Tweet
SPECIAL DELIVERIES OF HEALTH AND HOPE GO TO ARMENIA
USC News, Univ. of Southern California
Dec 22 2014
International nonprofit co-founded by USC Dornsife student ships
much-needed medical supplies to the country's rural regions
by Michelle Boston
wo years ago when Tomik Vertanous learned that doctors in the Artsakh
region of Armenia were severely lacking in medical supplies, he was
moved to action.
"They were still using pillows that dated back to the collapse of
the Soviet Union," said Vertanous, a junior political science major
at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences with a
minor in health administration at the USC Price School of Public
Policy. "They didn't have suture kits. Not even cotton balls."
With a friend, Vertanous created the nonprofit Hyer United, which
collects expired but still usable medical equipment and supplies
donated from Los Angeles-area hospitals to send to rural areas of
Armenia. Latex gloves, gauze, antiseptic and syringes are just some of
the items that Hyer United's volunteers box up to make the two-month
trip by ship and then by car.
Vertanous and Hyer United co-founder Meher Khechadori, a student at
Glendale Community College, wanted their work to focus on the current
economic and political situation in Armenia.
There are areas that need to be improved upon in order to make people's
daily lives better.
Tomik Vertanous
"Because Armenia is still a developing country, there are areas that
need to be improved upon in order to make people's daily lives better,"
Vertanous said. "I really felt that this was a great way to have a
lasting impact and an immediate impact. That's what drives us."
Supply and demand
The organization connected with a doctor in a rural area of Armenia
who attends to clinics in 32 villages surrounding her own in
Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed and wartorn region in the South Caucus.
This doctor determines the clinics' supply needs and sends her
requests to Hyer United. Once she receives their care packages,
she speaks with Vertanous and Khechadori by phone or emails photos
to let them know how their donations are being used.
For instance, one child who injured his head was able to make the
journey to a faraway hospital for treatment because of the staples that
Hyer United had sent the small clinic where he was initially examined.
"As a result he thankfully didn't bleed out by the time he got to
the hospital," Vertanous said. "These are the impacts that drive
the charity."
Hyer United receives funding through private donations and fundraising
activities. The organization holds an annual dinner and dance event,
and recently organized a fitness day where people could take boot
camp and yoga classes. The funds collected will go toward financing
the next medical supply shipments to Armenia.
"Shipping is really expensive," Vertanous said. "About 99 percent
of our funds go toward shipping. Right now, we have a good amount
of inventory so once we secure donations to pay for its shipping,
we'll send out another care package."
The end goal: self-sustainment
Vertanous' goal is to provide support for these rural villages until
the nonprofit's services are eventually no longer required. He hopes
that in the future the Armenian government will become stable enough
to provide health care services in the region.
"Our motto is to build the infrastructure of these regions and better
people's daily lives," Vertanous said. "We're more like a Band-Aid to
stop the bleeding in hopes that the area we're helping will eventually
have their own medical resources, so they're not dependent on us."
Vertanous said that his political science education at USC Dornsife
has helped him understand the fundamental concepts of how to foster
self-sustainment when providing relief through Hyer United. In
particular, he pointed to his recent course "Politics of Resources
and Development," taught by Eliz Sanasarian, a professor of political
science.
"We looked at the case of Africa where billions of dollars get
funneled into aid projects that don't bring about the desired results,"
Vertanous said. "People get discouraged. It's really helped me navigate
my way with Hyer United and avoid those situations.
Self-sustainment for the region where we're working is our end goal."
http://news.usc.edu/73034/special-deliveries-of-health-and-hope-go-to-armenia-2/
From: A. Papazian
USC News, Univ. of Southern California
Dec 22 2014
International nonprofit co-founded by USC Dornsife student ships
much-needed medical supplies to the country's rural regions
by Michelle Boston
wo years ago when Tomik Vertanous learned that doctors in the Artsakh
region of Armenia were severely lacking in medical supplies, he was
moved to action.
"They were still using pillows that dated back to the collapse of
the Soviet Union," said Vertanous, a junior political science major
at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences with a
minor in health administration at the USC Price School of Public
Policy. "They didn't have suture kits. Not even cotton balls."
With a friend, Vertanous created the nonprofit Hyer United, which
collects expired but still usable medical equipment and supplies
donated from Los Angeles-area hospitals to send to rural areas of
Armenia. Latex gloves, gauze, antiseptic and syringes are just some of
the items that Hyer United's volunteers box up to make the two-month
trip by ship and then by car.
Vertanous and Hyer United co-founder Meher Khechadori, a student at
Glendale Community College, wanted their work to focus on the current
economic and political situation in Armenia.
There are areas that need to be improved upon in order to make people's
daily lives better.
Tomik Vertanous
"Because Armenia is still a developing country, there are areas that
need to be improved upon in order to make people's daily lives better,"
Vertanous said. "I really felt that this was a great way to have a
lasting impact and an immediate impact. That's what drives us."
Supply and demand
The organization connected with a doctor in a rural area of Armenia
who attends to clinics in 32 villages surrounding her own in
Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed and wartorn region in the South Caucus.
This doctor determines the clinics' supply needs and sends her
requests to Hyer United. Once she receives their care packages,
she speaks with Vertanous and Khechadori by phone or emails photos
to let them know how their donations are being used.
For instance, one child who injured his head was able to make the
journey to a faraway hospital for treatment because of the staples that
Hyer United had sent the small clinic where he was initially examined.
"As a result he thankfully didn't bleed out by the time he got to
the hospital," Vertanous said. "These are the impacts that drive
the charity."
Hyer United receives funding through private donations and fundraising
activities. The organization holds an annual dinner and dance event,
and recently organized a fitness day where people could take boot
camp and yoga classes. The funds collected will go toward financing
the next medical supply shipments to Armenia.
"Shipping is really expensive," Vertanous said. "About 99 percent
of our funds go toward shipping. Right now, we have a good amount
of inventory so once we secure donations to pay for its shipping,
we'll send out another care package."
The end goal: self-sustainment
Vertanous' goal is to provide support for these rural villages until
the nonprofit's services are eventually no longer required. He hopes
that in the future the Armenian government will become stable enough
to provide health care services in the region.
"Our motto is to build the infrastructure of these regions and better
people's daily lives," Vertanous said. "We're more like a Band-Aid to
stop the bleeding in hopes that the area we're helping will eventually
have their own medical resources, so they're not dependent on us."
Vertanous said that his political science education at USC Dornsife
has helped him understand the fundamental concepts of how to foster
self-sustainment when providing relief through Hyer United. In
particular, he pointed to his recent course "Politics of Resources
and Development," taught by Eliz Sanasarian, a professor of political
science.
"We looked at the case of Africa where billions of dollars get
funneled into aid projects that don't bring about the desired results,"
Vertanous said. "People get discouraged. It's really helped me navigate
my way with Hyer United and avoid those situations.
Self-sustainment for the region where we're working is our end goal."
http://news.usc.edu/73034/special-deliveries-of-health-and-hope-go-to-armenia-2/
From: A. Papazian