ROCKET STOVE HEATER PROJECT UPDATE 12/31/20

The heating homes project started with awareness and timing. In the middle of the war, our team was already in the process of raising money for other relief initiatives through our live music sessions, and we quickly realized a humanitarian crisis was coming. Tens of thousands of people from Artsakh were suddenly driven from their homes, and there was no plan on how to house them, feed them, or keep them warm, especially as a bitter, cold winter was setting in.

Vibe Tribe member, Zak, brushed off his building skills and started designing heaters that would help these families not only warm their homes, but do so efficiently and with the means to also cook their food at the same time. He had seen the Rocket Stove Heater before and decided to make his own design for the refugees. Once we got started, other tribe members like Shant and Jiro joined in with their contributions. Then, once we opened a GoFundMe page and announced the project during the New Gray session with Arman’s creative promo video, the donations started flooding in. We reached our target overnight, and we began building. We finally finished the heaters with the help of all our donors, some helpful hands and a lot of love.

Today we delivered those heaters. With the help of Zil and Ford transportation, our team drove up to Gyumri and delivered the last set of Rocket Stove Heaters to the displaced families settled in Gyumri, a bitter cold town in the middle of winter. A special thanks goes out to the team who worked tirelessly on building these heaters, particularly Zak Valladian, Shant, Jiro and Vazrig who donated their time, blood, sweat and tears to make this happen. Thanks as well to the production team for the Vibes Sessions lead by Narek Barseghyan without whom we would not have been able to raise the funds. We pray and wish for strength, art, and love to you all in a hopeful new year!

ROCKET STOVE HEATER PROJECT UPDATE 12/26/20

Our first set of heaters have been finished and are already being distributed. The initial beneficiaries have been identified. Shushi residents who are being assisted to relocated will be the first to receive the heaters. We will keep you posted on progress and share details as needed.

No doubt this will be an asset for these families to stay warm, feed their families and establish their new lives. Thanks to all who donated, this was not possible without all of our supporters.

Rocket stove heater Project Update 12/5/20

50 Rocket Stove Heaters will be completed within a few days and delivered to families identified as in critical long term danger. These families are being identified through a number of sources on the ground.

For production purposes, equipment was purchased for efficiency and two welders from Artsakh who have been displaced have been hired with a daily salary for production. Though young, these men have families to support, one of which has four children.

Meanwhile, here is a photo of the progress so far. We will update you more soon on the continued progress as well as financial reports on the complete donor list as well as expenditures. We are also preparing a video of the production and delivery so you can see your donations in action, direct to those most urgently in need.

Heating Homes Away from Home

The displaced Armenian population of Artsakh is facing a massive humanitarian crisis. Thousands of our brothers and sisters have been placed in temporary shelters, but not all of these shelters are equipped with proper heating systems. Armenia is known for its bitter cold winters, which is why the team at Armenian Vibes has decided to find an innovative solution to this problem and take action.

We are in the process of building a new breed of extremely efficient wood-burning heaters, Rocket Stove Heaters, that produce consistent heat with only a small amount of wood! Already, these Rocket Stove Heaters are in high demand, which is why we are looking to you, our audience, to help us raise the funds necessary to produce more heaters.

We are on the ground connecting directly with displaced families in need. Our cost-efficient heaters don't require much. With just $100 we will create 2 heaters! 100% of the money collected from the funds will be used to do the following:

The building of 100 Rocket Stove Heaters (we will match it to make 200) upcycling from the following materials:
• Metal scraps
• LPG tanks
• Remaining needed tools for additional help (most of the tools have already been purchased on our own inititiative and initial donations among friends).

Providing employment to displaced people from Artsakh for the following:
• 3 salaries for workers from Artsakh who have been displaced.
• Delivery charges to displaced Artsakh drivers with means to deliver

The members of our team are volunteering their contributions to the process. Every $100 we receive will go straight towards a heater for another home, and we will continue to build as long as it is needed. Once the heaters are ready, we will delivery them to the families most in need. We will share the delivery details of all of them with you as they take place.

All donations will be processed through Arsineh (Khachikian) Valladian's personal US bank account, withdrawn in Armenia, and go straight to purchases of raw materials we need to build the heaters. My husband and I have already invested $1000, and two other friends who prefer to remain anonymous have donated $400 each already. For transparency, all expenses and updates will be posted here and on our website: www.armeniavibes.com. We will also post video and written updates on this page so that you can follow our progress.

While we are hurting from the way events have turned out, we understand that there are urgent situations that need to be addressed, fast. Now is not the time to feel helpless or lose heart. It is vital that our relief efforts continue, especially with winter approaching. Thank you for helping us heat the homes of so many displaced families.

We play, you donate, they stay...warm.