
When hostilities in Karabakh escalated, more than 100,000 people crossed the border into Armenia within a matter of days. Half of them are women and girls, with an estimated 2,000 pregnant women among them.
Marta Asryan (28) fled with her four children while pregnant with her fifth.
Amidst the border crossing, the mounting tension and anxiety triggered labor pains. Marta prayed fervently that she wouldn't give birth on the road. In Goris, Armenia, relief arrived with the Red Cross and ambulance vehicles, which provided her with essential care and safely transferred her to the Gegharkunik region. It was there that Marta's child was born in the Vardenis maternity hospital.
Looking to the future, Marta acknowledges the uncertainty but she is determined to be a strong pillar for her children. Her eldest child is attending school, and her other youngsters will soon join kindergarten. She emphasizes her reluctance to burden others, stating, "I will stand tall and work diligently to provide for my children."
UNFPA is providing support through Safe Spaces and psychosocial services, as well as through training health workers on sexual and reproductive health care and distributing supplies - including some 21,000 dignity kits containing essential hygiene items for women and girls along with information on government services.
Photo credit: UNFPA Armenia_2023_Aspram Manukyan