September 2019: My first trip to Armenia with the Jinishian Memorial Program (JMP) and I knew almost nothing about their work. On one of our excursions in the Armenian countryside, we stopped to visit a dilapidated building, the concrete crumbling, windows broken, stairs not safe to walk on, the grounds overgrown with weeds. It was difficult at best to see the JMP’s vision for this place. That vision was to establish the Sevan Rehabilitation Center (SRC) assuming all the necessary pieces of the project, including funding, came together. The local team’s enthusiasm was apparent and contagious as they described the plans for this endeavor.
Every day of our tour revealed new corners of Armenia that I never imagined, but day six was my favorite. As we traveled to the Lori region in the north of Armenia, the fields along the highway burst with red and yellow poppies as low mountains rose in the distance.
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.
September 2019: My first trip to Armenia with the Jinishian Memorial Program (JMP) and I knew almost nothing about their work. On one of our excursions in the Armenian countryside, we stopped to visit a dilapidated building, the concrete crumbling, windows broken, stairs not safe to walk on, the grounds overgrown with weeds. It was difficult at best to see the JMP’s vision for this place. That vision was to establish the Sevan Rehabilitation Center (SRC) assuming all the necessary pieces of the project, including funding, came together. The local team’s enthusiasm was apparent and contagious as they described the plans for this endeavor.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
