From Martuni to Martuni: Displaced and local women cultivate hope

Located about 126 kilometers from Yerevan, near the southwest shore of Lake Sevan, the town of Martuni has become a refuge for nearly 450 forcibly displaced people from Artsakh, comprising some 136 families.

Among these families is 38-year-old Rita Azaryants and her six children, who settled here after being uprooted from their home. Unlike the familiar climate and environment of Artsakh, this new setting is different, yet it has become a place of safety and hope for many displaced Artsakh residents.

Azaryants also hails from Martuni in Artsakh, but what brought her here was not just the name—it was the sense of belonging she had found during the 2020 war, when she and her children temporarily sought shelter in the town, forming bonds and a sense of community. Although she returned to Artsakh afterward, the ties she built remained strong.

In the Martuni of Artsakh, Azaryants worked in agriculture. She also trained as a hairdresser and mastered the craft of permanent makeup—taking on multiple jobs to support her children. “I do whatever work I can to provide for my kids,” she told the Weekly.

However, she feels a special connection to agriculture and is now returning to it in a new way. Azaryants is one of the displaced women participating in a greenhouse project coordinated by the Armenia Tree Project (ATP), aimed at empowering women through sustainable farming.

After the 2020 war, ATP and local organizers began building greenhouse farms in Artsakh to combat food insecurity. They started in Martuni and expanded to Askeran, eventually establishing about 50 greenhouses. Following the forced displacement of the region’s population, ATP reconnected with previous participants and launched new projects to help families rebuild their livelihoods in Armenia.

The program’s coordinator, Masis Zargaryan, is originally from the Martuni district of Artsakh and served as its deputy governor until the 2020 displacement. He has been closely involved in shaping the initiative’s postwar phase.

Initially, more than 10 displaced Artsakh residents were employed. Most importantly, the program focuses on families who previously ran greenhouses but were forced to abandon them. For those resettling outside Yerevan, the organization has committed to helping rebuild the infrastructure they lost.

In Martuni, Gegharkunik region, Armenian American philanthropists Judith Saryan and her husband, Victor Zarougian, funded the construction of approximately 247 square meters of greenhouse space in the yard of the town’s fourth kindergarten. Their efforts not only provide vital infrastructure for local food production but also foster economic opportunity for displaced Artsakhis and locals alike.

The project was initiated by Gulnara Shahinian, director of the Democracy Today organization, who closely collaborated with local municipalities. With extensive experience working with women in the region, Shahinian has focused the program on creating inclusive, sustainable livelihoods.

Highlighting the collaborative vision behind the project, Shahinian explained, “Together, we’re working to provide healthy food for children and create vital job opportunities for displaced and local women.” 

“It’s a win-win approach, and we hope this program will continue to expand and make a difference,” Saryan added.

Through Shahinian’s leadership, more than 100 women have been empowered to engage in local food production, traditional Armenian crafts and training programs designed to enhance their skills and foster civic involvement.

This initiative not only helps displaced Artsakh women integrate into their new communities but also provides them with sustainable income opportunities. In doing so, it strengthens the social fabric of the community, promoting greater self-sufficiency and long-term stability.

In coordination with local leadership, ATP will cover workers’ salaries until the first harvest, after which the greenhouse farms are expected to become self-sufficient. The goal is to supply clean, healthy food to all 17 kindergartens in the Martuni community.

Saryan believes that growing vegetables is only the beginning. The program also aims to expand into poultry farming, offering further food security and economic opportunity to the women. Three trees were planted in the kindergarten garden—nurtured by the hands of local and displaced Artsakh children—symbolizing new beginnings.

Both Azaryants and Zargaryan remain hopeful about one day returning to Artsakh. Azaryants has already secured housing through a government program and has begun cultivating her own vegetable garden, awaiting its first fruits.

Zargaryan, meanwhile, lightheartedly reflects on the home, work and projects left behind in Artsakh.

For Zargaryan and many others, the path to return begins with building strong, resilient communities across Armenia. By settling, working and contributing to these new homes, they are laying the groundwork for a hopeful future.