In those September days, Tikin Arpenik was not feeling well. She never took medicines and always refused them, trusting more in the healing herbs of Artsakh. With those thoughts, she walked into the kitchen that day and checked her year’s supply of dried herbs. “It`s enough”, she said, contentedly.
She, of course, noticed the commotion in the village, but took it calmly. What’s meant to be will always be: after the death of her husband she lost her fear of death. She never became a mother, she had no children, but her husband had, whom Arpenik accepted as her own ones.
The future husband came to their village to ask her parents for her hand, after the death of his first wife. Those were hard times, the family had many children, and the future husband, despite his age, was well-off. The parents did not hesitate for long and married their daughter to a neighboring village. Their family life was going well. Her husband’s children grew up, got married, moved away, then her husband died, and Arpenik was left alone. She often thought back to the past. What else was left for her, she was alone, and had plenty of time for thoughts.
On those fateful September days, the weather was pleasantly warm, but Arpenik felt slightly ill and did not leave the house. She had noticed the unrest in the village and decided that she would come out later to ask what happened. But she lay down and fell asleep. She had a supply of food, which her husband’s grandson brought a couple of days ago and said it should be enough for a week. Arpenik realized that she only had to wait for him next week. Then the commotion in the village subsided, and silence reigned. Arpenik didn’t go out anywhere and lost track of time. Then one day she woke up from the noise of vehicles, hurriedly went out into the street and stopped in horror in front of military vehicles. She realized that it was the enemy who had entered the already depopulated village.
She can barely remember what they talked to her about and what they asked, she just constantly asked them to take her to Stepanakert, where she was sent by car. On the way, she realized that she didn’t manage to take anything, not even her passport, but all the time only one thought was spinning in her head about unused dried herbs…
The Azerbaijanis brought Tikin Arpenik to Stepanakert, where there were no more Armenians left. She was kept in the police building for a long time. She doesn’t remember how long she stayed there. And then one day the employees of the Red Cross came and offered to take her to Armenia.
At the end of November, the Hanganak NGO received a call from a temporary accommodation center in Goris and was informed about Tikin Arpenik . This is how we learned her location and history, and we also learned that Tikin Arpenik was transported to Armenia through mediation of the ICRC on October 19. She also admitted that no violence was used against her, but she obviously suffered psychological trauma.
Hanganak NGO continues its efforts to locate its beneficiaries. To date, 291 out of 320 beneficiaries have been located. Unfortunately, there are also cases of death: five in the last two months. And 22 beneficiaries moved to Russia. All other identified beneficiaries have received financial assistance in November and will also receive in December under the sponsorship of the Armenian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA).