“Reach out” and feel your share of responsibility towards the other. Taguhi Aslanyan

According to our interlocutor, journalist Taguhi Aslanyan, the recent war in Artsakh clearly showed how unprepared we were for force majeure situations. Thousands of Artsakhis left their homes in a minute, most of them just as they were, without even clothes and necessary items, and as a result, they faced a serious problem in Armenia: how to live? And this is where it turned out. The society orients itself faster in such situations, mobilizes its own forces and possible resources faster than the state structures.

During the war, Taguhi Aslanyan and a group of friends worked hard to support the deportees from Artsakh, collecting money, buying food and clothes, and distributing them according to addresses. The amount of support, the number of helpers and the number of families in Artsakh were growing. And when the war was over, she and her friends decided to continue their activities by founding the Reach Out NGO, whose goals are far more comprehensive than just current, one-time assistance.

In a conversation with WomenNet.am, Taguhi Aslanyan, co-founder of the “Reach Out” NGO, told about new ideas, what programs they are going to implement, and how they started helping our compatriots displaced from Artsakh.

With the members of our future NGO, we also started to provide assistance as much as possible. For example, I focused on collecting warm clothes and hygiene items for the soldiers,  sending them to the front through acquaintances, and then my sister and I started collecting clothes, bedding, furniture, furniture from acquaintances, and distributing them to those homeless people. They were not ready for winter, after the signing of the famous document on November 9, our goal was to provide them with warm clothes, even warm blankets because the state did not do that job. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs seemed to be paralyzed, the needy only heard urgings to endure, words of encouragement, only promises about future plans. And during that time many volunteers did the work of an entire department with dignity, even providing people with housing…

• During the war, when the situation was chaotic in both Armenia and the Diaspora and people did not know which foundation and whom to help, how did you manage to organize the aid?

– We decided to unite our forces: Paruyr Sinyavsky and I (co-founder of the NGO – ed.) Were engaged in helping the displaced, buying basic necessities with the means sent by his friends, and my sister  was driving to nearby and distant regions of Armenia to help the people of Artsakh. In those days our life was spent on the roads of Armenia, we were only at home at night to sleep so that we could leave again in the morning.

There was a lot to do, because we saw how people became defenseless, the war did not end as they expected, and they did not have a livelihood in Armenia. And when the war was over, we decided to reorganize our work by establishing a non-governmental organization, thus gaining the status necessary to carry out further plans. We did not think long about the new project, as we had already thought of a number of ideas along the way, including the development of educational programs.

– How did that transition happen? In Armenia, it seems that charity is more perceived in the context of financial assistance.

– When the state gradually started providing material assistance to the war victims, we stopped the assistance in that direction, focusing on the idea of ​​trainings. According to our observations, today the people of Artsakh need more work, demanded profession, craft, so that they can ensure their livelihood, integrate into life here. I am convinced that it is dangerous when people are regularly given material aid, so that people, subconsciously accustomed to that help, start living only in the hope of it. It is important to give people the opportunity to pave the way in person, accompanying only to the first crossroads, from where they will walk on their own.

“Reach Out” Our NGO is only a few months old, but we have already managed to form groups with different professions. Today we already have graphic design, web design, market expert, sewing, handicraft, English (lessons are distance), programming (in collaboration with Synopsys) groups, the participants of which are of different ages, starting from 10 years old. Surprisingly, our young participants are making great progress, inspiring hopes that they will become good professionals, they are very smart children.

In the near future we plan to create groups of journalism, photography, video editing, there is a need for willing specialists who will come, teach,  allocate at least two hours a week for patriotic work.

 – Judging by the photos, especially women actively participate in the courses.

– Yes, women are our main beneficiaries. The war took away the men of many families, orphaned them, and the care of those families fell on the shoulders of women. These women have to take refuge in Armenia because their house in Artsakh is left in the territories controlled by the Azerbaijanis and they have no place to return. They have lost their jobs, many of them have no demand for their profession in our labor market, they are not competitors. They have to re-profile, acquire a new profession, find a new job, and “Reach Out” NGO gives them that opportunity.

Full text in Armenian