Armenia
Nestled between Asia and Europe, Armenia is situated at the heart of the Caucasus Mountains, surrounded by nations larger and more powerful.
Strengthened by their Christian faith, the Armenian people have managed to endure, despite genocidal campaigns against them.
They continue to face grave challenges: War, natural disasters and political instability jeopardize the Armenian population of 2.9 million, of whom more than a quarter live in abject poverty.
Due to its membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, the Armenian economy is heavily dependent on Russia, which controls most of Armenia’s strategic assets, including the gas distribution network, railroads and telecommunications, and has a near-monopoly on the gas market. Land-locked, Armenia has open borders with only two of its immediate neighbors: Georgia and Iran.
In September 2023, Azerbaijani forces completed their invasion of the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, forcing some 120,000 Armenians from their homes and villages. Overnight, Armenian communities that had dominated the region for more than a millennium disappeared. The process of accommodation and integration of these displaced persons within Armenia proper has been arduous for a country already under socioeconomic and political duress.
Armenia’s small Catholic community has sought to address these challenges, and CNEWA is standing by its side. CNEWA is working closely with the Armenian Catholic Ordinariate, and its social service arm, Caritas Armenia, offering hope in a land that is all too familiar with despair.
Responding to Human Needs
CNEWA helps to provide winter kits to the elderly living in isolated mountain villages; supports childcare programs, including summer camps and after-school activities; offers access to health care; rushes emergency support for ethnic Armenians displaced from Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh; and assists those with special needs with family-oriented rehabilitation classes and employment opportunities.
Accompanying the Church
CNEWA supports formation activities for the support of priests, seminarians, men and women religious and lay catechists. We also provide support to parish communities, particularly those serving communities in vulnerable rural villages.
