While the majority of women didn’t pick up guns to fight in the war, many used their skills to fight in their own way. On this first anniversary of the 2020 Artsakh War, Kushane Chobanyan presents the stories of six extraordinary women who were on the front lines.

There is a school in one of the greenest neighborhoods of Yerevan where children of all ages speak in the indescribably beautiful language of gestures.

The Yezidis of Armenia fought alongside their Armenian comrades during the 2020 Artsakh War. One Yezidi volunteer says that “this is our country, the graves of our ancestors are here and the future of our children is here.”

The war has infiltrated almost every Armenian home. While soldiers are fighting on the front, a new generation of children and their families who escaped this new war in Artsakh are looking for ways to cope with the new trauma.

Vanadzor’s Hovhannes Abelyan Theater, built in the early 20th century, is just a few meters away from the Fine Arts Museum. Both buildings hold the memories and feelings of Armenia’s third largest city.

Armenia’s Physics Institute with its Cosmic Ray Division is trying to overcome many challenges by collaborating with different international institutes. A new generation of scientists believe that more investment is needed to support research and science.

Armenia produces a lot of garbage. Innovative artists throughout the country are taking that waste and turning it into art.

Women in Armenia are challenging traditional perceptions that rigidly define the role of men and women in all spheres of life including sports. Kushane Chobanyan talks with women soccer players who are breaking those stereotypes.

Food waste is a serious global issue. Roughly one third of the food produced globally gets lost or wasted. In fact, most of it ends up in a landfill. What is Armenia doing to tackle this issue?

Every child has the right to live with a family, whether it’s a biological, adoptive, foster or guardian family. However, every child also has the right to live a life of dignity and tranquility. Kushane Chobanyan looks at some of the successful and not-so-successful cases of foster families in Armenia.

Protecting the most vulnerable in society is one of the most important roles of the state. There are people, however, like Mira Antonyan, the director of FAR’s Children Support Center Foundation, who for many years, along with others, shouldered that burden.

Nine centuries ago, Armenian scholar Mkhitar Gosh enshrined the rights of children in the Armenian national discourse. Protecting the rights of children, ensuring their care, education and health is the responsibility of the family and the state. Today, as in the past, it is also the love of others that can make all the difference.

The Kotayk SOS Children’s Village was established in 1988 following the Spitak earthquake to offer immediate aid to those children who had lost their parents. Today, over 30 years later, SOS Children’s Villages continue to support children and their families in three locations across Armenia.

With the global market value of natural cosmetics steadily rising over the past decade, a number of Armenian companies have begun to create a niche and secure a strong customer base for natural beauty products made in Armenia.

Sex continues to be a taboo subject in Armenia. When it comes to sexual relations between individuals with disabilities, the misconceptions and taboos are even greater, writes Kushane Chobanyan.

Couples who have struggled with infertility, sometimes turn to surrogate mothers to have a child of their own. With continuing economic hardship in Armenia, policymakers and health professionals need to address issues in the current legislation that may leave women who choose to become surrogates vulnerable.

As women in Armenia continue to break stereotypes, they are entering professions usually reserved for men. Kushane Chobanyan spent a day with female first responders and got a peek inside the life of these incredible women.

Being born with Down Syndrome has not stopped Tigran Gevorgyan from pursuing his dreams. From winning gold medals at the Special Olympics to finding love, Tigran is not only breaking stereotypes, he’s creating a life of joy, fulfillment and meaning.