About FAR
Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a promising future for the people of Armenia, the Republic of Artsakh, and Javakhk.
Founded by the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) in response to the devastating 1988 earthquake, FAR was reorganized into a not-for-profit charitable voluntary organization and received its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit status by the IRS in March 1993.
Since then, FAR has implemented about 300 relief, social, educational and cultural projects valued at over $365 million.
Letter From Our
President and Chairman
Dear Friends,
This was a year like no other, for the entire world, and particularly for Armenia.
We closed 2019 with a simmering global public health emergency which then plunged the world into full-fledged crisis during 2020. But, as we’ve said many times before, FAR was born from crisis. From the rubble of the 1988 earthquake that forever changed Gyumri and Spitak, our founders laid the foundation for a fledgling organization that provided emergency assistance to the FAR of today, a leader in addressing Armenia’s development needs and creating and crafting a stronger nation through empowerment and opportunity.
This year was overshadowed by COVID-19, which has shaken the entire world. As we were forced to separate from one another for our own protection we were also forced to cope with isolation and the challenges that come with it.
For our programs, it meant adapting to different methods and modalities, and pushing the boundaries of what we are used to in terms of service delivery in order to successfully deliver assistance. We succeeded, while still keeping our staff and beneficiaries safe.
Then, in the fall, the impact of the pandemic was compounded by the outbreak of a war in Artsakh in which we had to respond to myriad needs of those feeling the violence. Once again, we were put to the test of helping thousands of the displaced—many of whom had nothing but the clothes they were wearing—to find a roof over their head, food to eat, as well as continued protection from COVID-19.
FAR was one of the most active NGOs in Armenia to respond to the war in Artsakh and we mobilized emergency response and direct support to thousands in need, while also reuniting families and enrolling displaced children in school so as to not miss out on their educations, among other things.
As the borders of Artsakh were redrawn and many of their villages reduced to rubble, at least 35,000 of those displaced from Artsakh now have no home to which they can return. And with tenuous infrastructure and little security, many of those in Artsakh will need our help throughout 2021 and beyond. Furthermore, with COVID-19 still very much a part of our lives, FAR will need to continue to respond to the challenges ahead.
We thank you for all of your unwavering support, which was crucial and essential for us to respond to the great needs in Armenia. We couldn’t have carried out the work we did during 2020 without you. You are responsible for making FAR the incredible organization it has become over the past 30 years. We look forward to a great and continued partnership in 2021 and beyond.
Thank you,
Bishop Daniel Findikyan
President
Randy Sapah-Gulian
Chairman