The deportation of Artsakh has begun, with more than 100,000 Armenians forced to relocate. Of these refugees, many are children. SOAR is steadfastly committed to perpetuating our work in child protection through seven primary mechanisms:

1. Relocation of children from Artsakh Boarding School. When the Azeri attack began, the School found shelter on a Russian military base. The children are now in Armenia, housed at a residential childcare institution. Our intent is to support these children with food, clothing, personal necessities, and educational expenses.

2. Artsakh Family Restoration Fund (AFRF). Founded in 2021, our AFRF assures that no children in Artsakh will ever have to be institutionalized because of the casualties of war. To those Artsakh families now in Armenia, SOAR provides emotional and financial support to assure cultural preservation and economic self-sufficiency.

3. Families of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund (FFSRF). Established in 2020, the FFSRF assists the families of fallen and severely disabled Armenian service personnel by providing emotional, educational, and financial support and children’s enrichment assistance. To date, SOAR has supported more than 300 fallen soldier families with food support, housing assistance, educational expenses, psychological/grief counseling, and vocational training.

4. Emergency shelters. The national government is coordinating the placement of Artsakh families in temporary shelters throughout Armenia. SOAR stands ready to assist these temporary residential centers with humanitarian assistance, including food, clothing, and personal hygiene products.

5. Veterans’ Educational Assistance Fund (VEAF). Launched in October 2023, the VEAF provides financial support for higher education to Armenian soldiers who survived the Artsakh War. We receive requests directly from the soldiers and make funding determinations on a case-by-case basis. Funds are used for tuition, university fees, books/supplies, and transportation.

6. Maternal and Newborn Health Fund (MNHF). Established in June 2023, the MNHF provides prenatal and newborn assistance to vulnerable, first-time expectant mothers in Armenia. SOAR is extending the reach of this Fund to include pregnant Artsakh refugees, supporting key elements of quality care during pregnancy.

7. Free services at SOAR’s Dental Clinic and Mobile Eye Care Clinic.

Imagine one day you are forced to abandon your belongings, relinquish your livelihood, and most importantly, compelled to leave your home and ancestral territory. You have nowhere to go and wonder if, and when, assistance might come from strangers. SOAR is that intervening entity, dedicated to providing support to the abandoned and impoverished. We want nothing more than to provide normalcy to those Armenians children and families in times of chaos and uncertainty.

PLEASE open your hearts and donate what you can.

SOAR has been wanting to open a transitional center for young men for quite a while at the urging of the Sisters at Our Lady of Armenia Center. After boys leave the orphanages to enter their mandatory military service, they have nowhere to go upon completion. Alcoholism, depression, and unemployment are very high for these young men.

The Harold and Josephine Gulamerian Transitional Center for Young Men is a residential setting for older teenage boys who have outgrown the traditional orphanage but who are not yet ready for independent living. Our residents attend college; are enriched by our academic programs; appreciate volunteerism; learn essential life skills, including home and money management; build self-nurturance and self-confidence; and prepare themselves for emotional, fiscal, and professional independence.