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“Spring is the time of plans and projects.” (Leo Tolstoy) |
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Welcome to edition #6 of our organization's quarterly newsletter! If you want to catch up between editions, be sure to connect on SYUN's Facebook and Instagram pages and check in at syunfund.org to see our projects, become a SYUN member or make a one time donation. |
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Success Story: Get connected, stay connected. |
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The winter has turned out to be unsettling... The blockade of the road of life is endangering the lives of thousands of people. The best way to get through such times is to start something useful and see it through.
Much of what we started last year, we have managed to complete in recent months. "New Year on the Border", "Helping Children of Veterans to Recover", "UAV Training" and "RealSchool+Armath Mesh Network"... All these projects have been successfully brought to their logical end.
But for us establishing radio-communication in Syunik seems to be the most important and rewarding.
Instructors and trainees at Goris Emergency Response Training Center, locals of Syunik got connected thanks to the installed radio-communication system. This system provides independent communication in this border region and will help in facilitating the evacuation and first aid when necessary.
Severe winter conditions made the work difficult, but it was completed and today people in the region stay connected. First radio transmitters, masts, and other equipment were attained, then installation works were planned, and finally the system was installed and tested.
A contract has been signed with an internet provider and the connection works without interruption.
Even on the road our instructors and volunteers are not deprived of communication. A mobile radio station has been installed on ERTC's off-road vehicle which was acquired thanks to SYUN's supporters.
In the process of installing repeaters.
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What We're Working On Now |
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Road of Life
As a result of the blockade, the 120,000 people of Artsakh, including about 30,000 children, 20,000 elderly, and 9,000 people with disabilities, are suffering numerous hardships and face a high risk of malnutrition and frostbite.
Despite the difficult situation and numerous obstacles, thanks to the dedicated work of our partners we are able to send to Artsakh baby formula, baby porridges, tea, light bulbs, cotton and seeds. The seeds received a great response and it was decided to make new packages for families and send them to Artsakh.
These packages have reached the destination and will be distributed among the residents of different villages. Also adjacent areas of Karmir Shuka and Taghavard schools will be used as agricultural plots, where the children will sow the seeds and grow tomatoes, beans and other vegetables. This will be a good start for the development of villages. Not only will they have the most delicious Armenian varieties of vegetables, but they will also start working and hopefully at some point become self-sufficient.
To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. |
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Emergency Response Training Center
In cooperation with our partners at VAL foundation we continue our work on this high priority project and more and more people in Syunik learn how to give first aid in emergencies.
Today in the Emergency Response Training Center in Goris we already have rooms furnished with the necessary equipment and supplies for the courses. ERTC is equipped with means of transport, and along with the established radio-communication in the region, it keeps people: instructors, volunteers, trainees and residents of Sunik, connected.
From December, 2022 to February, 2023, 84 people from various communities of Syunk region passed the first aid first-level certification. In addition 8 people got their second-level instructor certification.
Now we also have a rescue team trained by our senior instructor. Team members are wide-awake and on the alert 24 hours a day and are acting immediately in emergencies. |
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L1 Adaptive Control System Research
SYUN continues cooperating with ISRC (Instigate Scientific Research Center) for the L1 Adaptive Control System research project. L1 Adaptive control systems are an algorithmic solution to control UAV/UGV and other unmanned vehicles in various environments and conditions.
In the course of the project, several control system theories (L1/PID) were studied, based on which a course textbook was created.
In order to strengthen the knowledge gained during the study of the theory this knowledge was applied practically and some panels were created. These panels work with the regulation program which is created and improved by our researcher.
There are already three configured platforms that work with the PID (proportional, integral, differentiation) control system, and there is a plan to use the L1 system and the linear quadrature controller (LQR) for other platforms.
Based on the new textbook a course has been developed for university students. Those interested in studying control systems have already registered for a class that begins in a few days.
We can consider that the results obtained in one year are more than sufficient, but to reach the final goal, the work and therefore the project must be continued. |
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Control Center
Continuing our partnership with RealSchool, SYUN will be sponsoring the creation of control centers in various locations. Using the platform for RealSchool’s own internal management, across seven locations (Ijevan, Vanadzor, Gyumri, Yerevan, Goris, Stepanakert, and the new one starting in Jermouk) RealSchool plans to use the technical components of the control centers for operational management. There will be: classes, graduate projects, mentorship and training of students, business trips between branches, customer relationship management, etc.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia is successfully using the technology developed by RealSchool to respond to emergencies throughout Armenia. These control centers will be used to monitor all operations in case of emergencies in these locations. |
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New Year on the Border
As we mentioned in the previous section of our newsletter several projects have been successfully brought to their logical end at the beginning of this year.
Some Syunik locals had to celebrate New Year on the posts, without their families. We at SYUN wanted to make their holiday special, and thanks to our partners at VAL care packages were prepared not only for 10, as it was planned initially, but for 15 posts (including Tegh community) located not far from the Goris ERTC and delivered on December 31. Packages included food, fuel briquettes, warm socks and gloves, which are so necessary during the cold weather.
