Back in August 2018 we started a fundraising campaign to help Equal Rights Equal Opportunities NGO secure a permanent facility in Vanadzor, Armenia.
Soon after the start of the campaign, George Keushgerian joined with a generous proposal to purchase a property and lease it to EREO for 10 years at zero dollars. We closed the campaign when we reached our goal ($15,000).
Given our sad history of corruption and poor governance, George’s only advice to me was to make sure that we have some level of control how the facility is used and how the money is spent. I am happy to tell you that the project has been a great success – beyond our dreams because of the leadership of its president Anush Aslanyan and board member Anush Arakelyan – the highly dedicated duo.
The funds we raised were placed in two accounts $10,000 in an 9% (9% is the going rate in Armenia) Certificate of Deposit that will mature in another year, and $5,000 in a checking account for renovations.
A couple of days ago we received a full account of their progress. They used the $5,000 for carpeting, building modification to make it handicap accessible, security cameras. Doors, and thermal windows and heating system were donated by AYO. The $10,000 CD generated $980 of interest so far.
The link below is the video that Anush sent us, I put some titles and posted it on you tube for you. Please take a moment to watch it – inspiring.