Armenia’s Honorary Consulate in Fresno Plans 4th Medical Mission to Lebanon in May
A delegation from the Fresno Medical Mission Council with His Holiness Aram I at his summer residence in the St. Mary Monastery in Bikfaya, Lebanon on Sept. 17, 2024
Over the past ten years, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in Fresno has organized medical missions to Armenia and Artsakh to provide medical assistance to underserved populations, and to share the latest medical technology and knowledge with medical professionals in Armenia.
In 2022, the first medical mission to Lebanon was organized after recognizing the socio-economic conditions, specifically after the port explosion in Beirut. The medical mission had a very positive impact and, more importantly, it provided moral support to the Armenian community of Lebanon.
On May 18, a sixteen-member team of medical professionals from various parts of the United States will travel to Lebanon under the auspices of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia. With his blessings and support, the medical mission team will be providing direct care by transporting medical equipment and medication with them to assist the Armenian communities in Lebanon and Aleppo, Syria.
“The medical mission organized under your leadership left a very positive impact and impression on the Armenian community in Lebanon and as well as in Syria,” Aram I said in a letter addressed to Berj Apkarian, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in Fresno. “I am pleased to hear, that you are planning a fourth medical mission to Lebanon in May, 2025. We truly appreciate and highly value the dedication of your team and its humanitarian mission.”
“We are hopeful that the upcoming medical mission will be organized with the same level of dedication and commitment to provide much needed care specially in a time where the Armenian communities of Lebanon and Syria are facing many social and economic challenges,” reads the letter from Aram I.
Over the past three years, the medical mission has established a close working relationship with the American University of Beirut and has forged a partnership with its Physiotherapy Department. This partnership has led to close collaboration and training of the local providers, teaching them the latest techniques in pain management.
The Honorary Consul and the medical mission team would like to extend their gratitude and appreciation for the unwavering support of the community and in receiving the blessings of Aram I.
