The deteriorating situation in Syria, and Aleppo in particular, and the ongoing civil war leaves irreparable losses and forces the population to relocate to safer regions.

In April, 2015, the Christian neighborhoods of Aleppo became targets of active military operations, which created a particularly insecure environment for the Syrian Armenian community.

Concerned for their relatives who were trapped in a life-threatening situation and were facing serious domestic problems, a large group of representatives of the Syrian Armenian community settled in Armenia addressed the Aleppo Compatriotic Charitable Organization with a plea to help their relatives in Aleppo to purchase a one-way airline ticket from Lebanon to Armenia.

Realizing the urgent need for a life-saving project and taking into consideration the growing number of the requests, the Aleppo CCO initiated the “Save a Life” project on May 6, 2015.

The organization issued a call asking all benefactors in Armenia and the Diaspora to support and help, within their capabilities, those Syrian Armenians who are facing hardship, fighting for their lives and are asking for help to be relocated to Armenia as a safe country.

Since May 2015 and until today, the “Save a Life” project provides a one-way airline ticket from Lebanon to Armenia to those Armenians in Syria who addressed Aleppo CCO and asked to be relocated to Armenia.

The first family, the Ayranjians, was relocated to Armenia from Aleppo within the framework of the “Save a Life” project on June 26, 2015.

Between June 26, 2015 and November 4, 2016, 128 families, a total of 294 Syrian Armenians, were relocated to Armenia from Aleppo with the help of the “Save a Life” project of the Aleppo CCO.

Throughout 2015 and till November 4, 2016, Aleppo CCO received applications from 600 individuals seeking relocation to Armenia from Aleppo.

As of November 4, 2016, funds for 350 airline tickets were raised.

As of November 4, 2016, travel expenditures per person is 400 US dollars. This includes the transportation expenses from Aleppo to Lebanon by bus, payment for exit permit from Syria to Lebanon, transportation from the Lebanese border to the airport in Beirut and the price for a one-way airline ticket from Lebanon to Armenia via FlyDubai Airlines.

The “Save a Life” project is implemented thanks to the support and help coming from different parts of the world.

Not sparing efforts and devoting themselves to the life-saving mission, and uniting people who undertook the cause of providing humanitarian assistance, the Parish Council of the St. Kevork Armenian Apostolic Church of Houston, Texas, managed to secure tickets for 161 individuals.

The individual donors from all over the world play an important role, continuously donating money to the “Save a Life” project and helping Syrian Armenians to leave the war zone and relocate to Armenia.

And on October 15, 2016, the Initiatives for Development of Armenia (IDeA) Foundation released a statement on the current situation of Syrian Armenians, announcing its support to those of them who are willing to be relocated to Armenia. This initiative of the IDeA Foundation will be implemented through Aleppo CCO’s “Save a Life” project, assisting those individuals who wish to relocate to Armenia, escaping from the Syrian war.

The Aleppo Compatriotic Charitable Organization will continue to stand by those individuals who seek relocation to Armenia. As an institution founded to promote the welfare of the Syrian Armenian community, we feel it is our responsibility to support Syrian Armenians who are trapped in the clutches of the war.

And we express our deepest gratitude to those institutions and organizations that support the “Save a Life” project with strong confidence. We believe that through cooperation and faith, and creation of a bridge between the Motherland and the Diaspora, it will be possible to fully support Syrian Armenians who are facing hard times now.