Rena Avanesyan

38 years old, Tailor

“What you’ve been building for years can crumble before your eyes in a second, but keep building anyway, as long as you exist, fight and move forward” — Rena Avanesyan endures life’s hardships, encouraging herself and those around her, and working tirelessly. She finds solutions even in the most unbearable situations in order to take care of her children and ensure their bright future.

I graduated from “Artsakh State University”, Faculty of Chemistry and Biology. After graduation, I worked for 10 years as a teacher in a school, then I was the leading benefit specialist in the MSS of the Republic of Artsakh. Since 2019 I have been working as the head of the epidemiological hygiene department of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Artsakh. I was very happy. I had everything to be happy. Having finally overcome the first Artsakh War, I somehow found peace again until September 27, 2020, when at 6:30 a.m. we heard the first sounds of explosions. I thought it was just a military drill. When two drones exploded right in our front yard, I finally realized that a real war had begun.

But it wasn’t the first war in my life. In 1992, the war forced my family and I to move from the village of Maragha in the Martakert region to Hrazdan. After moving to Hrazdan we moved to Berdzor. We struggled a lot to heal from the past, but the next war started.

Before the war I lived with my husband, my 7 year old son and 13 year old daughter. After the war, we lost everything: our home, our jobs, our homeland, and our hope. I remember how I drove my father, my brother and my family out of Artsakh. I was driving the car. For 6 months we lived in Artashat Evangelical Church. The people who helped us were complete strangers to us. I am so grateful and thankful to them!

For me, hope is my children, I have no right to give up and I know I have to do whatever it takes to reach my goal. And my goal as an Armenian mother is for my children to be happy and healthy.