Friday, August 5, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
NEWSLETTER
ՀԱՅ
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
ՀԱՅ
No Result
View All Result

'With Our Soldiers' Campaign Assists Families of Fallen Soldiers in Gegharkunik

by Contributor
June 2, 2016
in Armenia, Artsakh, Top Stories, With Our Soldiers
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


GEGHARKUNIK—The Armenian Youth Federation’s ‘With Our Soldiers’ campaign has been actively distributing funds to the families of the fallen soldiers in Armenia. During the past week, the representatives of the initiative in Armenia visited six families in the Gegharkunik region, expressing condolences and appreciation for the sacrifices made by the soldiers and their relatives and providing monetary aid to the families.
These visits are conducted in accordance with a protocol developed by the With Our Soldiers task force in the United States. Along with the funds, a letter of support from the AYF Western Region membership and the With Our Soldiers task force is also delivered to each family.  The recipient of the funds – usually a parent or a spouse of the fallen soldier – is asked to sign a receipt to be used as proof for the delivery of the money. As a rule, a psychologist from the Armenian Relief Society accompanies the AYF members and Alumni visiting the families, in case such services are needed by the family members.
As mentioned in previous publications, the With Our Soldiers task force is committed to giving $1,000 to the family of each fallen soldier, with an additional $250 payment for each child in the family. A total of $7,000 was allocated to the six families in Gegharkunik. On May 27th, classrooms in the schools attended by these fallen soldiers in their native villages were named in their honor in accordance with the decision of the teacher’s councils of those schools.
Below is the list of fallen soldiers from Gegharkunik whose families received funds from the ‘With Our Soldiers’ campaign:
Harutyun Abrahamyan (b. 1985) left behind his wife and three children, Mkhitar (2008), Mariam (2010), and Mané (2012). Harutyun was born into a religious family, and dreamed about becoming a dentist. Instead, he joined the Army to help meet his family’s financial needs, following the footsteps of his father, Hovannes, who was a sniper during the Artsakh Liberation War. Harutyun was killed in military operations near Talish during the Four Day War. Harutyun was an only child: his mother, father, wife, and three kids all live together in the Areguni village of Gegharkunik. The family was given $1,750 by the WOS campaign. Video below to learn more about the family. 

Vrezh Sargsyan (b. 1989) was from the village of Pokr Masrik, and was a close friend of Harutyun Abrahamyan, who was also stationed near Talish (Artsakh) in the days preceding the Four Day War. Born to Vardan and Sveta Sargsyans, Vrezh was one of family’s three sons. Two of them, Mayis and Vrezh, were serving together in the Armenian Armed Forces. Vrezh’s death was witnessed by his brother, who participated in the same battles and brought back to the village the bodies of his brother Vrezh and their mutual friend, Harutyun Abrahamyan. Vrezh Sargsyan was married, and his wife Nakhshun and 2-year old son, Vardan, live in Vrezh’s parental home.  The family was given $1,250 by the WOS campaign. Video below to learn more about the family. 

Davit Hayrapetyan (b. 1997) was not married, and was the youngest of the family’s four children. He was known for being very outgoing and willing to help anyone in need. Davit left behind his parents, two older brothers, and an older sister, who live in the Zolakar village of Gegharkunik.  During the visit by our team, the family emphasized that the loss was truly devastating for them, especially given the fact that Davit was the youngest of their children. Davit Hayrapetyan’s father, Razmik, and brother spend a part of the year working in Russia in order to take care of the family’s living expenses. Both of Davit’s older brothers have served in the Armenian Armed Forces, defending the border in Artsakh. The family was given $1,000 by the WOS campaign. Video below to learn more about the family. 

Norik Sargsyan (b. 1996) of the Yeranos village was the third of the six children (5 sons and 1 daughter, the youngest child, Daniel, is 3 years old now) of Zaven and Lena Sargsyan. Norik served near Jrakan (Jebrail) and died on the night of April 2nd.  His body was received by the family on April 12, with sings of repeated shots in the chest (which were apparently made after Norik was already dead). Norik’s father participated in the Artsakh Liberation struggle. The fallen soldier’s two older brothers are married, and their wives are expecting children. The older brother, Andranik, told our crew in Armenia that he will name his son after Norik. There is a monument erected in Norik’s honor in his native village. The family was given $1,000 by the WOS campaign. Video below to learn more about the family. 

Gagik Melkonyan (b. 1982) lost his father when he was still a child. Gagik, his younger brother and older sister, Alisa, were brought up by their mother, who passed away in January of this year at the age of 55.  Gagik’s military salary was the main source of income for the family; he supported his sister, who is a student, and his younger brother, Samvel (27), who has serious health issues. The family lives in very difficult socio-economic conditions, their house is need of repairs, and Samvel requires medical care. Gagik was killed while fighting against 18 attacking Azeri soldiers, from a strike from a Grad instillation near Talish. His body was found three days later; Gagik was buried next to his mother in his native village of Zolakar. The family was given $1,000 by the WOS campaign. Video below to learn more about the family. 

Armen Martirosyan (b. 1996) was from the Gandzak village of Gegharkunik. Armen was the youngest child in the family; he has three older sisters, who are married and have children. His father, Hrayr, was working in Russia when he received the news of his son’s death. He told our crew that Armen was very athletic and took karate lessons. Armen was also a graduate of the Gavar State Musical College, and played the piano. He was killed by an Azeri sniper on May 11th near Talish (Artsakh). The family was given $1,000 by the WOS campaign. Video below to learn more about the family. 

The AYF’s ‘With Our Soldiers’ campaign, originally launched in 2012, was restarted in the aftermath of the Four Day War with the aim of providing assistance to the families of the fallen soldiers. To learn more about the campaign or to make a donation today, you can visit www.withoursoldiers.com.
Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most influential Armenian American youth organization in the world, working to advance the social, political, educational and cultural awareness of Armenian youth.

Contributor

Contributor

Next Post

Racist Blurb Against Armenians Found in UCSD Student Newspaper

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Russia Again Blames Azerbaijan for Ceasefire Violation

In Response to Lavrov, Yerevan Says it Voiced Concerns about Russian Peacekeepers in 2021

1 hour ago
U.S. Wants to Assist Armenia in Reforms

Blinken Discusses Karabakh with Pashinyan, Aliyev

1 hour ago

Connect with us

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

    Readable Experience

    Content Scaling
    Default
    Text Magnifier
    Readable Font
    Dyslexia Friendly
    Highlight Titles
    Highlight Links
    Font Sizing
    Default
    Line Height
    Default
    Letter Spacing
    Default
    Left Aligned
    Center Aligned
    Right Aligned

    Visually Pleasing Experience

    Dark Contrast
    Light Contrast
    Monochrome
    High Contrast
    High Saturation
    Low Saturation
    Adjust Text Colors
    Adjust Title Colors
    Adjust Background Colors

    Easy Orientation

    Mute Sounds
    Hide Images
    Virtual Keyboard
    Reading Guide
    Stop Animations
    Reading Mask
    Highlight Hover
    Highlight Focus
    Big Dark Cursor
    Big Light Cursor
    Navigation Keys

    Asbarez.com Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • asbarez.com
    • August 5, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to