The tale of forced displacement is a familiar one for many ethnic Armenian refugees who fled Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023 after Azerbaijan’s military offensive and occupation. Time and time again, lives in the Christian enclave have been uprooted by violence and strife.
“I left my homeland in Mingachevir, then left another in Stepanakert,” said Sonya Avanesyan, a Caritas Armenia beneficiary twice displaced, first from Mingachevir in 1988 and then from Stepanakert in September 2023. “I am 72 already, can I set up a home again?”
Ms. Avanesyan, whose father, husband and brother were killed in 1992 and 1994 in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, relies on Caritas for aid during this transition to her new life in Armenia.
It is easier for young children to adapt to such a drastic change, whereas older children, parents and adults struggle at a greater rate, said Suzy Sargsyan, a psychologist at Caritas Armenia’s Little Prince Center.
“Parents are disappointed; they are in despair. They don’t know what will happen tomorrow, what the situation will be,” she said. “It is very difficult to live with that feeling.”
Hear more from Ms. Avanesyan and Ms. Sargsyan in this video, and hear from Vahe Poghosyan, a young beneficiary who is looking toward his future with the help of Caritas. Then, read about the refugees who are adjusting to life in Armenia in “The Difference a Year Makes” in the September 2024 edition of ONE magazine.