The Armenia Telethon Fund is an annual fundraising event held for the last 14 years on Thanksgiving, where the worldwide Armenian diaspora donates funds for humanitarian and infrastructure development assistance to the Republic of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
As the U.S. Western Region Affiliate of the Hyasatan All-Armenian Fund, the Armenia Fund was established in 1994 in Los Angeles, Calif. as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-governmental, non-political corporation, though its umbrella organization’s board of trustees include the president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, president of Nagorno-Karabakh Bako Sahakyan, former president Robert Kocharyan and Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.
The Armenia Fund has implemented over $120 million of infrastructure development assistance and humanitarian aid for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, it says on its website. Last year, the fund raised more than $20 million to rebuild Karabakh’s water supply and irrigation infrastructure.
Past achievements include renovating or constructing 36 schools and 14 healthcare facilities, constructing and repairing 210 residential units, constructing 20 water pipelines spanning over 80 miles in different regions in Armenia and the 41- mile Goris-Stepanakert East-West highway (which ianyanmag was on this summer), the only reliable transit way connecting Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. The project cost $11 million dollars and was completed in 1999.
Last year, the credibility of the fund came into question by the publishing of white papers by activist Ara Manoogian, who alleged that corruption and propaganda plagued the fund and wrote the paper to “raise awareness among the Armenian donors” and “spread the word about the negative impact of charitable activists on the overall development of Armenia and Artsakh based on various international studies.” A section of the paper alleges that the fund “contributes to large-scale tax evasion by letting the authorities and their cronies abuse its tax-exempt status.”
The fund maintains however that it has built its reputation on high levels of accountability and financial transparency, detailing on its website that it undergoes “rigorous financial audits on an annual basis,” and “actively participates in oversight measures, both financial and/or project related, with Hayastan All-Armenian Fund,” with quarterly visits to project sites and meticulous examination of financial documents help maintain accountability within the operational sphere of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund.
You can watch the Telethon Live at this link, where information on donating can be found.
Are you donating this year? Let us know!
