Public activists tell about refugees' adaptation problems in Armenia

In Armenia, public organizations are helping refugees from Ukraine to receive basic necessities, find housing and employment. According to activists of these organizations, state and international structures are rendering insufficient assistance to the forced migrants or internally displaced persons (IDPs).

On June 1, female activists of the "Anti-War Resistance" held a rally in Yerevan, where they announced the collection of essential items for refugees from Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to Anna Akulina, one of the activists, people brought various items – clothes, hygiene items, mainly for children, and toys.

Vasilisa, the coordinator of the "Ethos" project, said that little assistance is being provided to Ukrainian refugees by Armenia authorities. According to her story, the main flow of refugees to Armenia was recorded in February-March this year. "Now, if there is an inflow, it is insignificant. Apparently, because they are not being helped in Armenia <...> Perhaps, authorities think that since the majority of them are ethnic Armenians, they must have relatives here. And they no longer need other support," Vasilisa has stated.

Over the past month, the "Ethos" has helped about 20 families (more than 100 people). The help is regular; contacts are maintained with each family. Humanitarian aid in the form of foodstuffs and hygiene items is provided once a week.

Another public organization "Ukrainian Forum" is running psychological courses for refugees, conducted by Vika Azatyan, a psychologist, who is a refugee herself.

Ms Azatyan, 22, is a native of Odessa. "Resettlement is generally a lot of stress: a new place and a new language," she said.

Vika is running her psychological courses at the headquarters on a volunteer basis. A "support club" is organized here. "People visit this club with pleasure. They need to speak out, talk about their emotions and experiences. It is very difficult to cope with this alone; therefore, such a support club is very important," she believes.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 7, 2022 at 04:54 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.