A Home to Call Their Own: From Artsakh to a New Beginning

Looking out from the balcony, it feels as though I’m gazing at our own mountains,” says 42-year-old Lianna Asryan, who was forcibly displaced from Khndzristan village in the Askeran region of Artsakh with her family in September 2023.

She recalls that their journey to Armenia took four days. They had to leave behind two homes and their car because there was no fuel available.

“As soon as we reached Goris, one of my husband’s former military comrades, who lives in Getahovit village in Tavush, contacted us and invited us to settle there,” Lianna says.

Lianna, her husband, his parents, and their four children initially lived in rented homes in Getahovit, moving twice before finding stability.

“My husband’s friend, Gevorg, paid our rent during the first months because we arrived in Armenia with only 200,000 AMD ($520 USD). Later, after obtaining Armenian citizenship, we were able to purchase a house in the village through the government housing certificate program,” she explains.

Their new home was furnished through the FAR Emergency Support Program for Artsakh Armenians. Today, the family lives in a warm, fully furnished house where they are rebuilding their lives.

To help them establish a sustainable source of income, a grant provided by the FAR and the Knights of Vartan enabled the purchase of an incubator, a generator, and a poultry feather-plucking machine.

Lianna now raises nearly 400 chickens and chicks. She is also waiting for turkey and duck eggs to hatch. She currently earns around 180,000 AMD (approximately $470 USD) per month from her poultry farming.

“This support has given us wings․ We have settled here, and not planning to leave Armenia. For the sake of our children, we have to adapt. We have to build and create so they won’t carry the full weight of what we lost,” Lianna says, her voice filled with emotion.

Their eldest son, 18-year-old Valeri, will soon begin his military service. Sixteen-year-old Andranik and eleven-year-old Hayk are passionate about music and play the Armenian flute (shvi) and the  drum. Andranik studies at the Dilijan State College of Arts and dreams of continuing his education at the Conservatory. The college also operates under FAR’s care and support.

Lianna emphasizes that the family was welcomed with warmth and compassion in Tavush. Benefactors, supporters, fellow villagers, and the children’s teachers all helped them regain their footing and build a new life.

“Even the local dialect is so similar to ours. That, too, brings us comfort. It helps us move forward and continue creating,” she says.

Last year, the FAR Emergency Support Program for Artsakh Armenians helped 37 families furnish, heat, and equip their homes purchased through the government housing certificate program, and this year it is extending the same support to 20 more families in Sisian, Goris, Ijevan, and Noyemberyan.