June 10, 2014
Syria
Last July, Caritas Armenia started to support Syrian refugees of Armenian origin who had fled war before arriving in Armenia. Some started a new life there, but for some Armenia was just a stop‑over on their way to western countries.
Although the crisis began in Syria in the spring of 2011, the first wave of refugees only started to arrive in Armenia in July 2012, once the violence had spread to Aleppo. Over the course of several months, the country had to deal with the arrival of more than three thousand Syrians. According to a recent report from the Armenian Ministry of Diaspora, more than eleven thousand Armenians from Syria have come to the country. A large number of them made use of initial aid and then left for the west European countries and the USA. Regardless, these numbers represent a serious problem for Armenia.
This small south Caucasian country has not yet fully recovered from the problems - mainly economic - that followed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Additionally, a devastating earthquake hit the country in 1988, which made the situation even worse. The consequences are still visible to this day. Since Armenia also struggles with high unemployment, the Armenian government has not found alternatives solutions apart from asking local and international organisations for help.
The biggest problem for refugees in Armenia is the lack of access to a basic standard of living. They either stay with their relatives, or in flats or houses together with large groups of people in very unsuitable conditions. It is a similar case in most of the other destinations of Syrian refugees. They do not have food, electricity, clothes, medicines or fuel. It is also very hard for them to find a new job, though many owned small businesses at home in Syria.
After a negotiation with its Armenian colleagues, Caritas Czech Republic, has decided to support Caritas Armenia and has contributed to the renting of houses for 14 refugee families in the cities of Gyumri and Yerevan, for a period of two to four months (from July 2013 to January 2014). We further contributed to the renting of houses for seven families living in villages, for the same period of time. Caritas Czech Republic also paid the communal fees for families in the most jeopardy for the period of April to June 2014. The families got necessary aid during a critical period, which enabled them to devote their energy to other important things, such as searching for a job.
Caritas Armenia can support certain select refugees until June 2014. These efforts are further supported by other national Caritas and humanitarian organisations in Germany (German Caritas Association), in the USA (Catholic Relief Services), and in Austria (Austrian Development Cooperation and Caritas Austria).
