By Cara Taylor | Jinishian Memorial Program
She had tried to shelter her young son, Anto, from the loss of his father. As it was, Anto’s disability since birth would limit him. Burying her own pain, she had earned enough as a child care worker to get by. That is until the war when their Aleppo apartment was surrounded by bombing and financial hardship seemed overwhelming.
Now, seven years since the horror began, it feels like a miracle to live to see these more peaceful days. Schools and neighborhoods are reopening, refugees are returning and market stalls are springing up amid the ruins. For Anto, the war may have robbed his adolescence, but he emerged a grateful young man, eager to work and to lighten his mother’s load.
Anto beams with pride. He has saved up to open his own shop in Aleppo. He needs only the money to stock goods. Through a small Jinishian grant, Anto trades in a life of limitation, dependency and loss for a future of empowerment, self-sufficiency and hope.
Thousands like Anto need help to rebuild their lives and overcome deep loss. The Jinishian Memorial Program has been a lifeline during these years of hardship through its support of medical care, emergency aid and outreach to children, provided to 10,000 beneficiaries each year. Significant humanitarian aid is still needed as people struggle to overcome poverty, unemployment, grief, injury and property loss.
JMP urgently needs committed monthly partners to fund the work of restoring health, jobs and homes in Syria. The Armenian community here — descendants of genocide survivors — are fueled by faith and the knowledge that they are not alone because of the generous support of donors like you.
The Jinishian Memorial Program began in Beirut in 1966 to meet the needs of the post-genocide Armenian population. Today JMP reaches more than 65,000 people each year in seven countries — Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Artsakh and Georgia. The leadership and staff are 100 percent local and unite across Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical traditions to share God’s love with the most vulnerable.
Give securely online to support the Jinishian Memorial Program. Donors have an important role in supporting this outreach, which is only partially funded by endowment. Giving truly makes a difference in turning life around for these young women.
