Thirty-year-old Martuni resident Hayk Hakobyan, who was injured during last year’s war against Azerbaijan, was given the keys to his renovated family home on Sept. 16, following a successful crowdfunding campaign organized by the Tufenkian Foundation.
The courtyard of the Hakobyan home was hit by an Azerbaijani shell during last year’s war while Hayk volunteered on the front lines. “Not only was our son injured in the war, but he also returned to a damaged home in dire need of repair,” explained Hayk’s mother Ninel Hakobyan. Hayk, who lives with his mother and brother, was wounded while fighting in Koghak. He sustained injuries on his head, ear, and lung while fighting alongside his brother Harout.
Since the 2016 April War, the Tufenkian Foundation has been actively supporting wounded soldiers and their families. Focusing on the area of accessible housing, Tufenkian provided assistance to veterans disabled during the first Artsakh War in the early 1990s, the April 2016 war, as well as those injured during other attacks along the line of contact over the years. “Unfortunately, last year’s war drastically increased the number of wounded soldiers and damaged homes,” explained Tufenkian Foundation operations director Greg Bedian. “We have identified veterans and families of fallen soldiers who require immediate assistance regarding accessible housing. Today, we are proud to hand over this house to Hayk, who so bravely volunteered to protect his people,” Bedian added.
The renovation and furnishing of the Hakobyan home were made possible through a crowdfunding campaign, which was organized by the Foundation and concluded in late July. “Thanks to the generous contributions of our friends and supporters, we surpassed our goal and raised more than $43,000,” explained Tufenkian Foundation public relations director Rupen Janbazian. The funds secured through the campaign also financed the reconstruction of another wounded veteran’s family home. The second home, which belongs to 27-year-old Hayk Hayiryan, is slated to be handed over in October.
The Hakobyan family residence is the sixth of a total of 16 homes in the Martuni region that the Tufenkian Foundation is renovating and restoring following the perils of the 2020 war. “We at Tufenkian have a long track record of assisting our wounded soldiers and the families of our fallen heroes—we proudly matched the first $10,000 raised in this particular campaign. Our Wounded Soldier Support and Damaged Home Reconstruction and Repairs initiatives will go on to help several other families throughout the region,” Janbazian added.
