All For Armenia co-founder and in-country director Matthieu Sahakian (left) at KorniTun with Shahen Zeytourtchian (right), philanthropist, retired surgeon, founder of Mirhav Hotel in Goris, and an early believer in the KorniTun project
The All For Armenia (AFA) nonprofit organization has announced that it is preparing to start renovations on its latest project in Armenia’s border village of Kornidzor, the last village at the gates of Artsakh, overlooking the Berdzor/Lachin corridor on the Syunik side.
The project, named KorniTun – a combination of Kornidzor and “tun” (“home” in Armenian) – will function as both a community center and community home: the former as an after-school educational hub and the latter as lodging for AFA volunteers, teachers and guests.
Renovations of the abandoned building – bombed during the First Artsakh War – which will house KorniTun are slated to begin in July. AFA is now launching the second phase of its fundraising campaign to raise the remaining 25,000 USD, half of the total funds needed. All interested parties are encouraged to visit the KorniTun section on the AFA website to learn more about and donate to this trailblazing project. Donors can have their name or a message of their choice displayed on a stone on the entrance wall of KorniTun (the Wall of Gratitude). There are also several sponsorship opportunities available until November 1, 2022.
“KorniTun has already filled our village with much-needed hope in the longevity of our community, encouraging our youth especially to be proud of their home,” says Lusine Qaramyan, former mayor of Kornidzor and town council member. Locals are encouraged by the prospect of Diasporans and friends of the Armenian nation coming to KorniTun for leisure, to work remotely, or even to give classes in language, computer science, graphic design, art and other topics of interest. Indeed, AFA firmly believes that investing in these strategic border communities is an act of faith in the future of the Armenian homeland.
KorniTun is the first installment in AFA’s scalable SahmanaTun concept. The SahmanaTuns (literally, “Border Homes”) will be a network of houses located in Armenia’s most vulnerable border villages. The goal is to promote financial and cultural investment in these strategic areas and encourage a change in the prevailing mentality toward these communities and extend development beyond the capital city Yerevan. SahmanaTuns will add value to these regions, thereby securing their defense, preservation and development as a priority for the Armenian nation.
In these times of turmoil and uncertainty for the Armenian nation, AFA draws inspiration from the resilience and courage of these border communities to invest in a brighter and sustainable future for the homeland. AFA calls upon Armenians worldwide to join in its efforts to preserve and strengthen these most vulnerable communities.
Street view of KorniTun