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About the #AraratChallenge
#AraratChallenge was a global crowdfunding initiative reflecting the impact of the Aurora Humanitarian Movement in Armenia and Armenian communities globally. It was launched on July 19, 2019, in Tsitsernakaberd, Yerevan, during a symbolic ceremony held next to the Armenian Genocide Memorial.
#AraratChallenge was part of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative Charitable Foundation.
In its first phase, #AraratChallenge was a video-based crowdfunding campaign set to increase the impact and reach of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative to combat poverty, improve healthcare, and provide education to those in need.
In 2020, after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Armenia, the #AraratChallenge movement used the funds collected since July 2019 to make a $120,000 donation to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia and help Armenian health professionals on the frontlines with lung ventilation devices.
After the explosion in Beirut in August 2020, the #AraratChallenge campaign provided $50,000 to the Armenian Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia to tend to the needs of Armenian community, and mobilized donations from global Armenian community to raise additional $50,000 for the reconstruction projects in Beirut.
In its final phase, the #AraratChallenge crowdfunding initiative was focused on implementing humanitarian programs in Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) designed to assist the people of Artsakh affected by the 2020 war. Overall, the #AraratChallenge and the Aurora for Artsakh program have benefitted over 150,000 local people.
At the core of the movement was Mount Ararat, a universal symbol of renewal and second chances. Just as the Armenian orphans that survived the Genocide had a chance to start a new life, the #AraratChallenge provided an exceptional opportunity for everyone to join this movement and give a second chance to those who need it most.
Thanks to our supporters, this program managed to assist dozens of projects and benefit thousands of people in need. The #AraratChallenge program is no longer active, but you can support Aurora’s other programs.
“In 2015, on the centennial commemoration of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turks, we launched our international prize and humanitarian initiative to honor the memory of those who saved Armenians. We never imagined that Armenians would need support to survive aggressions in modern times, as we do today. We thank all those who are lending a hand at this time of extreme need.”
Noubar Afeyan, Vartan Gregorian*, Ruben Vardanyan
Co-Founders, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative
*Aurora Co-Founder Vartan Gregorian passed away in April 2021.
Video Messages of the Co-Founders of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative:
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