User:Gevorg.gevorgyan

Phoneathon

Pan-European Phoneathon is the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s (link http://himnadram.org/index.php?lang=1&id=2) second major annual fundraising event after the annual Telethon held in Los Angeles (http://www.armeniafund.org/telethon/telethon-2013/). It has been headed by the Fund’s French affiliate (Fonds Armenien de France http://www.fondsarmenien.net) since 2000.

Volunteers - both Armenians and non-Armenians - of different ages and occupations work the phones throughout the four-day event, with calls being placed 12 hours a day. Stationed in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, and Toulouse, the volunteers call to Armenian and non-Armenian families, businesses, and organizations across Europe to request financial support for the ongoing development of Armenia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia) and Artsakh.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artsakh) Armenian communities of France (http://www.fondsarmenien.net), Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Greece join their efforts to support this fundraising initiative. The Fund’s Argentine, Brazil, U.S. Eastern region affiliates, as well as the Executive Board based in Yerevan conduct phoneathons too on and off.

In the history of the Phoneathon, over 412,000 phone calls have been made and a total of over  10 million euros has been raised through donations by over 22,000 supporters for the economic development of Armenia and Artsakh. Initially in 2000, 70 Phoneathon volunteers in Paris called Armenians throughout Europe for support, and 216,500 euros were raised. These days, some 700 volunteers make calls from Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, and Nice, to around 50 000 families and businesses raise 1,300,000 euros on the average. The major sponsor of the Phoneathon is Orange France Telecom, which has bean providing full infrastructure and technical support to this principal fundraising event for years now. All proceeds of Phoneathon have been used for the implementation of infrastructure-development projects in Armenia and Artasakh, including construction and renovation of roads, schools, kindergartens, medical institutions, water supply systems, agriculture-directed initiatives.

Phonethon 2013 Phoneathon 2013 will be carried out in the framework of the Fund’s Telethon 2013 and is dedicated to raising financial support for the construction of the around 116km long Vardenis-Martakert Highway(http://himnadram.org/index.php?lang=1&id=24171). The third project of its kind to be carried out by the Fund, the Vardenis-Martakert Highway is expected to be a boon to the further socio-economic development of Artsakh and Armenia alike.

External links: Annual Phoneathon (2004-2013) - http://himnadram.org/index.php?lang=1&id=22693 Germany (http://www.himnadram.de), Armenia Fund USA (New York) http://www.armeniafundusa.org/ Documentary on Pan-European Phoneathon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8MKDytsONY