Many are curious about the statue of a mother protectively embracing her child, located on the lawn outside the American Red Cross National Headquarters at 430 17th Street, N.W. in Washington, D.C. “Motherland” is a bronze sculpture created by Armenian sculptor Frederic Sogoyan and given to the American Red Cross in 1991 as a gift from the Armenian people to commemorate American Red Cross relief services to survivors of the December 7, 1988, 6.9 earthquake that devastated their country. We hope you’ll come see the Motherland statue in person next time you’re in Washington.
At least 25,000 died, 15,000 were injured and 500,000 were left homeless following the quake in Armenia. Four cities and 58 villages were completely leveled. Through the generosity of the American people, the American Red Cross was able to channel more than $14 million in disaster assistance to Armenia in the year following the earthquake, $6.5 million in cash and $8 million of in-kind goods, including antibiotics and other medical supplies. The Red Cross also established a prosthetic workshop, a spinal trauma rehabilitation unit and a disaster preparedness program.
