Eight hundred families receive in-kind support from World Vision Armenia
Eight hundred families (around 4000 people), that spontaneously arrived into Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, received food and hygiene packages enough for some two-week period from World Vision Armenia.
The 800 families that had found shelter in the communities of Charentsavan and Darbnik in Armenia, received support from World Vision thanks to the resources mobilised within ՛Sustainable Solutions for Integration of Displaced and Conflict-Affected Persons’ two-year project funded by the US Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.
“With the current humanitarian crisis, World Vision discussed with the donors to repurpose some of the project’s funds to respond to the needs of the spontaneously arriving families affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. I am thankful to colleagues from the US Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration for partnering with World Vision that enabled us to address the needs of the families affected by the conflict,” says Philip Hovhannisian, World Vision’s Project Manager for “Sustainable Solutions for Integration of Displaced and Conflict-Affected Persons” project.
On the 27th of September, military confrontations were reported in Nagorno-Karabakh – a disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan, mainly populated by ethnic Armenians. Fighting along the line of contact continues with different levels of intensity, with usage of artillery and armoured vehicles.
More than 900 people, including civilians (among them children) have reportedly been killed in Nagorno-Karabakh because of the conflict. Official data on spontaneous arrivals from Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia is not available, however, according to unverified sources, about 5,000 to 9,000 families are seeking shelter in Armenia currently, mainly living with Armenian host families or accommodated at the hotels free of charge. These families mostly come with little possessions and have little if any means to live on. Mainly women, elderly and children come from Nagorno-Karabakh, while men join the army in the frontline.
“I want to thank all the people who supported us in these difficult days. World Vision provided us with food and hygiene items, and now we have one worry less for the coming two weeks,” says Aregnazan Avetyan, who arrived from Nagorno-Karabakh with her six children, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and her five children, all of them living in a small apartment in Charentsavan town, Kotayk Region of Armenia.
In response to the humanitarian crisis, World Vision is being equipped to respond to the growing needs of the families affected by the conflict. The humanitarian agency has mobilised its resources to provide in-kind and psychosocial assistance to more than 9000 families and their children in Armenia, including clothing and food, as well as psychological support, establishment of child friendly spaces and creation of referral mechanisms.