When he fled the violence in Artsakh in 2020, Edik Mnatsakanyan believed that he would be back home again in a few days after the flare-up subsided.
That never happened.
Like the hundreds of families forced to flee the most recent Artsakh War, Edik, his wife, Anna, who was pregnant at the time, and their three children, sought refuge about 90 miles away from their home, across the border in Armenia.
“We had a prosperous life in Artsakh. We enjoyed the warm climate; I had a good job,” Edik said. “We never imagined that we would find ourselves in such a situation.”
Edik’s family now lives in a house in Armenia’s Sisian Region because of our Support for Artsakh’s Displaced Project, which has helped six families in total to find sustainable housing in addition to food, clothing, and employment—almost everything needed to find stability in a new home.
In addition, 30 other displaced individuals from low-income families have been provided with income opportunities through animal husbandry, agriculture, and engineering.
Today Edik's family lives in a two-story house and Edik is working full-time as a mechanic, also thanks to FAR’s help, which supported him to start his new business. Anna is engaged in animal husbandry and greenhouse cultivation.
“If not for the house and my small business, we would have to go back to Artsakh without any hope or a roof over our heads,” Edik said. "FAR gave us hope—the hope to build a future in Sisian.”
As we continue to live under the threat of Azeri aggression we must accelerate our efforts to support Armenia now more than ever. Please consider making a donation on our website today.