Assistance Programs Worth Two Hundred And Eighty Eight Million Amd Has Been Implemented By The Mother See Of Holy Etchmiadzin

On May 5, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, a meeting of bishops was held.

At the meeting, the progress of social programs aimed at assisting those families who are in need; implemented by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and its dioceses; was discussed.

Accordingly, from March 13 to May 1, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzinhas implemented charitable programs thanks to the donations received from its dioceses in the Diaspora and individual benefactors, the total cost of which amounted to 288,000,000 (two hundred and eighty eight million) AMD.

A. Social Sector

The total cost of social programs was 134.400-000 (one hundred thirty four million four hundred thousand) AMD.

1. 100.600,000 (one hundred million and six hundred thousand) AMD was allocated to the food program. During the period in question the Armenian Church distributed food packages to 3,828 families (17,563 people) including:

- 900 beneficiaries of five charitable Senior Dining Centers (Soup Kitchens) operating under the auspices of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and AGBU.

-268 families in cooperation with Etchmiadzin Municipality.

-3327 families through the initiative of the dioceses in Armenia and Artsakh

-Families of 100 beneficiaries of the probation service and 14 families of ex-convicts

3. 13,800.000 (thirteen million eight hundred thousand) AMD was provided to the families of priests serving in the dioceses.

B. Healthcare Sector

Medical supplies worth 30,600.000 (thirty million six hundred thousand) AMD were handed over to the RA Ministry of Health.

C. Education Sector

1. 1600 tablet computers worth 83,000.000 (eighty three million) AMD were purchased to support distance learning.1300 of them were handed over to the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia for appropriate distribution, in addition, 300 tablet computers were allocated to the students of the "Eornekian" Public school by the Christian Education Center of the Mother See.

2. 40,000.000 (forty million) AMD was allocated for organizing transportation of students and pedagogues of the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy in Kolkata; to Armenia.

During the meeting, the perspectives of new programs aimed at overcoming the pandemic were also discussed.

At the end of the meeting, the Armenian Pontiff, conveying his best wishes for good health to those present, emphasized that the Armenian Apostolic Church with its clergy will continue to do its best to support the Armenian faithful living in Armenia, Artsakh and in the Diaspora.

His Holiness reaffirmed that he is in constant contact with the primates and is aware of all the problems caused by the pandemic, stressing the importance of encouraging pastoral activities in the communities in order to overcome all the difficulties.

The Catholicos of All Armenians emphasized the need, in the current situation of partial lifting of coronavirus restrictions, for our people to be more vigilant, responsible for all the necessary measures to prevent the pandemic, for the fulfillment of the requirements of the relevant structures, and to show Christian love and care to each other.