AWHF – We Thank You

Dear AWHF Friends, thanks to your generous donations we had a very productive year in 2022, bringing new programs for our veterans and new capabilities to our defense forces.  Going into 2023, we will continue to address the existential challenges Armenia faces, including:

• Continued Azeri attacks on Armenia, including large scale war in September 2022, aimed at dissecting Armenia’s sovereign territory
• The blockade of Artsakh, aimed at cleansing the homeland of Armenians
• Poor morale and living conditions of our forces that lead to tragic events such as the fire in December that killed 15 servicemen in Vardenis

Achievements in 2022:

• Created an unprecedented factory for high-quality body armor and helmet production in Armenia, and supplied almost 3,000 ballistic vests and helmets to our armed forces and volunteer groups ($2.2 mm)
• Produced and delivered 79 Defense Support Units to make our troops safer and able to survive inhospitable conditions (~$700,000 from AWHF and co-funding from MoD)
• Delivered 5,000 military first aid kits to the army (~$150,000)
• Created jobs, training opportunities and funded scholarships for our veterans to attend university, while supporting strategic technology / industry development ($925,000+)
• Continued rehabilitation of our wounded heroes, and completed a brand-new rehab center in Yerevan ($200,000+)
• Supported the Insurance Fund for Servicemen (~$125,000)^* and other partner NGOs ($140,000), from directed contributions

Key Priorities for 2023:

• Safety: Upgrade living conditions and defenses for our troops, so that tragic events like the Vardenis fire do not occur. This means more DSUs, including in the form of underground shelters
• Survivability: Continue to save lives in combat, by supplying high quality protective equipment and first aid kits. Additionally, we are proposing a new program to the Ministry of Defense to upgrade key defense positions to modern standards
• Rehabilitation: Operate our expanded rehab center to support our wounded veterans and build morale
• Strategic Projects: Our technology center is now the new partner for the MoD on the critical Unit 1991 to train young soldiers in technology.  Additionally, one of our near-term projects is to create the ability to better deliver supplies to remote border positions, including potentially to Artsakh

We are thankful for your contributions in 2022, including the numerous sponsorships for DSU’s at $10,000 per unit.  Through your generous support, we raised $3.25 million in 2022.  We are also thankful to our large donors, including:

• $750,000 from The Manoogian Simone Foundation for technology / education programs
• $156,500 from Armen and Anush Yemenidjian for DSUs and general projects
• $100,000 from The Toufayan Family, as part of their $300,000 financing of new rehab center
• $100,000 from the The Hovnanian Foundation for infrastructure support during September war
• $100,000 from Serj Tankian for rehab center operating costs
• $100,000 from Vahe Dombalagian for general projects
• $100,000 from an anonymous donor for general projects
• $100,000 from an anonymous foundation for First Aid Kits

Your support gives us the means and encouragement to continue our mission at a critical time in Armenia’s history, when it’s easy to get discouraged. Together, we are making a meaningful impact and can do more with additional support.

You can find more details of these projects on Facebook and Instagram (@armenianheroes) and on our website, www.armenianwoundedheroes.com. Through the volunteer assistance of one of our generous donors, we are in the process of upgrading our website and social media this year, so that we can continue to provide more information and transparency to our supporters.

We remain fully transparent, are fully audited, and operate at minimal admin costs, which we fully cover.  As a 501C3, all donations are tax-deductible and every penny donated goes to support our heroes. We appreciate you sharing our message with the broader community.

Wishing you, your families and our brothers and sisters in Armenia and Artsakh all the best in 2023!

Thanks,

Chris and Razmig

Note: Since our partnership from November 2020 till today, the Insurance Foundation for Servicemen (IFS or 1000plus) has received ~$400,000 in donations from donors transferred by AWHF. IFS used the funds to provide compensation to families of fallen or missing soldiers, as well as servicemen severely injured in combat.