“Work a lot. Create a lot. Educate a lot. Love a lot.” the formula for living and letting live

The families of Hasmik and Margarita are among the thousands of displaced families from Artsakh who lost their homeland as a result of the 44-day war. How do they live today… They say that almost every day they remember their house, the trees in the yard, the flowers, the school, the road leading to the monastery… They publish photos of Hadrut, Shushi, Berdzor and other lost settlements on their social media pages, presenting them in the notes attached to them: their memories, their dreams of returning home, their efforts to survive the pain and losses and create a new life…

“As a result of the war, I lost myself…”

Hasmik Hakobyan’s younger brother, Ilya, died on November 9 in Shushi, hours before signing the ceasefire agreement. The boy from Martakert was buried in the city of Abovyan.

During the war, the house of the Hakobyans in the village of Maghavuz, Martakert region, where volunteers were sheltering, was blown up. The women were taken to Armenia. A kind woman named Ashkhen had provided her house in Abovyan for months to the people of Artsakh and covered all their expenses.

As Hasmik told WomenNet.am, after Ilya’s death, they didn’t know where to bury his brother, they weren’t sure that the native village would remain Armenian, besides, it was difficult to get to Stepanakert in those days.

After the end of the war, Maghavuz remained Armenian, Hasmik’s father and mother returned home, they live in the ground floor, which was relatively little damaged. Hasmik, who is a philologist by profession, has decided that she will not leave her brother under any circumstances. He bought a small apartment in Hrazdan, the regional center of Kotayk, with the money he received from the military servicemen’s insurance fund, the money was not enough to buy a house in another settlement.

Before reaching Abovyan, along with three other families, Hasmik had settled in Ghazarohogh village of Artsakh. Then it became imperative to get out of here.

To overcome the difficult situation, Hasmik turns to support programs. For example, she learned makeup as part of the state social assistance program provided to Artsakh residents.

“Even though I have a higher education, I decided to learn a trade, I didn’t know what would happen tomorrow, we lost everything… Then I continued the make-up courses with my own funds, it helped me get out of a difficult state of mind. During this time, I was looking for a job every day, I sent resumes to different places, I participated in interviews… There were times when I overcame that phase, going back and forth was a problem in terms of transportation and time. It turned out that they offered me a job in the news department at the Hrazdan municipality, and I happily agreed, “she says.

Hasmik also aims to have her own beauty salon or aesthetic center – she sends applications to various grant programs. The Red Cross organization helped her acquire some necessary equipment and materials.

I have a goal in mind: our house should stand. You have to formulate a goal and fight for it… You have to work hard, work well, I think if I came to work and did my job badly, then I would not deserve my brother,” says Hasmik.

Hasmik is very grateful to the people who stood by her side and held her hand during this time, who provided shelter, were by her family’s side in the most difficult moment, and helped to furnish her house.

“The only formula for ‘healing’ the wounds of war”

“Work a lot. Create a lot. Educate a lot. Love a lot. This is the only formula for “healing” war wounds. Stay strong…”, this is the motto of Margarita, who was born and grew up in the Togh village of Hadrut.

On the evening of September 27, they left the village, her husband brought Margarita and their daughters to Yerevan and went to Artsakh, expecting to return in a few days.

I took the folder with documents and some clothes for the children. I thought we will return in a few days. Then my husband was injured in the war… When I saw my husband injured, I realized that the three children were looking at me, I must gather my strength, otherwise we will be destroyed. I understood that I must be strong,” says Margarita.

She first lives with her mother and three children in the house of her sister who lives in Lusakert, then moves to Hrazdan, then to Etchmiadzin, later to Avan hostel, Zovuni.

“Then the Ministry of Social Affairs took us under its wing. They gave us money, which was exclusively spent on the repair of the house purchased with the support of our compatriots in Lusakert,” she says.

“Actually, many people stood by us: individuals, organizations. But there have been cases when I went as part of support programs, for example, to get children’s clothes, and after standing in a long line, they told me: “You don’t have enough, it’s for those who have 4-5 children.” There was another case when they said, the product is out of stock, we cannot help you. I was very upset after that, but I also understood that I should not wait for help, but I should reach a state when I will be able to take care of my own needs and help others,” says the woman from Hadrut.

While living in the Avan hostel, the state took care of food and utility expenses of the displaced families. During that time, Margarita bought a sewing machine from the money collected from the sale of teas to sew cloths and tea bags. People’s desire to help families who were deprived of their homeland ensured a demand for teas. They even reached France.

“When they told me how to help, I said: help sell my teas. It was my dream to have my own corner. At that time, a one-room apartment was put up for urgent sale in Lusakert. When I realized that we had half of the money for the house, we organized a fundraiser, and that’s how all the money was collected. It’s a small house, but I’m satisfied, I’m not in danger of being evicted, I’m thankful to every person who stands by us,” says Margarita, who today tries to “be satisfied with what she has, share what she has with the needy and move forward…”.

H.Karapetyan

Full text in Armenian