Grandmother Nakhshun couldn't calm down - her dream had finally come true, she was receiving keys to her new home in...

April 10, 2017, 10:55

A Dream Come True for Grandmother Nakhshun

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 10,  ARTSAKHPRESS: Grandmother Nakhshun couldn't calm down - her dream had finally come true, she was receiving keys to her new home in the Arajamough village of the Hadrut region, built for her by the Tufenkian Foundation.

A woman sat at the car window and, with a detached gaze, she watched the populated areas, trees, the livestock, the people... Before her eyes, like in a film, pictures from her life went by: here she is, a girl, in her native village of Saler in the Shamkhor region of Azerbaijan, running to a spring with a jug in order to collect some cold spring water... She remembered her wedding, the birth of her children - two sons and two daughters... And then, in 1988, the forced deportation. They left everything: their house, belongings...They couldn't take anything with them...

They ended up in the town of Charentsavan (Armenia), where they lived in an apartment. The death of her husband... They decided to move to Nagorno Karabakh. Since 1995, Nakhshun and her youngest son lived in a rented house in the village of Aygestan of the Askeran region... And now she couldn't believe she was going to live with her family in their own home...

When Nakhshun Hakobyan received the coveted keys to her new home, she couldn't keep her tears back... She couldn't remember what she had said, what words of gratitude she had uttered. Before her eyes were the smiling faces of Artsakh officials, representatives of the Tufenkian foundation and guests from abroad.

The construction of this village began during 2004-2007. 18 houses, a school, a mayor's office and a community center were built by the Tufenkian Foundation. In 2016, in cooperation with the Artsakh Fund - Eastern USA and the Government of the Artsakh Republic, another 6 houses were built. Altogether, 50 houses are envisaged in the master plan.

We visited the Arajamugh school and saw that the school was becoming too crowded for the children. We were happy to learn that the Tufenkian Foundation had assumed responsibility to build four more classrooms, as well as a clinic...

The event was followed by a joint lunch, during which many kind words and wishes were addressed to the new residents.

Briefly about the Tufenkian Foundation

The Tufenkian Foundation was launched in 1999 by entrepreneur James Tufenkian with the mission to empower the initiatives of local citizens, support the most vulnerable strata of the society, promote environmental protection and awareness, and advance social justice in Armenia. Since 2003, the Foundation has broadened its scope to embattled Nagorno-Karabagh, where it promotes resettlement and development projects in the vulnerable border zones of the region.

Residents of the Arajamugh Village

Part of the houses of the Arajamugh Village of the Hadrut Region

Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan with children of Arajamugh

Narine Aghabalyan, Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs of the Artsakh Republic (second on the left)

Honored Artist of Artsakh Larisa Sargsyan performs the national song "One, two, three, four..."

Children started to dance to the joyful music

Manvel Melkumyan, the soloist of the "Dizak" national ensemble performs the song "Fidain"

Bread and salt, keys to the new houses

Raffi Killian of the Artsakh Fund - Eastern USA

Nakhshun Hakobyan receives the coveted keys

The home of Nakhshun Hakobyan's family

Going to take a look inside the house

The President of the Artsakh Republic congratulates the new residents

Medina Hovhannisyan (on the left), assistant to the director of the Artsakh Office of the Tufenkian Foundation, responds to questions

The joint lunch