Noubar Afeyan, founder and CEO of a number of successful biotech companies, including Flagship Pioneering, and co-founder of a number of philanthropic ventures, including the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, has founded another future-focused initiative, the Armenian Spiritual Revival Foundation.
The opening ceremony for the newly established Foundation was held in Matenadaran on May 17 and was attended by Armenian Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan, USAID/Armenia Mission Director John Alero, UNICEF Armenia Representative Christine Weigand, and many of the Foundation’s national and international partners, mental health experts, and beneficiaries.
The main objective of the event was to present the work carried out by the Foundation over the past few months, with a particular focus on a new approach to mental health issues, dubbed the journey of “psychological and spiritual recovery”.
In his welcoming remarks, Dr. Noubar Afeyan emphasized that the roots of this initiative were laid long before the 2020 war and that it was a natural extension of the many successful projects that he and his partners (including Ruben Vardanyan, currently illegally held in Azerbaijan) have launched and supported in Armenia to date. In his words, the Revival Foundation’s goal is to support people who have overcome the war and its consequences, the challenges of survival and the associated psychological trauma, to carve out a new path in life through a journey of mental and spiritual healing and recovery.
“The origins of this initiative stem from the absolute shock and trauma we all experienced in 2020, and then in 2022, when Azerbaijan made life unbearable for our fellow countrymen in Artsakh – the war, the invasion of Armenian territory, and the ethnic cleansing we witnessed in September 2023. After experiencing great suffering 100 years ago and a century of reconstruction, we thought we would never witness anything like this again…” Dr. Afeyan said.
The Armenian Spiritual Recovery Foundation’s global mission is to transform contemporary approaches to mental health recovery in post-crisis situations by devising and implementing innovative spiritual approaches. The Foundation develops and implements unique, innovative mental health programs rooted in psychology, the experience of Armenian survivors, and the centuries-old traditions and spiritual values of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The Foundation was established with the blessing of All Armenians Karekin II and implements its programs in close cooperation with the Armenian Apostolic Church.
“Our history shows us that we can bounce back. My friend Nouber is a prime example. I have had the good fortune to know many Armenians, including children and grandchildren of genocide survivors, who have thrived and supported not only Armenia but the whole world. The past of our people sends a message that with faith and hope, any challenge can be overcome,” said Archbishop Hajag Barsamian, who served as primate of the Eastern Dioceses of the United States for more than 20 years and has spent the last few years at the Vatican as Apostolic Nuncio for Western Europe and Representative of the Armenian Church to the Holy See. Archbishop Hajag is also co-founder and director of the Revival Foundation.
The Armenian Mental Reconstruction Foundation works closely with the most leading Armenian and international experts to help its beneficiaries find a path to post-traumatic recovery and help people overcome post-war and post-traumatic mental health challenges. Among the Foundation’s diverse international partners, the Dulwich Centre Foundation in Australia, home of narrative therapy, stands out. Its co-director and renowned expert in narrative therapy, David Denborough, sent a welcoming video message to the participants of the inaugural event, expressing his full support for both the goal of Armenia and its outreach to the rest of the world.
The Foundation offers its beneficiaries a unique “Armenian Path” of mental and spiritual recovery, a journey that lasts more than three months, but doesn’t actually end there. The program is entirely needs-based, and beneficiaries participate in one or all of three intensive initiatives:
— In the six-week “Revival” program, retrained narrative therapy specialists work with groups of 10-12 people to support participants on their journey to rediscover their own resources and find better ways to rewrite a more viable narrative about their own lives.
— The special two-day program, “Strive,” involving around 30 participants and a diverse group of storytelling experts, including therapists, historical experts and clergy, aims to support participants’ spiritual and personal growth through Armenian cultural metaphors, form common bonds between people and inspire “active historical thinking” to overcome trauma.
— Last but not least, the “Thrive” program will see participants and invited guests from the two previous stages take part in a fascinating event where they will witness their own trauma and rebirth as outsiders, planting the seeds of resilient community networks.
The above is a non-exhaustive description of the recovery journey that the Foundation designed in close collaboration with the Armenian Church and international partners to provide a route of escape for many people struggling with post-war mental health issues.
“This initiative is the missing element, completing the cycle of the many successful efforts that Nubar and its partners have implemented in Armenia and Artsakh for decades. Our Foundation, like all our programs, is future-oriented. The beneficiaries of our programs are all people who need a path to recovery and prosperity. The Foundation offers its beneficiaries a simple formula: we support you today, and when you recover, be honored to lend a helping hand to someone else in need,” summarized the Foundation’s Executive Director Hovhannes Nikogosian.
In keeping with the symbolism of the day, a memorandum of cooperation was signed with Matenadaran, whose director Ara Khuzmariyan said that the foundation’s goals overlap to help Armenian compatriots rediscover the richness of Armenia’s historical experience.
Over the past few months, the Foundation has been implementing diverse projects targeting a wide range of beneficiaries, trying out different elements of its novel approach and vision. About 14 community psychoeducational events were held in six communities, with about 1,000 active participants. An online mental health testing platform was launched on the www.revival.am website, which has already been used by about 9,500 people for their own benefit. Many of them also applied for and received group support through the Foundation’s programs in Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor, Abovyan, Masis and Armavir. The majority of participants reported an improvement in their mental health well-being after participating in the Foundation’s programs. This and many other projects implemented by the Foundation are meticulously designed to ensure confidentiality and the best interests of the beneficiaries.
The Foundation aims to gradually expand the project’s geographical scope from September 2024.
In parallel with the main project, the Foundation implemented a special emergency response program designed for Armenians forcibly evacuated from Artsakh in September 2023.
18 psychologists from Artsakh were trained and provided free psychological support to around 500 adults (in partnership with AGBU) and 160 children who were forcibly displaced from Artsakh in the past few months. A special program was also implemented for around 150 “first responders” who work on a daily basis with displaced people from Artsakh. Support programs for Armenians in Artsakh will also be mainstreamed.
The May 17 event marked the beginning of a new phase for the Foundation, with an expanded scale of projects and range of beneficiaries. The Revival Foundation website (www.revival.am), which will soon be available in English, will provide a more comprehensive overview of the many projects undertaken by the Foundation.
