Public Report August 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS __________________ 1. Mission and Strategic Goals 3 2. Key Events and Achievements 2015-2016 7 3. Aurora Humanitarian Initiative in Numbers 19 4. Goals and Priorities for 2016-2017 20 5. Donors and Partners 21 AURORA HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE AURORA HUMANITARIAN _ 2 Mission and STRATEGIC Goals The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative was launched The initiative offers a new way of looking at how on behalf of all survivors of the Armenian Genocide people deal with hardships, overcome problems and in gratitude to their saviors. and persevere. We have a dual purpose: to pay tribute to those Our project seeks to foster a new generation of who helped Armenians 100 years ago and to heroes who dedicate their lives to preserving continue their legacy by supporting courageous peace, protecting human rights and alleviating and selfless individuals and organizations in the suffering of humankind’s most vulnerable their present-day humanitarian efforts. members. AURORA HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE AURORA HUMANITARIAN _ 3 On behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors 100 LIVES THE AURORA PRIZE • Saviors’ & Survivors’ Stories • Laureate Selection & Award Presentation • 100 LIVES Legacy • Award Ceremony and Armenia • Armenian Memory Act Weekend AURORA DIALOGUES AURORA HUMANITARIAN • Content Creation INDEX • Conference • International Survey GLOBAL SOCIAL GRATITUDE PROJECTS MOVEMENT • Humanitarian Grants • Saviors Communities Grants • Scholarships AURORA HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE AURORA HUMANITARIAN _ SECOND CHANCE/SURVIVORS’ CITY 4 100 LIVES A global online portal designed to preserve memory of the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide, as well as of those who gave Armenians a helping hand. The platform will also present the extensive diaspora’s achievements and its connection to Armenian heritage, culture and values. THE AURORA PRIZE An international humanitarian award recognizing the courage, commitment and impact of those who put their lives at risk to help others. The prize honors modern-day heroes and seeks to raise public awareness of atrocities being committed around the world. GRATITUDE PROJECTS A number of international projects aimed at shaping a better future for generations to come with a special focus on education and social development. The projects are implemented in communities whose representatives helped Armenians survive a century ago or who subscribe to similar humanitarian values today. AURORA HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE AURORA HUMANITARIAN _ 5 AURORA HUMANITARIAN INDEX An annual international survey that measures and analyzes the public’s perception of the most pressing humanitarian issues and explores their causes, consequences and the means used to address them. AURORA DIALOGUES An international forum for discussing the most pressing humanitarian crises meant to contribute to finding potential solutions consistent with the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative’s mission and values. The Conference brings together a range of luminaries from the humanitarian, academic, media and philanthropy fields and gives a voice to the younger generation of future leaders and activists. SOCIAL MOVEMENT An international project aimed at creating a new global social movement that embodies the core values of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative. SECOND CHANCE CITY An international project that presents Mount Ararat and the biblical legend of Noah as a transcultural symbol of humanity’s second chance. The project’s goal is to create a new spiritual AURORA HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE AURORA HUMANITARIAN center of modern-day pilgrimage. _ 6 KEY EVENTS and ACHIEVEMENTS of 2015-2016 AURORA HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE AURORA HUMANITARIAN _ 7 Launch of the 100 LIVES INITIATIVE • The 100 LIVES Initiative was formally launched in New York on March 10, 2015. The launch event was live-streamed on the 100 LIVES website. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, of which the Aurora Prize is a part, was launched by the 100 LIVES Co-founders. • The launch event was attended by 150 guests, including Aurora Prize Selection Committee Co-сhair George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney, political analyst Gwen Ifill and representatives of numerous global media outlets. The event generated 337 pieces of coverage, reaching an audience of over 36.5 million people across the globe. • The Initiative also achieved strong social media results. The 100 LIVES Facebook page accumulated over 12,000 followers in under 100 hours, which Facebook itself deemed “a record.” AURORA HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE AURORA HUMANITARIAN _ 8 Whatever affects one minority actually has an effect on the majority. Whatever affects the present, affects