Founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative seeks to empower modern-day heroes to offer life and hope to those in urgent need of basic humanitarian aid anywhere in the world. Now in its fifth year, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative has launched a global movement of "Gratitude in Action" and supported more than 850,000 people in poverty and war-stricken areas across 15 countries. We strive to honor the memory of those who perished during the Armenian Genocide by recognizing modern-day heroes who step-up in the face of adversity by helping others in the direst circumstances.   

The timing of this historic vote is particularly poignant as the $1M Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was awarded just two weeks ago to Mirza Dinnayi, a Yazidi human rights activist who helped the most vulnerable members of the Yazidi community in Iraq during the atrocities committed by ISIS.

Vartan Gregorian, Co-Founder, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative

Noubar Afeyan, Co-Founder, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative

Ruben Vardanyan, Co-Founder, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative

Tom Catena, Chair, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative