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Fund for Armenian Relief
Media Release
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Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR)
Press Office
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
email: press@farusa.org
web: www.farusa.org
blog: farusa.wordpress.com
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Thanks to FAR and USAID the Artashat Water
Supply Project Brings Safe Drinking Water to Armenia's Ararat Region.
Two long years of
digging, building, and constructing have brought a new source of life to another
corner of Armenia. Like arms outstretched, drinking water now flows through
brand-new and refurbished pipelines, bringing life to the homes of more than
100,000 residents in the Ararat region.
This is the
culmination of the results of the Artashat Water Supply Project, which the Fund
for Armenian Relief (FAR) worked on in collaboration with the Armenian
government through the help of a $3.16 million grant from the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID).
Construction crews
restored two existing reservoirs and added an additional one, bringing the
entire system's reservoir capacity to 8,000 cubic meters, up from the previous
4,000. And almost 50 kilometers of pipeline now pump water to residents,
eliminating the unsafe and inefficient need to extract water from local wells.
On August 26th in
the village of Qaghtsrashen, His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians, blessed the new system, which will not only change
the lives of the people in Artashat and its neighboring towns, but will also
bring further economic development to regions outside Yerevan.
His Holiness Karekin II; Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, President of the
Fund for Armenian Relief and Primate of the Eastern Diocese; Marie L.
Yovanovitch, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia; Hovik Abrahamian,
Speaker of Armenia's National Assembly; and other clergy and dignitaries extolled the benefits of collaboration and unity to overcome barriers.
"For us, today's
ribbon-cutting is an example of the obstacles that can be overcome and the
great goals that can be achieved through collaborative effort, intelligent use of
resources and expertise, and an atmosphere of mutual trust and openness,"
Archbishop Barsamian said.
The impacts of this
project are already visible. The seemingly interminable lines of people waiting
to gather well water that once snaked along the region's roads are no more. And
the appreciation and newfound strength of Artashat's people is abundantly
clear.
People like Gayane,
who lives in the village of Shahumyan exudes a broad smiles because her life
has been transformed through this project. She and her husband no longer have
to travel to Artashat in the bitter cold of winter or the oppressive summer
heat to get their water. Plus, her washing machine, which she purchased five
years ago and since then has sat unused in her house, now has a purpose.
For the first time in
20 years, Julieta, also a resident of Shahumyan, can now drink clean water in the comfort of
her home. Unable to access potable water for years, she and her husband had at
one point even tried to sell their home with the hope of buying a new one with
better access, but with no success. When they first heard news of the project,
they were skeptical. Today, she can happily wash her dishes at home with fresh
spring water. She extends her blessing to all of those involved in the project.
"May their lives be
as long as the water," she said.
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About FAR
Since its founding in response to the 1988 earthquake, FAR has served hundreds of thousands of people through more than 220 relief and development programs in Armenia and Karabagh. It has channeled more than $265 million in humanitarian assistance by implementing a wide range of projects including emergency relief, construction, education, medical aid, and economic development.
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For more information on FAR or to send donations, contact us at 630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016; telephone (212) 889-5150; fax (212) 889-4849; http://farusa.org; e-mail press@farusa.org.
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