Can we help Armenia.

[jahannam]

I was thinking exactly what Baron said.
and we've discussed this in some "volunteer to help feed homeless people" thread.
it's only logical.
when a homeless or a poor person sees that the money and food are coming without them working hard to get it, they keep doing what they do. beg.
now I know that things are very different in Haiastan and the United states or Canada. but I believe that ANYWHERE in this world, if someone's hardworking enough, they WILL find a job. it's inevitable.

[sSsflamesSs]

Originally posted by jahannam I was thinking exactly what Baron said.
and we've discussed this in some "volunteer to help feed homeless people" thread.
it's only logical.
when a homeless or a poor person sees that the money and food are coming without them working hard to get it, they keep doing what they do. beg.
now I know that things are very different in Haiastan and the United states or Canada. but I believe that ANYWHERE in this world, if someone's hardworking enough, they WILL find a job. it's inevitable.

That might work for people in the US or Canada, but do you have a clue as to how hard it is to find a job in Armenia? Especially for the elderly. They are very selective for the stupidest of reasons.

[2lucky]

not easy to find a job

jahannam,
you make a good point, but in 3rd world countries where over 40% of the population is unemployed, its not very easy to find a job, actually it's impossible. Armenian people are very hard working, but there are no jobs for them. <I'm not even exagerating. I dont know if you have family there, but my aunt and uncles are there, and one of my uncles is a physics professor, guess how much he gets a month? Around $20 dollors, if that, sometimes they dont even pay him. Also, let's just say that all the people that want to find work do find it, they still get paid not enough to survive, meaning that they still will need extra help.

[sSsflamesSs]

Re: not easy to find a job

Originally posted by 2lucky jahannam,
you make a good point, but in 3rd world countries where over 40% of the population is unemployed, its not very easy to find a job, actually it's impossible. Armenian people are very hard working, but there are no jobs for them. <I'm not even exagerating. I dont know if you have family there, but my aunt and uncles are there, and one of my uncles is a physics professor, guess how much he gets a month? Around $20 dollors, if that, sometimes they dont even pay him. Also, let's just say that all the people that want to find work do find it, they still get paid not enough to survive, meaning that they still will need extra help.

Exactly. My uncle hasn't been paid for months, even though he has a job in Armenia.

[Aphrodit3]

My aunts are doctors in Yerevan. They haven't been paid in months, yet they still go to work because they care about their patients. I think patients pay the doctors themselves but I could be wrong. In any case, the economy is in horrible shape. Too many people can't find work and those that can, are hardly ever paid or not paid enough. This is a great idea and I hope it works. It's been thought of before but never materialized. I knew some student organizations in high school that tried to raise money to send to Armenia but the government intercepted the money and the people never got it. Anyway, it's complicated but I'd love to help.

[xBaron Dants]

Originally posted by jahannam I was thinking exactly what Baron said.
and we've discussed this in some "volunteer to help feed homeless people" thread.
it's only logical.
when a homeless or a poor person sees that the money and food are coming without them working hard to get it, they keep doing what they do. beg.
now I know that things are very different in Haiastan and the United states or Canada. but I believe that ANYWHERE in this world, if someone's hardworking enough, they WILL find a job. it's inevitable.

Personally, I'd be willing to give all the charity money that Armenia needs. I don't see this as a case where "if you give bums money, they'll always be bums". This is about helping your brothers and sisters (cliché, I know, but it's very true) get through one of the toughest periods of their lives.

And if we want them to find jobs, then nothing should stop us from creating them.

My initial point was that we should also make sure that we are doing something so that the local charities can be strong enough, and have other lucrative sources to survive on their own, so that if ever something happens to the diasporan Armenians (I don't know....say a war in the USA), these programs will not automatically crumble.

[2lucky]

just an idea

This is just an idea that popped up. I haven't given it much consideration, I'd like to know your views on this. Let's just say such an organization could be set up, I was trying to think of how it could be kept going for years. What if, that organization could give internships to Armenians from around the world, or even maybe a few credits from Universities (the universities will have to agree that is), so that way, the organization could have people and students with all sorts of different view working for it. With this, I believe alot of corruption could be eliminated. There would have to be an incentive for the students to go to Armenia, but I think alot of Armenian students would not mind volunteering for a good cause, and it would look good on their college application. What's your thoughts?

[xBaron Dants]

Re: just an idea

Originally posted by 2lucky This is just an idea that popped up. I haven't given it much consideration, I'd like to know your views on this. Let's just say such an organization could be set up, I was trying to think of how it could be kept going for years. What if, that organization could give internships to Armenians from around the world, or even maybe a few credits from Universities (the universities will have to agree that is), so that way, the organization could have people and students with all sorts of different view working for it. With this, I believe alot of corruption could be eliminated. There would have to be an incentive for the students to go to Armenia, but I think alot of Armenian students would not mind volunteering for a good cause, and it would look good on their college application. What's your thoughts?

Brilliant idea!

But if the organization is strong enough, and has enough money, it might be better to give part time jobs to local students.

Still, brilliant idea!

[2lucky]

Thanks, and you're right about giving opportunities to the residential armenian students aswell.

[anileve]

2lucky, I brought up the same exact issue on several occasions. As we know Diaspora and Foreign Aid from other countries provides Armenia with enough capital to turn entire economy around. However the money usually gets delegated to the politicians during the process and never reaches the correct destination. Same goes for the Armenian Fund Organization which is extremely powerful and receives an immense amount of donations.

So we are basically going to be more counterproductive if we send more money, basically we will be helping politicians build more summer homes, as opposed to feeding the kids. You might want to look into smaller organizations that provide food and toys for the children locally in Armenia. They usually don’t have a very large network but a group of trusted individuals that make trips personally to the villages in Armenia, where it’s most needed. You can also send money directly to the families in need, rather than through an organization. For example there is a great “Tree Project” organization that plants trees in the outskirts of Armenia and provide free lunch for school children, they are rather small but effective.

Try to contribute through more trusted sources and smaller organizations, also you might want to look into volunteering to work in Armenia, that way you can be directly involved and ensure integrity when it comes to your contribution.