It seems as though time can heal wounds, ease pain, and wash away terror and fear from memory. But there are losses that time can never erase. You simply learn to live with them-holding onto hope inside and finding a little strength each day to keep moving forward.

Despite her young age, Karina Ghazaryan has faced trials that could break even the strongest person. She lost her parents, and in 2018, her husband. Her husband, a serviceman, was killed in Artsakh during a demining operation. From that day on, Karina became the sole anchor and hope for her three minor children. “My youngest was only three years old at the time. I didn’t know whether to carry my own grief or the burden of my children. Back then, there was a constant threat of attack at any moment, followed by the lengthy blockade. We had to explain to the children that it wasn’t just about finding candy anymore-even getting bread had become difficult. If I were alone, maybe it wouldn’t have been so heavy, but my children…” Karina says, tears in her eyes.

 

Before her husband’s death, Karina did not have a profession. However, to raise her three children alone, she had to work. In Artsakh, she began learning eyelash extension techniques and taking small orders, relying on her own efforts to support her family. But life had another ordeal in store. Karina barely had time to enjoy her new apartment in Stepanakert before an Azerbaijani attack forced her to abandon it. Leaving home with her children, she tried to pack only the bare necessities. “Every minute we thought the Azerbaijanis might enter our house. At that moment, nothing else mattered; I just wanted to get my children safely out of Stepanakert. I wanted to leave a minute sooner.” Yet, amid that rush, Karina couldn’t leave behind one thing that was far more than just a household object to her. “I had a beautiful tablecloth that I loved dearly. I rolled it up and said, ‘I’ll take this with me wherever I go.‘” That day, Karina brought along her husband’s portrait, her artist daughter’s paintings, her youngest son’s toys, and that tablecloth. The tablecloth, which had graced the family table for years, held their most cherished memories. It recalled the days when all family members gathered around one table, sharing meals, talking, and simply spending time together. “That tablecloth symbolized ten happy years of our family life,” Karina says.

 

In 2023, following the forced displacement from Artsakh, Karina moved to Armenia with her three children. A search for a new life began—in different towns, moving between rented homes. For a while, the family lived in Tashir before moving to Vagharshapat. Eventually, they were able to acquire an apartment in Vagharshapat through a housing voucher provided by the government. The apartment was far from perfect: it needed renovation, had no gas or electricity, the walls were gloomy, and there was no heating system. But for Karina, the most important thing was that her children finally had a roof over their heads to call their own. “When I got this house, I was so happy. On the first night, I even cried all night long. I knew God would help me, and somewhere a light would shine. Deep down, I felt that something good was going to happen. My children were very happy too. Even though the walls are gloomy and we don’t have heating, we don’t feel discouraged. We know we have our own roof, and everything will come together step by step.”

 

Karina began renovating the house on her own. She cleaned the rooms, repaired the front door, and resolved the issues with electricity, water, and gas. It was during this process that another vital opportunity came into her life. An acquaintance who had previously benefitted from Armenian Caritas programs and gained a vocation told Karina about the organization. Karina applied, filled with faith that she would find help and new opportunities. A Caritas social worker visited the family, assessed Karina’s needs, and offered her participation in professional training. Karina didn’t hesitate. She decided to deepen her previous skills and enrolled in an eyelash extension training course. “The course was wonderful. I gained deep and valuable knowledge. The specialist was wonderful and shared all her expertise with me,” she recalls.

Upon completing the training, Karina received not only new skills but also essential professional tools and supplies. In a small corner of her home, she set up a dedicated beauty room using her own efforts. The supplies provided by Caritas found their place, giving Karina the chance to continue her work. Today, she already has several regular clients. The small room is not just a workplace for her it is the beginning of a new life.

“There are difficulties, but now there is also hope and faith. If it weren’t for the people standing by my side and Caritas, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve all this. Everything I had in Artsakh for my work, I now have here again thanks to Caritas. Now I can welcome clients at home properly. What matters most to me is not just the knowledge and supplies, but the warmth and ongoing support from the Caritas team.”

 

Much has changed in Karina’s life, but there is one loss she can never come to terms with. She cannot bring back her parents or her husband. She cannot return to the home where they lived as a family, or sit around the table where everyone gathered for years. But she can continue to live through their memory. Today, Karina’s eldest son, Alex, is 17 years old and studying at a military academy. Mariana is 15 and attends an art college, while her youngest son, Aren, is 11 and in school. The future of her three children is Karina’s greatest strength today.Having her own home, a new profession, and the opportunity to work have reopened the path of hope for her-hope that her children can stand on their own feet, receive an education, and build their lives.

And the tablecloth brought from Stepanakert is once again spread across the table. Now, Karina and her children sit around it. The tablecloth continues to hold the memories of the past, but it is no longer only about the past. It has become a symbol of the future-of the faith that even after the greatest losses, it is possible to build a home again, to work, to stand by your children, and to keep living.

The “Three4ResilientArmenia” project is funded by the European Union and implemented by the “Armenian Caritas” Benevolent NGO, the IRIS Business Incubator Foundation, and the Impact Hub Armenia Social Innovation Development Foundation. The project aims to contribute to the social inclusion and economic integration of displaced persons from Mountainous Karabakh and their host communities.

By Armenuhi Mkhoyan