Sunday, September 02, 2007

Another Kashatagh Success Story... Haygazyan soon to have ELECTRICITY!!!

For all of you who have been following Martuni or Bust since the beginning of the year, you will remember our benevolent project, called Hand-To-Hand, that the Shahan Natalie Family Foundation carried out.

If you recall, we had a great success in providing monetary relief for 16 families, many of whom had liberated and settled in the villages of Haygazyan and Hale, which are located in Southern Kashatagh (Lachin). We also succeeded in drawing attention to the condition that the forgotten sentries of our homeland were facing in print media and television. At that time they had for 9 years endured inhuman living conditions, including no electricity and a lack of public transportation. These conditions were a direct result of high-level corruption.

Well, since we gave a helping hand to the people of Haygazyan, I’ve been advocating change for them in the form of direct dialogue with the new Governor of Kashatagh (the old Governor was expelled after pressure from the Diaspora to remove him).

Now after 8 months, the wait is over. A couple of months ago, I had a face to face meeting with the Governor and informed him that the time for talk is over and it’s now time for action. Haygazyan, Hale and the neighboring villages needed to have electricity installed and I needed a deadline. He assured me that in the next couple of month they would have it.

I just got off the phone with Armen, the mayor of Haygazyan, and he told me that power has arrived to the edge of the village. Within the next 10 days the wiring in the villages will be completed and the light at the end of this tunnel is in sight.

Now that it looks as though Haygazyan and Hale are off the list of territories that will be part of the negotiations with Azerbaijan and due to their having electricity, many of the 100+ families that left will return.

Our next helping hand is needed for economic development so the people of Haygazyan can utilized their natural resources to become self-sufficient.

Here is your next call to help build a stronger Kashatagh.

The Shahan Natalie Family Foundation is soliciting your tax-deductible contributions for a no-interest short-term loan program that will give loans to villages such as Haygazyan for the purchase of farming equipment.

If you recall in the video that was on Artsakh Television, Haygazyan and the surrounding villages have no farming equipment. They have to depend on tractors from Goris, which are not always available when they are really needed.

To make them more self-sufficient, and at the request of Armen, the mayor of Haygazyan, they are in need of a $3000 loan (he asked for a loan and not a gift) to purchase a small tractor that they can use to cultivate their very fertile land. I’ve already secured one donation from a reader in Detroit for $200, so all we need now is $2,800.

The loan, which will be interest-free, will mature in 2 years and that money will be used again as another interest-free loan to a village in need of farming equipment.

Our goal right now is $3,000 (if we raise more, we can help more villages). I’m hoping we can raise the $3,000 in the next 10 days, so when our group of people who visited in January return to Haygazyan for the lighting of the village ceremony, at the same time we can also deliver to their tractor. Not only will they then be able to see what they have on the dinner table at night, but they will have something to put on the table that they produced with their own sweat.

Remember, it’s not only up to us to talk about how we need to keep Kashatagh and stand by our brothers and sisters who are holding down the fort from hostile neighbors; but it’s our responsibility to lend them a helping hand so they can stand strong and have an incentive to defend our homeland from those who are talking about taking our land by force.

100% of the money collected goes to this program and none of the money collected is used on administrative fees. Also keep in mind that every penny counts and even if all you can afford is $1, that too will make a difference.

There are two ways to make your tax-deductible donation. The first and quickest is by clicking on the donation button below.








The second way is to send your tax-deductible donation, payable to:
The Shahan Natalie Family Foundation, Inc.
3727 West Magnolia Blvd., Suite 215
Burbank, CA 91505 USA

As always, our program, which we would love for you to be a part of, will be documented on video and most probably will be televised, at very least, on Artsakh Television and YouTube. It will also hopefully be picked up by some other stations around the world.

Please forward this message on to everyone you know. The more people that participate in economic development of Kashatagh, the sooner the suffering of our brothers and sisters there will stop and the stronger our hold will be on this strategic territory which we spilled blood and gave lives to liberate. It is also the life-line that connects Artsakh with Armenia. A healthy Kashatagh means a a healthy and secure Artsakh.

The Shahan Natalie Family Foundation, Inc. is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your donation is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Please consult your personal accountant for the tax value to your specific situation.

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