Vahagn – 04/17/25

This week’s letter is from Vahagn,* who is sponsored by Aram and June Darmanian.

* We use only the first names of the children and those who benefit from the program to protect their privacy.

Dear faraway Sponsor,

This is Vahagn, son of war hero Tigran. I am 10 years old. I am in 5th grade, and I am on the honor roll in school, although I am sometimes mischievous.

I love math and physical education. I participate in the afterschool soccer practice. All my teachers are wonderful; they all like me and always praise me. I have many friends here. My friends and my teachers do everything so that I don’t feel sad. I realize that and I am very grateful to them, but as much as I try to appear happy, my heart is sad and it breaks when I remember my Artsakh – the paradise, my city of Stepanakert and my Gagarin Street where our apartment was. How can I be joyous when I see on social media all the atrocities that the enemy commits in my homeland? I hope that one day the justice will be done, and we will be able to return to Artsakh.

Armenia is my country as well, but Artsakh is where I was born, where I learned to walk and talk, where I went to school for the first time and learned to read and write. The land of Artsakh is sacred to me because my father shed his blood and gave his life for it.

May God blessings save my people.

I am very grateful to you for supporting my family.

Sincerely,

Vahagn, 10-year-old