Lebanon has been home to a thriving Lebanese-Armenian community, which, in recent times, has been as severely impacted by the multiple crises wrecking the country.
The harsh economic crisis and the Beirut explosion, adding to the catastrophic devaluation of the local currency, the struggle of the students in Lebanon to continue their education, and the despair at the political dysfunction, have forced a rise in emigration by the youth.
Among them are the Lebanese-Armenians seeking to continue their education in the more stable country of Armenia.
Armenia was one of the many friendly countries that lent its help in the wake of the Beirut explosion that also devastated Bourj Hammoud, an Armenian neighborhood situated near the Beirut Port. Armenians in the diaspora also came together to help their community in Lebanon.
Now, the Armenian Educational Foundation (AEF) has set up an emergency fund for students from Lebanon studying in Armenia’s universities and who have been impacted by the economic crisis, hence in financial need.
The AEF announced that it has awarded 34 scholarships so far, amounting to a total of $47,400.-
“These scholarships not only give an educational lifeline to Lebanese Armenian students, many of whom come from families that have been devastated by the blast in Lebanon, but it also gives them a reason to stay and settle in Armenia,” said the AEF President, Al Cabraloff.
In Lebanon, the struggle to survive continues and the families of the Beirut Blast victims still await an evading justice, while friendly countries are pressuring the officials to break the government formation deadlock, notably France and the United States.
Last week, a gallery opened in tribute to one of the Lebanese-Armenian victims, Gaïa Fodoulian. It was set up by Fodoulian’s mother, gallerist Anne Vartivarian, who sought to see her daughter’s project come to life.
As of yet, over eight months later, there is no official memorial by the state for the 200+ victims.
