SoCal students march 27 miles for Armenian refugees in need: 'Our hearts are broken'
ENCINO, Calif. (KABC) -- Students and staff at Holy Martyrs Ferrahian Armenian High School marched nearly 30 miles Friday to raise awareness to the humanitarian crisis at the Armenian border with Azerbaijan.
The group marched from Encino to the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument in Montebello, spreading the message and saying people are in desperate need of help.
Thousands of refugees are fleeing the Armenian enclave of Artsakh.
For some of the students, this all hits close to home.
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"Our hearts are broken," said 10th grade student Vaughn Melkonian. "Some of us have sleepless nights. It's our brothers and sisters. We even have family members there that have been killed. One of my cousins died there. He was a soldier and the rest are trying to escape to Armenia and other parts of the world."
The students, who marched side by side, holding hands and locking arms, said they want action, especially from President Joe Biden.
"Innocent Armenians, innocent families ... their villages are getting bombed and people are just coming in an killing them," said student Joey Titizian. "It's a horrible situation, and I just want the world to open their eyes and see the situation for what it really is."
Despite Thursday's heat, the students didn't back down from their mission.
"I knew it was going to be a lot, but I'm like, "Man, they're doing it over there, they're doing it in cold winter. It's October now, it's going to start getting cold, and we're here with 95-, 100-degree heat. We're fine. They have nothing. They're walking barefooted, I have perfectly comfy shoes. This is easy compared to what they're doing there."
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