Gayane Hambardzumyan (in white) and other refugee women from the Shuhel group at the Women’s Center Shushi in Yerevan, Armenia.

Picture by: Women’s Center Shushi

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October 3, 2024

Refugee women in Armenia build community through knitting

by Alyona Sargsyan

in Armavir, Armenia

18-year-old Alyona Sargsyan explains how an initiative in Yerevan offers a safe space for women

Refugee women from Artsakh and other conflict zones, including Iraq, Iran, Syria and Azerbaijan, have found a comforting environment and emotional support through a local knitting group in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

The Shuhel group, supported by the feminist peacebuilding NGO Women’s Center Shushi in Yerevan, provides a space for refugee women to build community and knit, sew, embroider and sell their handcrafted quilts, jewellery, and other goods. ‘Shuhel’ is the combination of two Armenian words: shugher (knitting needle) and helun (crochet hook).

“The primary goal is to provide a safe place for women where they can share their experiences and receive support,” said Gayane Hambardzumyan, president of Women’s Center Shushi.

“Shuhel helps them leave their homes, become acquainted with the city, and connect with each other. Members from various conflicts share their experiences and the difficulties they face as refugees in Armenia,” she added.

Shuhel members in the Women’s Center Shushi in Yerevan, Armenia.

Picture by: Women’s Center Shushi

Gayane (left) and two other refugee women hold one of the creations made by them.

Picture by: Women’s Center Shushi

In 2020, after losing our homes in Shushi, a colleague and I relocated to Yerevan. We recognized the urgent need to support people, especially women, integrate and adapt

Gayane Hambardzumyan, president of Women’s Center Shushi

Shuhel members knitting together at the Women's Center Shushi in Yerevan, Armenia.

Picture by: Women’s Center Shushi

Hambardzumyan’s center relocated to Yerevan in 2020 due to the Second Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan recaptured significant areas of Nagorno-Karabakh (known to Armenians as Artsakh), including much of the southern region and the strategically important town of Shushi. The center also had an office in Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh.

“In 2020, after losing our homes in Shushi, a colleague and I relocated to Yerevan. We recognized the urgent need to support people, especially women, integrate and adapt,” Hambardzumyan explained.

Shuhel was initially started as a project by the Women’s Resource Center in Yerevan, an NGO supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. The Shushi center took charge of the group in 2020.

Hambardzumyan, whose NGO advised other civil society groups how to best support and empower women forcibly displaced from Artsakh, notes that finding jobs and gaining acceptance in the workplace in Armenia can be challenging for older individuals.

“Since most of our members are aged 40 and above, [Shuhel] helps them stay active and adapt into society,” Hambardzumyan said.

The group’s members also take charge in finding exhibitions and galleries to sell their works and buy more craft materials from the funds. Hambardzumyan added: “[Shuhel] has contributed to their financial empowerment.”

Written by:

Alyona Sargsyan

Contributor

Armavir, Armenia

Born in 2006 in Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh, Alyona Sargsyan was displaced to Armenia in the autumn of 2023 and is now living in Armavir, Armenia. She is a volunteer at “Culture and Entertainment” group at “Armenian Progressive Youth” NGO and at “Mental Health Awareness Initiative” NGO, where she translates from English to Armenian. She is also a Volunteer board member in “Aralez” Scout in Yerevan.

She is interested in English, communications, journalism, different types of volunteering, event organizing, leadership roles and public speaking. She plans to study at the American University of Armenia.

Alyona is part of Harbingers’ Magazine’s Armenian Newsroomand writes about Artsakh, focusing on its people’s challenges due to wars, blockades, and forced displacement.

In her free time, she enjoys drawing, reading, consuming educational content, and volunteering. She is also passionate about trying new things or exploring different fields, also about learning foreign languages and plans to learn Italian and Spanish.

Alyona speaks Armenian, Russian and English.

Edited by:

Maria Mitko

Human Rights Section Editor 2024

Warsaw, Poland

women's desk

Refugee women in Armenia build community through knitting

In 2020, after losing our homes in Shushi, a colleague and I relocated to Yerevan. We recognized the urgent need to support people, especially women, integrate and adapt

Harbingers’ Weekly Brief

Written by:

Maria Mitko

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