Aurora's #AraratChallenge Movement Donates $ 120,000 to the Health Ministry of Armenia

The #AraratChallenge movement launched by the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative made a $120,000 donation to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia to buy lung ventilation devices.

“This is truly an outstanding act of support and humanity on behalf of Aurora. As soon as the pandemic broke out, all healthcare systems in the world including Armenia were forced to mobilize quickly and use whatever resources they had to make sure people get access to treatment in a timely manner. Our nation’s response to the health crisis has been adequate. However, the importance of proper equipment could not be overemphasized, and we are very grateful to the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative,” said Arsen Torosyan, Minister of Health of the Republic of Armenia.

Earlier, the Initiative has released a statement reflecting its concern with the current outbreak of COVID-19 and detailing Aurora’s intention to help fight the pandemic and assist the world in dealing with this crisis. To that end, the Initiative has pledged to direct part of the funds raised with the #AraratChallenge campaign to support Armenian health professionals on the front lines with ten lung ventilation devices. Based on the donation agreement, at least one of the acquired devices will be transferred to one of the hospitals in Artsakh.

On March 28, 2020, Noubar Afeyan and Ruben Vardanyan, Co-Founders of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative; Lord Ara Darzi, Chair of the Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Arsen Torosyan, Minister of Health of the Republic of Armenia; Dr. David Nabarro, the World Health Organization Special Envoy for COVID-19; and André Andonian, Board Member of McKinsey & Company Inc. Global, participated in a special webinar dedicated to the global outbreak of COVID-19 and organized on the Futures Studio discussion platform. Panelists shared their thoughts on how the ongoing pandemic affects various aspects of our lives and discussed the actions that are or can be taken in order to properly contain the situation.

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About the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative

Founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative seeks to empower modern-day saviors to offer life and hope to those in urgent need of basic humanitarian aid anywhere in the world and thus continue the cycle of giving internationally. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is Gratitude in Action. It is an eight-year commitment (2015 to 2023, in remembrance of the eight years of the Armenian Genocide 1915-1923) to support people and promote global projects that tackle the needs of the most helpless and destitute and do so at great risk. This is achieved through the Initiative’s various programs: The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, the Aurora Dialogues, the Aurora Humanitarian Index, the Gratitude Projects and the 100 LIVES Initiative. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is the vision of philanthropists Vartan Gregorian, Noubar Afeyan and Ruben Vardanyan who have been joined by thousands of supporters and partners. Our Chair, Dr. Tom Catena, draws on his experience is a surgeon, veteran, humanitarian and the 2017 Aurora Prize laureate to spread the message of Gratitude in Action to a global audience. The Initiative welcomes all who embrace a commitment to our shared humanity. 

The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is represented by three organizations – Aurora Humanitarian Initiative Foundation, Inc. (New York, USA), the 100 Lives Foundation (Geneva, Switzerland) and the IDeA Foundation (Yerevan, Armenia).