On September 6, the Ombudsman of the Artsakh Republic met with lonely elderly people evacuated from Shushi, Hadrut and Martuni regions in the office of Hanganak NGO.
About 35 lonely elderly people displaced from those areas as a result of war have joined the organization. They are under special attention. About 20 elderly people came to share their pain with the Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan that day.
The meeting was held in the format of questions and answers. People talked about their needs. Goharik A., displaced from Shushi, complained to the authorities, demanding a shelter she has been deprived of up to this day. She stays overnight in relatives’ houses.
Elmira T. is a teacher with more than 40 years of work experience, she has been anxious, she told how difficult it was to build a house. She has been a resident of Shushi since 1950. She complained that she was not being paid for the apartment, because she was registered at her sister’s house, even though she lives at her brother’s place.
Larisa H. is from Taghavard, she said that her house was under the control of Azeris and she could not save anything. She was only compensated 250,000 drams.
Aida M. lives in a rented house, but the landlady asked her to vacate the apartment, as she was going to live there. However, Aida is more concerned with the fate of Shushi, she wants to visit her son’s grave. She asked the Ombudsman to contact General Muradov to arrange a visit to the graves of relatives in Shushi.
People talked about heating, the Ombudsman mentioned the availability and possibility of providing firewood. These and many similar questions were addressed to the Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan. The beneficiaries have also expressed their gratitude to all the Hanganak employees for help and support in their difficult days.
Hanganak NGO organized a reception for the beneficiaries. A surprise was waiting for them: Sona Sulakhian from the United States had donated warm blankets to the displaced elderly.
According to the head of the organization Gohar Hovhannisyan, immediately after the war her niece called from the USA and expressed her willingness to help like many of our compatriots. The company that employs Sona decided to send blankets at her request.
“Of course, warm blankets would be very necessary in the upcoming winter.” She quickly arranged the transportation of blankets,” says Gohar Hovhannisyan, noting with regret that it took the cargo a long time to arrive. “Weeks have passed before our car was able to deliver the cargo from Yerevan to Stepanakert. We could see the donor organization after we opened the cargo. We found Westlaw Edge company logo on the packaging of blankets. Then we learned that it was a world-renowned law firm that had become sympathetic to our pain through Sona. 
We express our gratitude to all the people and companies that support us. But we also want to emphasize the tremendous work that our fellow citizens are doing to raise awareness among thousands of people about our pain and the humanitarian disaster we face. I would like to express my special gratitude to Sona Sulakyan for her help and participation on behalf of the entire staff of the organization and our beneficiaries.”
People approached to get their blankets and expressed their gratitude for support at this crucial moment.
Levon G., who was displaced from Hadrut, received the blanket, approached separately and asked for a heater and a TV. He temporarily lives in a small room in Eldorado hotel complex and does not have any basic living conditions. The staff gave him one of the heaters provided by the ICRC to Hanganak NGO and a warm blanket and bedding. Gohar Hovhannisyan promised to take a TV to the hotel in the coming days.
It was a very warm meeting. The Ombudsman promised to hold regular meetings, expressing hope that the next meeting would provide answers to many questions.
