Near East Relief at Naregatsi Art Institute
2013-05-26 00:00 | Naregatsi Art Institute
On May 25th, the historic exhibition entitled "Along the Trails of the Armenian Orphans" debuted at the National Gallery of Armenia and on May 26th, it went on display at Naregatsi Art Institute in Yerevan, as well.It is important to appreciate what took place after the Armenian Genocide, said NAI founder, Nareg Hartounian in his opening speech, The Near East Relief Committee is the symbol of the American people because if they had not assisted us, not only would have countless orphans perished, but millions of Armenians would have not been born as a result. I myself am also a grandson of genocide survivor. Naregatsi Art Institute, in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Armenia and the Near East Foundation, has brought to Armenia over 200 archival photographs within the frameworks of the Along the Trails of the Armenian Orphans project.Expressing his gratitude to the American people and the government, Nareg handed symbolic gifts to Sean OHara, the representative of the US Embassy, Shant Mardirossyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Near East Foundation, and Leslie Malott, the daughter of Azadouhi Gannaway, an Armenian orphan from Marash who was adopted by the Near East Relief missionaries, Dr. Charles and Ruby Gannaway.Shant Mardirossyan presented the entire history and legacy of the Near East Relief Committee through photographs and a series of videos. The symbolic title of his speech Remembering the Past, Investing for the Future" was not chosen randomly…It is imperative that we do not forget our past, and today, when we have a free country, we have to move forward and become the great nation, which has been bestowed to us by providence, said Shant.The photos truly reveal the generosity of the American people. As a result of the charity campaign of the Near East Relief, more than 1.5 million refugees were given not only vital help, but roughly 132.000 children received education in the orphanages and were trained as nurses, specialized in crafts and industry.After the Near East Relief Committee was closed in 1930, the Near East Foundation was established, which continues its activities in the regions of the Near East and Africa, including Armenia. The projects of the foundation continue to help countries in conflict and crisis. Its already been 5 years that projects directed towards the agricultural development have been carried out in Armenia, providing micro-credits through trainings and counseling.Shants speech was followed by the screening of Armenian Suffering and Christian Aid Excerpts from Dr. Johannes Lepsius' documented reports for the German Orient Mission (Deutsch Orient-Mission), in 3 parts. In the end, he thanked Naregatsi Art Institutes staff and gifted our center two books. One is The History of the Near East Relief written by James Barton, the first president of the Committee, and the other is Letters of Syria, the collection of Nelly Millemans letters. Most of the photos featured in the exhibition belonged to her.The event ended with a marvelous performance by the Naregatsi Folk Instruments Ensemble (Artistic Director,Hovik Sahakyan).
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