These are uneasy and uncertain times, indeed. I believe that many of us may share the same feelings of anxiety over these uncharted waters. We are treading through the unknown, which can understandably give us anxiety and cause us to fear for ourselves, our loved ones, and our society in general.
I want to reassure you that FAR is handling this situation with extreme seriousness. We are being proactive to protect our staff as well as the people we help, but without sacrificing the essential and, often, life-altering support that we offer through our programs.
We are doing everything we can to keep our activities under control.
I want to assure you that FAR’s work continues, and that we are carrying out that work in a responsible and caring way.
Below, are just some examples of the measures we are taking:
1) To protect the safety of our employees we have closed our offices and asked all of our staff members to work from home as much as possible. Most of our employees can work from home exclusively.
2) Nearly all of our communications, including meetings, have been moved online, and any large gatherings we had planned have been postponed until further notice.
3) Where in-person contact is warranted, such as at many of our project sites, we are adapting our implementation so that FAR’s staff can still serve beneficiaries while keeping them as safe as possible. For instance, the staff of our five soup kitchens, which collectively serve about 800 individuals, many of whom rely on the kitchens as a primary source of their meals, are now preparing food for pickup to avoid people from congregating in large dining spaces. Also, the FAR Children’s Center in Yerevan is providing private transport for essential staff like social workers and psychologists so they may avoid taking public transportation but continue to report to work and uphold the Center’s mission to support vulnerable children and youth in utmost need.
4) FAR staff and beneficiaries are regularly updated on mandatory hygiene practices and standards to follow at home, work and elsewhere.
Again, these are just a few examples and all measurements are being revised each day to address any new developments we may encounter.
During this time we will be updating you regularly and more often about our work in the field.
We think communication and transparency is especially important as this situation unfolds and we want you, our caring donors, to be the first to know.
It is most important to remember that to get through this we must take precautions and safety measures seriously, and do our best to stay healthy and protect those around us.
Warm Regards,
Garnik Nanagoulian
FAR Executive Director