Soup Kitchen Takes a Huge Weight off Our Shoulders

For 70-year-old Sveta Zaryan, the FAR Soup Kitchen initially seemed like a place where the underprivileged stood in line for a warm, nourishing meal. As a teacher with 50 years of experience in Artsakh, the idea of joining a line made her feel uncomfortable. But everything changed the day she first stepped into FAR’s Yeghsapet Jambazian/Mangoian Soup Kitchen in Byureghavan, Kotayk Province.

“My perception vanished. The place was so bright and welcoming. The cooks were in clean uniforms, the tables were already set-it felt like being invited to a family gathering. Even more, FAR has created a space where people connect and socialize. That really amazed me,” says Sveta, who has been attending the soup kitchen for nearly two years now, ever since she was forcibly displaced and resettled in the Byureghavan.

After being forcibly displaced from Hadrut, Sveta and her family-her husband, daughter, and son Aram, who developed a disability during the first Artsakh war-resettled in the Kotayk Province. None of them had jobs, and even food became a daily struggle.

“We couldn’t afford basic groceries,” she says. “The soup kitchen took a huge weight off our shoulders. It helped us cover rent and utilities, and gave us one solid meal a day.”

Sveta frankly notes that life in Hadrut had been very different. Her family had a land, grew their own fruits and vegetables, and raised livestock; 100 cows, 25 beehives, pigs, turkeys, and hens. “We never bought anything. Everything was homemade. But here, if you don’t go to a store, you’ll go hungry.”

But now, with the help of the soup kitchen, they manage it. They eat their main meal there and prepare a small dinner at home, often just needing to buy bread. Recently, Sveta and Aram began working for the local community cleaning service, doing what they can to support their household.

Despite the hardship, Sveta remains the ‘soul of the soup kitchen’ known for her love of music and dancing, and for radiating joy and warmth.

“I love life so much. Yes, we had a good life in Karabakh, but thank God we are alive. That means we can start again, and work on our dream - to have a home of my own one day.”