The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative has announced the #AraratChallenge, a new crowdfunding campaign aimed at supporting those in urgent need of basic humanitarian aid around the world.

Founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative seeks to empower modern-day saviors to offer life and hope to those in urgent need of basic humanitarian aid anywhere in the world and thus continue the cycle of giving internationally. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is Gratitude in Action. It is an eight-year commitment (2015 to 2023, in remembrance of the eight years of the Armenian Genocide 1915-1923) to support people and promote global projects that tackle the needs of the most helpless and destitute and do so at great risk.

The #AraratChallenge is a video-based crowdfunding campaign set to increase the impact and reach of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, whose projects combat poverty, improve healthcare and provide education to those in need. This call-to-donate seeks to inspire and engage people to embrace Aurora’s mission of empowering successive generations of humanitarians.

At the core of the campaign is Mount Ararat, a universal symbol of renewal and second chances. Just as the 100,000 Armenian orphans that survived the Genocide had a chance to start a new life, the #AraratChallenge provides an exceptional opportunity for everyone to join this movement and give a second chance to those who need it most.

“Mount Ararat is the biblical mountain where Noah’s ark is said to have landed and a crucial part of the story about humanity’s second chance. As we know, a century ago our ancestors were also given a second chance to survive the Armenian Genocide. Many people, including my grandfather, owed their survival to the generosity of others. One hundred years later, we founded the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity on behalf of the survivors and in gratitude to their saviors. We are committed to giving a second chance to those who are in need today. The #Ararat Challenge is a unique opportunity to continue the cycle of Gratitude in Action together,” said Noubar Afeyan, Co-Founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.

The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative kicked off the #AraratChallenge crowdfunding campaign on Friday, July 19, 2019, inviting people from all over the world to take part in this movement and donate any sum, even $1 per month, to give a second chance to the vulnerable and destitute. All funds received in the form of donations will be directed to the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative’s programs that directly benefit those in need.