LEBANON: THE REVIVAL OF A VITAL ARMENIAN COMMUNITY
22-11-2006 16:15:00 | USA | Articles and Analyses
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
When I left Lebanon in 1969 as a high school student, I
could not have imagined that I would return 37 years later to
bring major financial assistance on behalf of the United
Armenian Fund to thousands of needy Armenian students.
The Armenian community of Lebanon, which was known as "the
heart of the Armenian Diaspora," has been going through very
rough times during the past couple of decades due to domestic
strife and foreign attacks.
Caught in the throes of incessant turmoil, Lebanon
experienced massive unemployment, leading to large-scale
emigration, which in turn considerably weakened this once
vibrant country and community.
Last July's devastating Israeli attack on Lebanon further
aggravated the economic crisis. Most families, which were
already in deep poverty, went flat broke. They could no longer
afford to send their children to Armenian schools. Consequently,
the schools could not pay the salaries of teachers and staff
members.
More than a dozen Armenian schools were forced to close
down in recent years. Thousands of Armenian children started
attending tuition-free Lebanese public schools. The community's
well-being was substantially degraded.
One sunny morning earlier this month, the Armenian
community of Lebanon woke up to the stunning news that the
United Armenian Fund, through a generous grant from The Lincy
Foundation, was providing $4.5 million in order to cover the
full or partial tuition of more than 5,000 Armenian students,
the back salaries of more than 500 teachers and staff for the
past academic year, as well as funds for the urgent needs of the
schools.
I was repeatedly told during my trip to Lebanon that the
unsolicited and unexpected $4.5 million contribution was a
godsent gift to thousands of needy families and their
community's schools.
This major donation to all 28 Lebanese Armenian schools,
affiliated with 7 different organizations, including the
Prelacy, Catholics, Evangelicals, AGBU, Tekeyan, AEBU, and
Hamazkayine, brought a renewed sense of hope and unity to this
very diverse community.
More important than the amount of the contribution was the
community members' realization that they were not facing these
obstacles alone and that their far-away compatriots cared deeply
about their welfare and well-being.
I visited each of the 28 Armenian schools throughout
Lebanon and met with their administrators and sponsoring
organizations to deliver the much-needed financial contribution.
Without exception, they all expressed their heart-felt gratitude
not only for this donation, but more importantly, for being
remembered by fellow Armenians from across the oceans. School
officials told me that my uplifting remarks to the students
brought renewed hope and encouraged them to persevere in the
face of overwhelming odds. I told the students that most of
their difficulties were behind them and that they would grow up
to become once again a part of the prosperous community they
used to be.
For decades, Lebanon provided highly skilled teachers,
writers, clergymen, artists, intellectuals and leaders for other
Armenian communities throughout the Diaspora. Back in 1964, when
there were no Armenian schools in the United States, a small
group of Lebanese Armenians had the foresight and came up with
the seed money to establish the first Armenian school in the
United States -- the Ferrahian Armenian High School in Encino,
California. It is poetic justice that more than 30 years later,
when the Armenian schools in Lebanon experienced financial
difficulty, reciprocal assistance is provided to them from
California!
My week-long visit to all Armenian schools and community
organizations showed that despite three decades of downward
spiral, the Lebanese Armenian community remains vibrant and has
many talented and dedicated individuals in just about every walk
of life. They are ready to serve their community and country
with total devotion and distinction. They were not looking for
handouts. They were struggling to take care of themselves, but
had simply reached their wit's end. Hopefully, many other donors
both within and outside Lebanon would emulate The Lincy
Foundation's wonderful gesture and help support Armenian
institutions throughout the Diaspora.
This one-time generous grant, while it did not cover all of
the Armenian community's many needs, goes a long way in
reassuring the Lebanese Armenians that they are not abandoned to
their fate and that the Armenian nation is like an extended
family: the pain and joy of each one is the pain and joy of all.
I am confident that Lebanon will rise like a Phoenix from the
ashes and take care of not only its own needs, but also reach
out to those in other Armenian communities throughout the
Diaspora and Armenia!