Benefit Auction for Armenia

The online Benefit Auction for Armenia powered by Artsy in February 2024 for the refugees of Artsakh was a great success. It helped us raise the amount of $150’000.

It was featuring 25 lots including works by Etel Adnan, Antony Gormley, Peter Halley, Robert Longo, Gérard Schneider and Chico da Silva, amongst others.

In the wake of the tragedy that took place in Armenia in September 2023 with more than 100,000 displaced people from Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh), the Boghossian Foundation considerably increased its contribution, efforts and aid to the country. By meeting the most urgent needs to the particularly vulnerable Armenian refugees, we aimed to ensure that they can find shelter and survive.

The proceeds of the auction went to the AGBU Global Relief Fund and enabled AGBU (Armenian General Benevolent Union) to offer various aid programs to tens of thousands of displaced Armenians from Artsakh restarting their lives in Armenia, including medical and mental health services, job trainings and placements, weekend and summer camps with trauma counselling, distribution of basic supplies such as heaters, and readiness to address the changing needs of the population.

The Boghossian Foundation warmly thanks the donors and participants for their generous support.

AGBUs programs and projects

Camp Nairi: Beginning in February, Camp Nairi held monthly weekend camps for displaced children and their mothers. Each weekend held up to 150 new participants, focusing on community and mental health support through art, dance, and therapy sessions, all led by trauma professionals. Camp Nairi’s summer sessions were reintroduced with double the capacity of previous summers, hosting three weeklong sessions for a total of 612 kids.

Health: This year, free medical services have been offered through the AGBU Claudia Nazarian Medical Polyclinic. With donor support, the clinic will be able to hold over 8,000 polyclinic medical visits in 2024-2025 both at the clinic itself as well as on-the-road services to temporary shelters.

Food hampers: AGBU is currently distributing food hampers to people in temporary homes displaced by the Artsakh crisis. The 840 food hampers contain locally procured pantry staples, which feed food-insecure families and help support the local economy.

Caree training/placement: As government subsidies ended in March, financial independence and sustainability became one of AGBU’s top priorities. A series of intensive skill training courses and programs were developed through AGBU’s LEAP (Learn to Earn Artsakh) programing to assist with career training placement in IT, Agriculture, Culture/Tourism, and Preservation of Culture/Tradition. These courses aim to fast-track the path to employment while also providing employer-employee matching opportunities, access to career fairs, mentorship, and psychosocial support to ensure employment readiness.