For Noyemzar Mnatsakanyan and her family, the start of December used mean joyful traditions, like the decoration of the family Christmas tree or making pakhlava. But the last two Christmases have been different.
“Everything has been going wrong since the war,” said Noyemzar, 29, a mother of six.
A New Year’s Eve gathering organized by FAR and held at the Cultural Center of Sisian aimed to bring a little Christmas joy to those displaced from Artsakh for whom it may have been denied. As part of our Support for Artsakh’s Displaced project, children and their families received Christmas candy packages and cash assistance thanks to the generosity of The Nazarian Family of New Jersey and The Hovivian Family of New York.
Having lived in Artsakh’s Kashatagh Region for 12 years prior to the war, Noyemzar’s family is currently struggling with displacement, unemployment, financial distress, and bereavement. “We rent a house in Sisian but we haven’t been able to pay the landlord for the last two months. Now, thanks to you and your benefactors, I will be able to pay the rent,” she said. “We didn’t know that we would receive so many gifts. I’m very grateful that all of us are here.”
The children who attended the event at the Sisian Center are some of the 287 displaced children from other communities who received Christmas packages and financial assistance.
“We have had a year full of challenges which have, unfortunately, affected children, many of whom are still dealing with war trauma and who are trying to process their feelings of fear and despair,” said Project Coordinator Mane Khachatryan during the event. “However, through Support for Artsakh’s Displaced we have tried to help you overcome hardships. We willcontinue our work and mission to help you in the future as well.”