Team

Manya Saradjyan

58 years old, Tailor

“Happiness is to stand firm on the ground and have blue skies over my head! My name is Manya and I am 57 years old. I considered myself a happy person only till the age of 22, when I found myself in the village of Getashen, which is now in the enemy’s territory. The second Artsakh war forced me to leave my home again.

I saw the war twice, I lost my home, my homeland and many relatives. Material things can be restored — the Armenian creative soul can create an oasis even in the desert, the only thing irreversible is the loss of human life” — unfortunately, Mania lost her daughter’s husband during the last war and became the mother of a widowed daughter. In Manya Saradjyan’s kind eyes one can see suffering, strength and endurance.

I have a secondary education. After high school I learned to sew, which, as you can see now, served as my profession.

I lost my homeland twice. After the war in the 90s we were deported from the village of Getashen and moved to Armenia. In 1994 we moved to Berdzor, Artsakh. With great difficulty we were rebuilding our lives. My daughter Raya was married. I lived with my son and my husband. My son was 22 years old. I worked in kindergarten and at the hospital at the same time. We were happy.

On September 27, 2020, our life took a turn. My husband and son were on the battlefield. We tried our best to be of service in the defense of our homeland. We hoped the war would last a few days and not be extensive, but… We moved our grandchildren to Yerevan, I came to Yerevan to be with my grandchildren on the 3rd day of the war, hoping to return home when the war was over, but that did not happen.

“We had lost our job, our home, our homeland... But we did everything we could to make my grandchildren happy, so that the war would not leave its mark on their childhood memories”.

People in Armenia helped us a lot. But we were very depressed. After my daughter’s husband died, we lived in hopelessness and disbelief. We had no idea how to go on living. We lost our jobs, our home, our homeland… But we did everything we could to keep my grandchildren happy so that the war would not leave its mark on their childhood memories.

Every day I thank God that at least my son and my husband returned alive from the battlefield. We lost many young men. I go to Yerablur every month to thank our young people, our rescuers.

“Sewing Hope for Armenia” kept us from falling into disbelief and being unemployed when we needed it most. With the help of an acquaintance, we heard about the initiative, my daughter and I applied, and we were welcomed with open arms. Here, in addition to work, we found an atmosphere of love and comfort.

There are still people in the world who are ready to help others overcome difficulties, and I am very glad that the roads brought me to “Sewing Hope for Armenia”, and now this company and this job have become my hope.

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