From Military Service to Metalwork: Karen Hakobyan’s Journey Toward a More Secure Future
Updated: 19 minutes ago
For 39-year-old Karen Hakobyan, from Noyemberyan, northern Armenia, finding a new path in life meant returning to a craft he had grown up around. After a heart condition forced him to leave military service, Karen turned to metalworking, drawing on the skills he had learned from his father, a skilled craftsman, and his uncle, a welder.
The Fund for Armenian Relief had supported Karen’s family at several critical moments, helping them navigate difficult circumstances and gradually rebuild their lives.
In 2023, FAR provided the family, which has four children and was facing financial hardship, with a gas stove and beds for the children. In 2025, Karen took part in FAR’s economic empowerment training, which helped him take practical steps toward starting his own business. With the support he received, he acquired essential tools, which helped him put his long-forgotten skills back to work.
“FAR came into my life when I was feeling completely hopeless,” Karen recalls. “My father had diabetes, and I had taken out numerous loans to cover our family’s needs. When I could no longer keep up with the repayments, my case ended up with the Compulsory Enforcement Service. Around the same time, I was diagnosed with a heart condition that forced me to leave my military career. I had served as a command platoon commander in an artillery battery.”
Yet Karen chose not to give up. With a smile, he recalls the familiar saying, “Every cloud has a silver lining.”
The very next day after acquiring his tools, Karen got back to work. Little by little, he began paying off his debts and regaining control over his finances.
He later participated in another FAR training program, "From Idea to Business Plan", which brought together 36 beneficiaries from Noyemberyan and Ijevan identified through a social assessment process. Participants developed business ideas in agriculture, production, and small-scale entrepreneurship, each working toward a business plan that could help them access future funding opportunities and build a more secure future for their families.
For Karen, the training opened another door. He acquired a semi-automatic welding machine and woodworking equipment, expanding his work beyond metal and into woodcraft.
Today, he makes a variety of products to order, combining wood and metal to create everything from entrance doors and railings to custom-built structures. Among his projects is a large rabbit enclosure.
“Two years ago, I used to buy things on credit at almost every shop. Now, I earn around AMD 250,000–300,000 a month, and I have almost paid off my debts,” Karen says. “The most important thing is that when my children want something from the shop, I can afford to buy it for them.”
He lives with his elderly mother, his aunt, who has a disability, his wife, and their four children. His eldest son, 11-year-old Ruben, has already started helping his father with simple tasks. The younger children—9-year-old Zhenya, 6-year-old Ara, and 2-year-old Leo—are not yet trusted with the tools, but they watch their father work with curiosity and fascination.
This year, Ruben and Zhenya also took part in another important FAR initiative: the Aragats Summer Camp. The camp brought together 340 children from eight regions of Armenia and Javakhk, Georgia.
For Karen, FAR’s support has been about more than receiving assistance or acquiring equipment. It has helped him rediscover his skills, build a livelihood, and stand on his own feet again.
Today, with his tools in hand and his children by his side, Karen is building more than doors, railings, and wooden structures. He is building a more secure future for his family—one project at a time.
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