It is the start of a long journey for a people who still bear the deep scars of the ethnic cleansing and who cherish an unquenchable desire to return to their homeland.
By Catholics for Catholics
It claims to be the oldest Christian nation in the world.
Still, for the thousands of Armenian families of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, commonly known to Armenians as Artsakh, their goal in the war-torn area has lately been to return to their ancestral homeland after being driven out after their country’s war with Azerbaijan.
Ever since the recent war from 2020-2023, many folks have been scattered across Armenia, striving to rebuild their lives in temporary housing or subsisting on modest state aid, according to a story by The National Catholic Register.
Despite the hardships and a climate of insecurity, the promise of a new beginning is in the prospects for them.
The area went through a time of relative peace after Armenia’s war with Azerbaijan during the early 1990s. But war resumed in 2020, with a fragile peace agreement in 2023 due to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Armenians saying Farewell to their ancestral Dadivank monastery and homeland before getting forcibly displaced by Azerbaijan
— Նաիրա ೃ⁀➷ ♡ ͎. ｡˚ (@goddessnayr) September 20, 2024
For the first time in 3,000 years, there are no Armenians left in Artsakh. https://t.co/oO9OJoPIuH pic.twitter.com/fvkjBk8RUK
According to The Register, the aid project is part of a wider effort to strengthen life along Armenia’s fragile southern border, where depopulation and economic hardship have long threatened entire communities. Founded in 1999 by Armenian-American entrepreneur James Tufenkian, the Tufenkian Foundation has become one of Armenia’s most trusted charitable institutions, known for rebuilding border villages and helping war-affected families regain stability, according to The Register.
On Nov. 18, in the small village of Svarants, located in southern Armenia, about 40 miles from the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, several displaced families received the keys to newly built homes. This initiative is part of a broader community recovery effort to help them rebuild their lives. Led by the Tufenkian Foundation, it aims to provide not only shelter, but also sustainable restoration: sturdy, winter-ready homes with barns, farmland and a school where children can once again play, learn and envision a prosperous life.
However, this step is only the beginning of a long journey for a people who still bear the deep scars of the ethnic cleansing they recently endured and who still harbor an unquenchable desire to return home.
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