Changing the Lives of Refugee Children through Summer Camp

“I left my bicycle, our house, and our garden full of pomegranate trees behind. But I brought my dreams with me here,” says 11-year-old Angela Minasyan, one of the participants of the Aragats Summer Camp in Hankavan.

Angela is among 240 children, 115 of them refugee children, who are enjoying a safe, joyful summer camp thanks to the “Comprehensive Assistance to Refugees from Nagorno Karabakh and Vulnerable Host Communities” project, implemented by the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) and Sign of Hope (SoH), with generous support from the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO). For many, like Angela, this camp is more than just fun: it’s a chance to heal and belong.

Originally from the village of Karotan in Artsakh’s Kashatagh region, Angela and her family were forced to leave their home in October 2020, just days after the war began. Her family of seven - parents, sister, two grandmothers, and grandfather - now rely solely on her father, who does seasonal agricultural work, driving a tractor and an excavator to support them.

“We thought we would return. But we never did. The Azerbaijanis had taken our village,” she says.

After moving between several villages, her family eventually settled in Shahumyan village of Ararat province, purchasing a home through a government certificate program.

“At first, it was very hard, so many changes, so many challenges. But I got used to it,” Angela shares. Now, she’s found something she had long been missing; a place to simply be a child again. “I really wanted to come to this camp,” Angela says. “My friends told me about the games, the choir, the dancing… I wanted to feel that joy, too.”

Each day at Aragats Camp starts with morning exercises, followed by breakfast, games, creative workshops, and Armenian national dance classes.

“My favorite part is the disco nights!” Angela beams. “And the friendships. I’ve made new friends - Goharik, Milena, Lisa, Nare, Mane… We talk about everything. Real friends are the ones who stay with you even when life is hard. That’s what I’ve learned here.”

Angela’s mother, Satenik Sargsyan, 43, proudly says the change in her daughter is undeniable, she has become more curious, more confident, and is now taking real steps toward her dream of becoming a doctor. “This camp has given her the space to grow emotionally, too. She feels included. She feels seen.”

The "Comprehensive Assistance to Refugees from Nagorno Karabakh and Vulnerable Host Communities" project was made possible due to a generous grant provided to FAR and Sign of Hope (SoH) by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO), as a contribution to our continuous support to refugee families settled across Armenia. Thanks to their generosity, we have been able to reach out to over 400 refugee families in Berd, Ijevan, and Noyemberyan providing mental health and psychosocial support, protection services, and assistance with shelter, non-food items, and winterization.