“We live by the grace of God, giving glory every evening and morning. It gives us strength to cope.”
These are the words of grandmother Anahit, just one of tens of thousands of Christians who arrived exhausted, malnourished and traumatised in Armenia after leaving almost everything they had behind.
They fled their ancestral homeland of Nagorno-Karabakh where Armenian Christians have lived and worshipped for more than 2,000 years, towards the end of September 2023.
They had already endured almost ten months of terrible deprivation and near-starvation while blockaded by neighbouring Muslim-majority Azerbaijan, followed by a full-scale invasion by the Azerbaijani military, which began on 19 September.
Almost the entire 120,000 Christian population – including 30,000 children – has left the disputed enclave that, by a quirk of history, lies within the borders of Azerbaijan.
Christian families crammed whatever possessions they could into whatever means of transport they had available to leave for Armenia. Anahit and her husband were travelling with their four grandchildren.
Their faith gives them the strength to make a fresh start in a new land and they thank God for the help given to them by Barnabas that sustained them on their arrival.
Hope, comfort and solidarity
The couple and their grandchildren are among 1,650 newly arrived Christian families most in need who are receiving financial assistance from Barnabas.
“By providing financial and spiritual support, the programme brought hope, comfort and a sense of solidarity”
Our church partners in Armenia advised us that providing a cash grant to individual families was the best and quickest way to help them. The money, donated by Barnabas supporters, has been distributed through church leaders who have also given much-needed spiritual and emotional support to refugees young and old.
This has had a profound effect. “By providing financial and spiritual support, the programme brought hope, comfort and a sense of solidarity,” said our church partners.
Project reference: PR1539