The interview took place in February 2020.
Lena was born on July 28th, 1940 in Stepanakert, in the family of workers. Her father was a carpenter, her mother was a housewife. There were 5 children in the family: two boys and three girls. Lena was the fourth child. In 1957 Lena graduated from Stepanakert Secondary School # 1 and continued her studies at Stepanakert Medical College. After completing her studies, she started working as a laboratory assistant at Stepanakert poultry.
Lena married and moved to Baku in 1974. In 1988, when Artsakh National Liberation Movement began, they left their house with many Armenian families and moved to Stepanakert and lived in a factory building that was provided to them as refugees. Her husband died of a heart attack in 1990. Lena still remembers her husband and his relatives with great enthusiasm. Although they had no children, she considers those years the happiest years of her life. She moved to her father’s house after her husband’s death.
As she moved to Stepanakert in 1988 started working at the Dental Polyclinic. She worked there until 2010.
She receives a monthly pension of 54900 AMD and a grant of 5000 AMD from the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Stepanakert.
Although she owns a three-room apartment, she uses just a room, which is heated up by wood. She pays for wood with the heating compensation provided by Hanganak and her pension.
Lena has been Hanganak’s beneficiary since 2008. She was informed about the organization by its personnel.
Lena considers her health below average; she has an endemic goiter, a joint problem that restricts her movements. Her health has deteriorated due to arthritis during the last month, she is almost unable to move now.
Lena receives from Hanganak L-Thyroxine 50/50, Voltaren, Linnex N16.
The food provision received from Hanganak is sufficient for the whole month.
Lena is very grateful to the whole staff of the organization, and expresses special gratitude to the benefactors who are able to make their lives far easier.
P.S. During the last Artsakh war she moved to Armenia, where she died, never having time to return home after the war.
