At the end of September, Armenia faced the harsh reality of a war in Artsakh with the invasion of Turkish-Azerbaijani forces. Attacks to civilian territories forced the people to find refuge in Armenia.
With the financial assistance of Alecco and Annie Bezikian and the organizational efforts of Hagop Ladoyan, head of “Us Against Drugs”, the Our Lady of Armenia Summer Camp opened its hospitable doors to 30 families (120 people) including the elderly, mothers and children of different ages. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and several individual benefactors helped the Sisters provide for the different needs of the displaced people.
During their stay, 36 people were baptised into the faith in the Apostolic Church of Kecharis in Tsakhkadzor. The sacred duties of Godfather and Godmother were assumed by Shahan (Chief Editor of “Azdak” daily) and Gohar Gandaharian.
After the ceasefire, several families returned to their dilapidated home in Artsakh. The Sisters of the Our Lady of Armenia Summer Camp continue to support those displaced people of Artsakh regions occupied by Azerbaijan until a solution is found for their future residency issues.