Los Angeles Daily News
Jan 3 2005

Youths turn faith into action

Armenian church group starting fund-raising drive to help refugees in
Sudan

By Alex Dobuzinskis
Staff Writer

For Armenian-American youths in a Burbank-based church organization,
the mass killings of civilians in Sudan echo their own people’s
genocide, and they want to extend help.
To demonstrate that commitment, the Armenian Church Youth
Organization will start a $15,000 fund-raising initiative Thursday on
the observance of Armenian Christmas.

Sudanese youths have been invited to participate in the event, which
will be held at the Burbank headquarters of the Armenian Church of
North America Western Diocese.

April 24 is generally the date when Armenians mark the killings that
occurred from 1915 to 1923 in the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
Approximately 1.5 million died in what Armenians say was genocide.
The Turkish government always has denied genocide occurred and claims
the Armenian deaths were due to war.

“When we’re marching on April 24, when we’re (decrying) the crimes
that have been committed against us, we say, ‘Never again,”‘ said
Matthew Ash, youth director for the Western Diocese.

Ash sees parallels between the Armenian Genocide and the humanitarian
crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan, since both Turkey and Sudan
have denied accusations of genocide.

“It robs something from the victims’ families because they’re
suffering and the person who caused that suffering isn’t even
acknowledging it’s happening,” Ash said.

In recent months, tens of thousands have been killed or died of
disease in the Darfur region, where armed groups called Janjaweed and
pro-government militias have killed and raped villagers after rebels
took up arms last year, according to the United Nations. Aid workers
are faced with helping the more than 1.5 million people who have been
displaced by the conflict.

The $15,000 the ACYO plans to raise is expected to be enough to
provide food and shelter to 400 Sudanese refugees for 40 days,
according to the organization. The money will be sent to Care
International.

The ACYO was formed in 1946 and has 650 members in California and
Arizona. Most of its members are in their teens or early 20s.

Thera Der-Gevorgian, 17, of Glendale joined the organization eight
months ago and is part of the recently formed Burbank chapter.

She said she, too, sees similarities to the Armenian Genocide in
photos of the crisis in Darfur.

“Everything that happened during 1915 that happened to us the
Armenians is happening right now to them,” she said. “They’re just a
different color than us.”

The ACYO’s Burbank chapter meets at the Western Diocese headquarters
and has more than 10 members. The organization is trying to establish
a chapter in Glendale.

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian said youths with the ACYO have had
contact with members of the Sudanese community in Southern California
and that it is important to offer them support.

“After all, when we speak about religion and faith … faith should
be reflected in action,” Derderian said.

The ACYO plans to raise money for Sudan through a mailing campaign,
over the Internet and through appeals at events and plate collections
at churches.

One of the past projects of the ACYO was an initiative to support
hundreds of children orphaned by a 1988 earthquake in Armenia. Now
that many of those children are moving on to college, the ACYO has
launched a new initiative called Brighter Future for Armenia, to
provide nearly 300 students with $365 a year each to help pay for
college.