Marine has been living with her two children in a rented home for 8 years, ever since her husband died in the war. She says that after her husband’s death, she lived with her husband’s parents for a while after which she was forced to leave due to family issues. She couldn’t go to her father’s home because the conditions were not good and her brother was already living there with his family. So, the only thing she could do was live on rent and register to get an apartment. Marine still doesn’t have a place to call home.
“My main issue now is to get a home and I can take care of the rest. Thank God I have a job and I can take care of my children. True, it’s very hard because they only pay me 50 dollars and that is not enough, but I am not losing hope. I know that I will get a home sooner or later and I will be able to use that 50 dollars for taking care of my family. My parents also lend a helping hand,” says Marine.
Sirun Sargsyan also lost her husband in the war and shares her story. Sirun was born in the Berdadzor village of the Shushi region. After finishing school, she got accepted into the Shushi humanitarian institute. Sirun got married in 1988 and settled down with her husband Armik in Berdadzor. During the hardships of the war, they were kicked out of their home by the Azerbaijanis but returned later on. In 1992, during the battles in Ghubatlu region, Sirun’s husband died months before their son Armik was born.
Sirun and her son Armik have lived in Sirun’s father’s home in Berdadzor for 13 years, after which they have moved to Shushi where they have received a home. Their two bedroom house was renovated thanks to funding provided by the state. They have been living there for the past four years, however, Sirun has not been able to find a job to this day. Her parents help her out and she receives a 35 dollar subsidy from the state which mainly takes care of communal expenses.
“You obviously can’t buy clothes and other things with this much. If I had a job, things would be a little different,” she says.
Her son Armik is in the 7th grade. Things get tougher year by year, that is why Sirun’s main concern is to find a job as soon as possible. She has applied many times but has not received a reply.
All families of deceased soldiers have different issues and those issues remain unsolved. There are some families that get help from sponsors. The first registered families receive homes every year. According to our sources, it is foressen to construct a new building with homes for all the families.
There is already one apartment building constructed in Stepanakert through the efforts of well-known benefactor Louise Simone Manukyan.