FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL. 16, 2021

CONTACT:
RUPEN JANBAZIAN

DIRECTOR,
PUBLIC RELATIONS

YEREVAN
+374-98-222-5578

rupen@tufenkian.org

FAMILY
OF MARTYRED 25-YEAR-OLD GRIGORY GABRIELYAN RECEIVES RENOVATED HOME IN ARTSAKH

The
Tufenkian Foundation gives the Gabrielyans a second chance at life in Martuni’s
Herher village 

HERHER,
Martuni, Artsakh (TUFENKIAN FOUNDATION)—The family of Grigory Gabrielyan, a
25-year-old soldier from Artsakh’s Herher village who was killed during last
year’s war against Azerbaijan, was given the keys to their newly renovated home
on April 15.

The
Gabrielyan family residence is the second of a total of 13 homes in the region
that the Tufenkian Foundation has decided to renovate and restore following the
perils of the 2020 war. The program focuses on Herher and its surrounding
villages, including Tsovategh, Kherkhan, and Machkalashen in the Martuni region
of Artsakh. Through the program, residences that have suffered major damage
during the war, as well as the family homes of fallen and wounded soldiers,
will be completely repaired and renovated. 

According
to the Gabrielian family patriarch, Ara, Grigory was a kind-hearted,
hard-working, and patriotic man, who was deeply devoted to his family and his
nation. "My son was engaged to be wed. Unfortunately, the war destroyed
those dreams,” explained Gabrielyan. “We thank the Tufenkian Foundation, who
appreciated my son's dedication to the Armenian nation,” he added.

After
assessing the condition of the family’s previous home, the Tufenkian Foundation
determined that purchasing and renovating another property would be preferable
to restoring the Gabrielyans’ existing home. A two-story house was purchased by
the Foundation in January and later completely restored thanks to a generous
donation made by the Swiss branch of the Armenian General Benevolent Union
(AGBU) and through the efforts of Swiss-Armenian Taline Avakian. 

“The
Gabrielyans’ previous home was in poor condition and was not adequate for a
growing family,” explained Tufenkian Foundation executive director, Raffi
Doudaklian. Ara Gabrielyan’s daughter Edita and her family lived in Hadrut’s
Banadzor village. The young family lost its home following last year’s war and
she, along with her husband and children, recently moved back to her family’s
home in Herher. “Through our programs in the region, we try to extend our
deepest gratitude to the families of our martyrs and our wounded, whose children defended our homeland at the
cost of their lives, their wellbeing,” added Doudaklian.

The
residents of Herher and its surrounding villages came under heavy bombardment
during the 44-day war against Azerbaijan late last year. Recently, thousands of
families who had fled the region during the intense battles have returned to
their homes, many of which had sustained substantial damages. In February, the
Avagyans, a family of eight whose home sustained major damage by Azerbaijani
shelling last year, were the first
family to receive the keys to their renovated residence as a result of the
initiative.

The
Martuni Village Home Renovation and Repair Project is a part of a larger
program initiated and implemented by the Tufenkian Foundation to address the
most pressing needs in the region. Throughout the winter, more
than 150 families in the three villages received humanitarian assistance
packages thanks to a partnership between the Tufenkian Foundation and the
Yerevan-based Izmirlian Foundation. Because of the war, many villagers lost
their harvests and were unable to adequately prepare their food reserves for
the winter. The first distribution took place on Dec. 25, 2020, and subsequent
distributions were carried out in the region on Jan. 23 and March 5.

Immediately
following the war, the Foundation also distributed aid to hundreds of displaced
families from Artsakh in Goris and its surrounding villages. As those families
began to return to Artsakh, other distributions of humanitarian assistance were
carried out in the villages of Machkalashen
and Khnushinak,
in cooperation with the Lyon-based Mérieux Foundation.

As
part of its Herher village cluster restoration and redevelopment program, the
Tufenkian Foundation also announced that it will be launching the Martuni
Village Healthcare Improvement Initiative. “Buzhkets or community
medical clinics are often the only places that villagers across Artsakh have
access to immediate medical care. Our initiative will restore these vital
centers and provide training to local healthcare workers to ensure that
residents can receive quality care when they need it,” explained Tufenkian Foundation
operation director, Greg Bedian.

“We
stand by our commitment to Artsakh and its people. We will continue to invest
in Artsakh’s villages by renovating homes, clinics, and schools, and
implementing development programs so that we can ensure a vibrant future for
generations of Armenians in the region,” Bedian added. 

*
* *

Established in 1999, the Tufenkian
Foundation addresses the most pressing social, economic, cultural, and
environmental challenges facing Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh). Since
its inception, the Tufenkian Foundation has supported various community
initiatives as well as civic activism and public advocacy campaigns to help
improve life in Armenia, while providing housing, education, social, health,
and livelihood support for the Armenians of Artsakh. 

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ATTACHED
IMAGES:

1.     The
renovated Gabrielyan home in Herher village (Photo: Artsakhpress/Tufenkian
Foundation)

2.     A
scene from the April 15 house handover in Herher (Photo: Artsakhpress/Tufenkian
Foundation)

3.     The
Gabrielyans in front of their renovated home in Martuni’s Herher village
(Photo: Artsakhpress/Tufenkian Foundation)

4.     Tufenkian
Foundation executive director, Raffi Doudaklian (L), hands over the deed to the
renovated house to Ara Gabrielyan (R), the father of Artsakh martyr Grigory
Gabrielyan (Photo: Artsakhpress/Tufenkian Foundation)

5.     A
view of the second floor of the renovated Gabrielyan residence (Photo:
Artsakhpress/Tufenkian Foundation)

6.     A
before and after of the Gabrielyan’s new home in Herher (Photo:
Artsakhpress/Tufenkian Foundation)

7. 
The Gabrielyan’s new home prior to renovations (Photo: Artsakhpress/Tufenkian
Foundation)

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