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.

 We are grateful to all healthcare professionals and #COVID19 responders in Armenia and Artsakh who joined the #AraratChallenge in these hard times. The movement directed $120,000 to the Ministry of Health of Armenia. Join the #AraratChallenge to support humanitarian needs in Armenia: araratchallenge.com/donatenow

“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.