karabakh - have evolved, the UAF has stuck with its humanitarian mission, responding to new challenges. It was instrumental in the harsh winter of 1994, bringing fuel to Armenians who had nothing left to burn for heat. It continues today to deliver medicine and other humanitarian supplies.

As UAF president Harut Sassounian so aptly put it, no matter how fast Armenia's economy grows, there will be a need for aid. Even as we seek to eliminate poverty and work toward a more equitable distribution of resources, we must continue to provide humanitarian help to Armenia and Karabakh. It is good to know the UAF is there to deliver the aid.

Kirk Kerkorian and his Lincy Foundation deserve special thanks, as do the other organizations that work together in the UAF. We are grateful.