phase two:
the refugee crisis
Since landing, the Dream Alive team proudly donated the ten wound vacuums and switched gears to Phase Two: The Refugee Crisis of Artsakh. Overnight, residents of the Artsakh region became homeless and unexpectedly titled as IDP - internally displaced person(s). Our DAF team personally visited the sites, took inventory of what refugee camps had, and ask the displaced families what essentials they are missing. This list of items, usually medical supplies, clothing, and food, were purchased and delivered on the same day. In addition, all goods were purchased in Armenia which helped support the local economy. As a result, with your help, within three days, the Dream Alive team was able to donate one month's worth of food for 400 families, toys and books to the 250 children, medicine, hygiene products, and clothes/shoes to those in need. While our team is back in the United States, we are still working with refugee camps to provide much-needed items, to continue our goal of providing essentials and shelter to those displaced due to the Artsakh conflict.
project
lifeline
did you know that wounded soldiers from the Artsakh war were required to sit on a seven-hour drive to Yerevan to be treated for serious injury? wound vacuums are used to remove excess fluid, reduce swelling, kill bacteria, and to pull the wound closer together. we are proud to say that we have donated ten wound vacs to various hospitals in Armenia.
update on
phase one!
we have landed in Yerevan as of Monday, November 9! The wound vacuums have been picked up and delivered to various hospitals. We are so heartbroken that so many people had to be amputated or suffer other irreparable injuries without this technology. Wound vacuums are reusable and we have sent enough supplies to aid 120 soldiers. Thank you for your support.
About Project Lifeline
On September 27th, 2020 Azerbaijan attacked Nagorno-Karabakh, in what was later called by many international journalists, an attempt of ethnic cleansing and genocide. A full-scale war had erupted between Artsakh and Azerbaijan over the disputed autonomy of the region, home to about 150,000 people — 95% of whom are ethnic Armenians, according to a 2015 census.
The Dream Alive Foundation has been involved in assisting the nearly 80,000 displaced people of Artsakh, now forced to relocate to nearby Armenia as their homeland was taken from them. Due to a blockade by Azerbaijan, many of the 120,000 residents of Artsakh struggled for their next meal, noting that a single rice cake would have to be shared with up to 5 people, and was the only meal for 3 days.
After consulting with the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, DAF was advised that the most urgently needed item in short supply are Wound Therapy Systems. These wound vacuums often are the only lifeline for young volunteer soldiers suffering trauma and are required to be transferred from Artsakh to Yerevan (7-hour road trip) to seek professional medical attention. Two weeks after our fundraiser ended, the wound vacuums were ordered and shipped to Yerevan, which our Dream Alive team delivered to local hospitals (as instructed by the MoD), and launched phase 2. This has been an ongoing crisis since 2020, and we urge you to research and educate yourself on the modern-day genocide of Artsakh.