the future. МЕЖДУНАРОДНАЯ ГУМАНИТАРНАЯ ИНИЦИАТИВА «АВРОРА» ИНИЦИАТИВА ГУМАНИТАРНАЯ МЕЖДУНАРОДНАЯ _ Elie Wiesel 93 1928-2016 AURORA PRIZE 2016 Nominations for the Aurora Prize 2016 opened on July 3, 2015. Over the course of three months, 186 nominations in six languages from 27 countries were received. Altogether, 113 unique candidates were nominated. In January 2016 the Selection Committee announced the names of the first four finalists of the Aurora Prize: Marguerite Barankitse Dr. Tom Catena Syeda Ghulam Fatima Bernard Kinvi On April 24, 2016 Marguerite Barankitse became the inaugural Aurora Prize laureate. AURORA HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE AURORA HUMANITARIAN _ 10 “ MARGUERITE BARANKITSE Aurora Prize 2016 laureate ARGUERITE BARANKITSE from Maison Shalom and REMA hospital in МBurundi cared for orphans and refugees during civil in the country. Altogether, Marguerite rescued roughly 30,000 children and in 2008, she opened a hospital that has treated more than 80,000 patients to date. AURORA HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE AURORA HUMANITARIAN _ 11 Aurora Prize FINALISTS SYEDA GHULAM FATIMA lives in Pakistan and fights to eradicate one of the remaining forms of modern-day slavery. Her organization, the Bonded Labour Liberation Front of Pakistan, has helped myriads of people who were forced to work for brick kiln owners in order to repay debts. DR. TOM CATENA, the only resident physician in the Nuba Mountains on the border with South Sudan, provides medical assistance to over 500,000 local residents. FATHER BERNARD KINVI became a priest at the age of 19. In 2012, a civil war broke out in the Central African Republic. Amid the violence, Father Kinvi provided shelter and medical assistance to people on AURORA HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE AURORA HUMANITARIAN both sides of the conflict. _ 12 AURORA PRIZE 2016 722 guests attended the inaugural Aurora Prize Ceremony that took place on April 24, 2016 at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex in Yerevan. Among them were President of Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, Catholicos of all Armenians Karekin II, Aurora Prize Selection Committee Co-chair George Clooney, singer Charles Aznavour and representatives of 80 humanitarian organizations. МЕЖДУНАРОДНАЯ ГУМАНИТАРНАЯ ИНИЦИАТИВА «АВРОРА» ИНИЦИАТИВА ГУМАНИТАРНАЯ МЕЖДУНАРОДНАЯ _ 133 Aurora HUMANITARIAN INDEX The publicized results of the first annual Aurora Humanitarian Index, a global study of the most pressing humanitarian issues, revealed not only a disconnect between perception and reality on a number of fronts, but also an enormous void between what people say and feel and what they are actually prepared to do. Aurora DIALOGUES The Aurora Dialogues, a series of keynote speeches and panel discussions, provided a platform for leading humanitarians, academics, philanthropists, journalists and humanitarian aid workers to talk about today’s _ 14 most pressing challenges. Meeting with UWC DILIJAN STUDENTS UWC Dilijan College students delivered presentations on current humanitarian issues to the Aurora Prize Ceremony honorary guests. The students then had an opportunity to address their questions to actor and philanthropist George Clooney and human rights activist John Prendergast. Inaugural Aurora Prize Laureate Marguerite Barankitse and legendary French singer Charles Aznavour also visited UWC Dilijan. _ 15 Aurora Prize 2016 ACHIEVEMENTS Some 1,440 articles and stories covering the Aurora Prize weekend were published in media outlets around the world. Altogether, there were more than 500 mentions in media outlets of over 20 countries. Media coverage reached over 100 million people, including through special reports in the world’s leading global publications — New York Times (USA), TIME (USA), Guardian (Great Britain), BBC (Great Britain), Forbes (USA), Al Jazeera (Qatar), Le Figaro (France) and Kommersant (Russia). AURORA HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE AURORA HUMANITARIAN _ 163 Aurora Prize 2016 ACHIEVEMENTS • An extensive public relations campaign preceded the inaugural Aurora Prize Ceremony, resulting in an audience of approximately 1 million television viewers. A social media promotional campaign with short videos starring Armenian celebrities communicated information about the prize and its nominees to an audience of over 1.5 million users. • A partnership with the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies provided access to a community of 10,000 students who partook in a competition to create their own visions of the Aurora Prize. • A call for volunteers resulted in 1,640 applications. AURORA HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE AURORA HUMANITARIAN _ 17 Other ACHIEVEMENTS The following scholarship programs were launched: The Amal Clooney Scholarship - an annual scholarship for Lebanese girls, who demonstrate strong interest in Human Rights, to study at the UWC Dilijan international college in Armenia. 100 LIVES and Near East