YEREVAN—Past Commander of the Knights of Vartan Ani Lodge of Washington D.C. Mr. Jake Bournazian, traveled to Artsakh with his son and daughter on July 17 to make the endowment on behalf of Knights of Vartan in Artsakh. The $10,000 donation was presented to Ms. Karine Atayan, minister of health of the Artsakh Republic, to contribute toward the costs of purchasing medical equipment for a new oncology treatment facility in Stepanakert, the capital.

Construction of the new oncology dispensary was recently completed, in May 2017, through funding from Vardan and Koharig Ohanessian in France. During his visit, Bournazian met with Minister Atayan to discuss the major equipment needs to enable the dispensary to be operational. After the meeting, Bournazian and his family visited with the doctors and nursing staff at the current facility where patients are diagnosed, and then toured the new building of the oncology dispensary.

“The newly built oncology dispensary building needs more medical equipment, and this donation from Knights of Vartan will be used to help improve healthcare for cancer patients in Artsakh. Cancer rates have dramatically increased in the population in Artsakh over the past 10 years. Any support to improve the life of our compatriots is very much appreciated,” said Atayan.

“It is great to see so many improvements in Artsakh today, but still there is much to be done. I hope this example from our lodge will inspire others to follow,” said Bournazian. The Knights of Vartan organization has been operating for the benefit of Armenian people in the homeland and in the diaspora—both directly and through its mission partners—for over a century. Today, there are 24 chapters of the Knights of Vartan throughout the United States.

In 2016, the Knight of Vartan opened its communication office in Yerevan to facilitate communication with its mission partners.