SOAR-Budapest Chapter
SOAR-Budapest joined the SOAR family in May 2014. Hungarian-Armenian relations go back more than 800 years. A charter from the 13th century testifies the existence of the Armenian Village Terra Armenium. Those who arrived later settled down in Transylvania, most of them endeavoring in manufacture and commerce. After the 1915 Genocide, many Armenian refugees fled to Hungary. In April 1920, the Association of Hungarian Armenians was founded under the name of Maszisz (Ararat) and the first Armenian-language journal Nor Tar (New Century) was published. In 1924, the Armenian Catholic Church of Hungary was established and the Hungarian-Armenian Trading Company was created, aimed at boosting commercial relations.
In 1987, the Hungarian-Armenian circle of friends, Arménia, was created. By 1992 the circle transformed itself into the Arménia Cultural Association of the People, an organization aimed at preserving Armenian educational, religious and cultural identity. In 1997 the Transylvanian Armenian Roots Cultural Association was created to hold together the Transylvanian Armenian community, to preserve their identity, and cultural and religious traditions. The members of the association declare themselves to be Hungarian-Armenians with their mother tongue being Hungarian, but being proud of having Armenian roots.
The Armenians do not have their own educational network. The Armenian language education is realized in the framework of Sunday schools in Budapest, Debrecen, Szeged, Gyor and Szekesfehervar. The Eötvös Lóránd University offers ongoing Armenian language and culture training. Approximately 90% of the Armenians living in Hungary belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Armenian Catholic Church functions as only Armenian Catholic ministry. Approximately, two thirds of Hungary’s Armenians population is found in Budapest and the surrounding Pest County. There are approximately 5,000 Armenians in Hungary today.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Ani Grigoryan
President
Ani Grigoryan was born in 1983 in Yerevan. She is a graduate of Yerevan State University BA in Economics and holds a Masters degree in Management from Middlesex University of London and University of Pecs (Hungary) joint program. She has been living in Hungary since 2005 and has 3 children: Matthew (14), Sara (11) and Adel (5). At present she is employed with Lexmark International in Budapest where she leads a small team of finance analysts. She lived in Virginia, US between 2012-16 where she volunteered for a charity organization that helped children in disadvantaged communities locally and around the world.
Ani is an active member of the local Armenian community of Budapest. Besides, she enjoys sports, cultural and outdoors activities with her children and spending some summer weeks in Armenia with the extended family and friends.
Gayane Margaryan
Born and raised in Yerevan, Gayane moved to Budapest in 2017 to pursue her second master’s degree in Human Rights Law. She was admitted to the Central European University (CEU) and made the big move to BP towards a new degree and new life. After a year and half of studies, Gayane finished her program at CEU, obtained her degree and specialized in International Criminal Justice. She has a bachelor’s degree in translation studies from YSU and a master’s degree in Teaching English as Foreign Language (TEFL) from the American University of Armenia.
Hasmik Margaryan
Hasmik earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Management from the French University in Armenia in 2013. She is currently working on her Master’s Degree in International Economy and Business at the Andrassy Gyula German Speaking University in Budapest. Hasmik has worked as an Intern at the Hopital Privé Nord Parisien in Sarcelles, France and has been a member of both the SPFA (Solidarité Protestante France-Arménie) and the DAV (Deutscheakademische Armenische Verrein) since 2011.
Hasmik speaks Armenian, English, German, French, and Russian.
Anna Muradyan
Anna Muradyan holds a Master’s degree in Gender Studies from the Central European University, Hungary, and a Master’s degree in Physics from the Yerevan State University, Armenia. Currently she is based in Hungary, Budapest working in IT field. Prior moving to Hungary to study, she worked as a journalist in several media outlets in Armenia and also was involved in cross border projects aimed to peace building with neighbors. Anna is a Hrant Dink fellow and spent a year in Turkey, Istanbul to carry out a research on Armenian woman migrants. As a journalist, her focus was Human Rights, LGBTQI community, women, children, and other vulnerable groups.
Anush Rozsas
Anush Rozsas has a Master’s degree in Human Rights from the University Essex, UK and a Master’s degree in Sociology from the Yerevan State University, Armenia. She works as the Regional Human Resources Manager with Relief International, an international humanitarian non-profit agency. Prior to Relief International, Anush has worked with different local and international NGOs in Armenia in many different fields: human rights protection, provision of health and social services to the elderly and refugees, HIV/AIDS harm reduction, education for children with learning difficulties, civil society and housing rights and gender equality.
Anush has always been interested in child protection issues and visited several Armenian orphanages and special schools while working as a Social Worker in projects aimed at providing education to children with learning difficulties. Being a part of SOAR would enable her to contribute to the mission of helping orphaned Armenian children and adults. Anush lives in Budapest, Hungary with her husband, Balazs, and their son, Daniel.