Aravot Daily presented Naira Niazyan in a different context as a fashion model. This time, Aravot Daily is presenting her as the founder of the Help Artsakh Women initiative. She has been in charge of the Help Armenian Women project whose goal is to help women living in bordering regions. The project mainly helps the wives and mothers of fallen freedom fighters by providing them with professional help so that they can have a profession and obtain the necessary materials to work and make money.
“When the war started, we organized ourselves just like everyone else. We began to sew materials that the army needed. Then, we decided that we don’t need to stop because there are many families from Artsakh who took refuge in Armenia. We thought that it would be a good idea to give women and girls from Artsakh a second profession, sewing, so that they could make money if they wish. We were sewing undergarments, t-shirts, and umbrellas for soldiers at the time. The women and girls from Artsakh learned how to sew, including those who had never sewn before. There were people who knew how to sew and they immediately got to work. My husband and our friends who live outside of Armenia financed the project so that we could pay salaries,” Naira Niazyan said.
She informed us that 20-25 women are involved in the project. “I don’t know how it all came about. The women are from different regions of Artsakh, and they are mostly teachers. Only two of them knew how to sew- Hasmik and Irina, who worked at the Italian sewing factory in Stepanakert. The others are teachers by professions, and they worked in schools,” Naira said.
When speaking about the flexibility, ability to self-organize, and talents of the Armenian woman, Naira said that it is impossible to surprise anyone with the abilities of the Armenian woman. Interest and talent in the kitchen, craft, culture, and anything else is in the genetic memory of Armenian women, and even those born in the age of technology are that way.
Naira said that, aside from sewing, the women from Artsakh also carried out other activities such as baking pastries from Artsakh, making pickles, and making Jengyalov hats so that they could overcome the situation.
We asked the lively woman what her source of optimism and energy is. Naira Niazyan said that she always works without expecting compliments or Facebook likes, and anyone who knows her also knows that she is the same person in her regular life and in social reality.
She considers herself to be a happy person, and she referred to a philosopher who is also a doctor and author whom she met when she worked with the stars. “When they asked Deepak Chopra what the difference is between the stars and regular people, he said that everyone wants to be happy at the end of the day. Some people want to make a lot of money, others want to be the best in their profession, but everyone wants to be happy. Now, I consider myself to be happy. When you are in harmony with yourself and your family, your relatives and your friends, you are also able to find harmony with others.”
Naira Niazyan also added that she wants to expand her initiative, but it is first important to understand how a small project can expand to work more effectively.
Gohar Hakobyan
Photos from Naira Niazyan’s Facebook page