About 150 residents of Syunik got a little slice of New Year and a sense of closeness, family, and warmth.
Volunteers are preparing care packages. |
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Helping Children of Veterans to Recover
It is with great pride and sorrow that we announce the completion of SYUN and Terracotta Kids' joint project. Quite a bit of good work has been done.
From April 2022 to January 2023 Alex, Monte, Elina, Davit, Astghik and Andrea attended Terracotta Kids kindergarten.These children are from families that suffered during the 2020 Artsakh war: they lost their fathers, their brothers returned wounded. The kids and their families really needed support.
During this time, the kids grew. They were safe and surrounded by love and care. Many new things have been learned.
At Terracotta Kids children get healthy meals four times a day, participate in different daily activities and events, organized for traditional holidays.
Our children have been attending the kindergarten every day, from Monday to Friday, from 8:30 am to 19:30 pm.
Their mothers have received psychological support and the opportunity to work, while the kids were spending most of the day in the kindergarten.
Even though this project is completed Alex, Astghik and Andrea will continue attending Terracotta Kids until September.
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UAV Training
UAV Training project, for which we cooperated with RealSchool, was completed successfully. The purpose of this accelerated course was to train and prepare skilled UAV operators for whom there is currently a huge demand in Armenia.
300 people registered for the training. In the process of interviews, 30 people have been selected and given an opportunity to participate in the course. Only 15 of 30 people passed the simulator stage exam and only 9 people were able to complete the course. The course ended on February 10, 2023. A graduation event was organized for all participants who passed the simulator stage. At the graduation ceremony, all participants were awarded certificates of their achievements.
SYUN provided funds for the UAVs which have been used in this course.
Theory and practice complement each other like thinking and doing. |
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RealSchool+Armath Mesh Network
Some positive results have been achieved for this project that was initiated by ISRC (Instigate Scientific Research Center). The purpose of this project was to provide safe intercommunications between Armath laboratories throughout Armenia without using the commercial internet.
RealSchool in cooperation with ISRC developed a mesh network software named Metax. Armath engineering laboratories are currently equipped with enough computational devices and the students have enough knowledge to implement a mesh network and run all their communication and document sharing on the platform that they built by themselves.The system has already been deployed in almost all of the Armath laboratories and the instructors' emails are hosted on this system.
One of four servers. |
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Our board members are active supporters of St. Andrew Armenian Church in Cupertino. In its turn our church has been a big supporter of SYUN projects from the first day. We are very thankful to Rev. Fr. Datev Harutyunian for his interest in our projects and his permanent involvement. We hope that more members of the Armenian community will find out more about SYUN through the church and will make their own contribution in making Armenia stronger and safer. |
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History Corner: Armenia is called Urartu in the Babylonian version of the triangular Behistun Inscription. |
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In the trilingual Behistun inscription of Darius the Great (c.520 BC), the Babylonian toponym “Urashtu” appears in Old Persian as “Armina,” and in Elamite as “Harminuia,”corresponding to modern “Armenia.” In Hebrew (as recorded in the Bible) this land was called Ararat. The toponym “Urartu” emerged as a regional description rather than ethnic. Historian Boris Piotrovsky argued that “the Assyrian name of Uruatri [which gave birth to the Urartu toponym] had no ethnic significance but was most probably a descriptive term (perhaps meaning “the mountainous country”). In the Babylonian chancelleries the name of Urartu (under its Babylonian form, Urashtu) continued to be used, while simultaneously in old Persian it was called Armenia. [4] As Assyrian language gradually disappeared from historic records (after decline of Assyria and rise of Media) so did the toponym Urartu ceased to be used. Instead only the name Armenia survived henceforward in the annals of history.
The Behistun ("The Place of God") Inscription is a relief with accompanying text carved 330 feet (100 meters) up a cliff in Kermanshah Province, Western Iran. The work tells the story of the victory of the Persian king Darius I (the Great, r. 522-486 BCE) over his rebellious satraps when he took the throne of the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550-330 BCE) in 522 BCE.
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Over the past year and a half, SYUN has managed to accomplish several tasks. It may seem to some that there are no positive changes in Armenia, but due to patience and diligent work, we can now see concrete results which affect the situation on the ground. In order to achieve more significant changes, daily work needs to continue in this vein. The more people that are involved in this movement the more noticeable the progress will be. There are different ways each of us can contribute:
- Become a SYUN member on syunfund.org, monthly membership options range from 10 to 2000 dollars. (This is the preferred method because it helps us to plan ahead)
- Subscribe for a monthly donation in your company's donation matching site (SYUN is registered in Benevity, Bright Funds, Schwab Charitable, Fidelity, ETrade, Broadcom and Cisco). If you cannot find SYUN in your company's system, please let us know.
- Make one time donation to the project of your choice.
- Donate through Paypal to info@syunfund.org
- Donate through Facebook
- Follow SYUN on Facebook and Instagram, share and like our posts.
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