Do you remember our post about Hagopik, the five-year-old Armenian refugee child from Artsakh? Hagopik was traumatized due to cluster munitions during the 2020 Artsakh War.

Thanks to All for Armenia’s sponsorship program, Hagopik is now receiving therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from a French therapist experienced in art therapy. Since our sponsorship program provides not only food and hygiene, but also other types of aid such as psychological support, the monthly donation from Hagopik’s sponsor covers the costs of the painting materials.

We partnered with Darya, an art therapist, through our friends at Armenian Volunteer Corps. Darya is pictured in slide three using a methodology specialized for children, which is inspired by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Her method also follows the teachings of another one of our partners, Therapists for Armenia, and their trauma-informed approach to help child victims of war. Session after session, Hagopik’s progress is clear, and he is able to express himself a bit more each time.

This is just one example of how All for Armenia collaborates across disciplines and nations to expand our impact on Armenian populations in need. As one of many indigenous Armenians from Artsakh affected by war and colonization, Hagopik represents a collective struggle of resilience and post-traumatic healing.

Inspired by this success story? Apply for our sponsorship program and become the hero of a refugee child, like Hagopik, at https://allforarmenia.org/sponsor/

(Upon request of the family, we are not sharing photos of Hagopik.)