Aleppo Armenian community leader Dr. Nerses Sarkissian is touring Armenian communities across the Eastern U.S. from December 1-24, to speak about the current situation in Syria, and the challenges facing the Armenian community there, the Armenian Weekly reports.

The tour is organized by the ARF Central Committee of the Eastern United States and the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Eastern United States.

The first event featuring Sarkissian took place at Worcester State University on December 1, during a symposium on refugees organized by the university’s Center for the Study of Human Rights. There, he spoke in detail about the challenges the Armenian community has faced since the beginning of the Syrian conflict four years ago. He discussed the safety of the community, the economic and day-to-day hardships they face, the state of the Armenian educational system in the country, and the political situation in the areas populated by Armenians. Sarkissian spoke in Armenian, while Rupen Janbazian provided English translations.

Sarkissian, who is a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Central Committee of Syria and the Syrian Armenian Committee for Urgent Relief and Rehabilitation, will continue his speaking tour in the coming weeks with events in Detroit, New York (December 5), Boston (Dec. 10), Providence (Dec. 11), Washington D.C. (Dec. 12), Chicago (Dec. 13), Granite City (Dec. 14), Philadelphia (Dec. 18), and New Jersey (Dec. 19).