Presbyterian Mission Agency Eliza Minasyan Archives

Jinishian Memorial Program supports wide range of programs

Posted August 13th, 2024

I thought I knew Armenia. After all, this was my family’s fourth trip here since we adopted our youngest daughter, Hasmik, in 2006. I had seen much of the country, traveling as far south as Stepanakert in the breakaway republic of Artsakh. Each time we returned, I saw evidence that Armenia was shaking off its Soviet influence while proudly holding onto its culture and traditions. But this tour with the Jinishian Memorial Program (JMP) took me to corners of Armenia I had never experienced and allowed me to meet inspirational entrepreneurs and youth who are at the forefront of a young and dynamic country.

Jinishian Memorial Program offers self-sufficiency and hope to Armenians

Posted July 30th, 2024

The Jinishian Memorial Program (JMP) was established in 1966 through an endowment from Vartan H. Jinishian and is administered by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to provide economic, social, and spiritual assistance to millions of Armenians in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and other countries.

Minute for Mission: Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

Posted March 28th, 2024

They left their homeland in fear of persecution and ethnic cleansing … A heartbreaking tragedy is unfolding in Armenia due to continuous greedy and barbaric invasions by Azerbaijan. More than 120,000 innocent people of Artsakh (the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic), who endured starvation for over nine months under severe blockade, have been forced to flee their homeland to save their lives. They left in fear of persecution and ethnic cleansing, abandoning an irreplaceable cultural and religious landscape that includes at least 300 Armenian heritage sites, ranging from exquisite medieval monasteries to historic cemeteries adorned with iconic Armenian engraved cross stones. Recent history, just over the past two years, demonstrates the inevitable risk of dismantling, destruction and falsification of these cultural and religious sites.

The PC(USA)’s Jinishian Memorial Program describes the displaced persons crisis unfolding in Armenia

Posted October 2nd, 2023

Up to 100,000 people have fled their homeland of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) in fear of persecution and ethnic cleansing by the hands of Azerbaijan military and government rulers. Already starving from a 10-month blockade, those fleeing are forced to escape through rough, unsafe territory and attacks from Azerbaijan military personnel before arriving in Armenia.

Fifty years of eradicating poverty in the Middle East

Posted October 21st, 2021

In 2020, the price of bread doubled in Syria and the price of imported goods such as rice and sugar increased by 400%. The Jinishian Memorial Program provided coupons to 871 families to make food more affordable. “If the Jinishian Memorial Program weren’t here with us, what would we do?” a desperate mother in Syria recently asked a JMP staff member.

Finding a way forward in Syria

Posted March 5th, 2021

Since conflict and violence began in Syria in 2011, at least two-thirds of Christians and two-thirds of health professionals have left the country, according to the Jinishian Memorial Program (JMP), a long-time partner of World Mission and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA).

Nagorno-Karabakh: Is a peaceful resolution possible between Azerbaijan and Armenia?

Posted November 5th, 2020

Friday will be the 40th day of the most recent full-scale military conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the landlocked region of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. The mountainous and forested land, historically called Artsakh by its majority ethnic Armenian residents, is a territory of 17,000 square miles — about the size of Delaware.

Discover Armenia

Posted March 11th, 2019

A young family in a remote region of Armenia runs a fruitful greenhouse business, a venture made possible through a microloan and coaching program offered by the Jinishian Memorial Foundation’s Youth Business Project for underserved youth otherwise ineligible for any loan. The project is motivating young people feeling stuck in generational poverty to realize their dream of owning a business to support their families.