Norashen Village

In 2000, AGBU France embarked on the rebuilding and repopulation of the historic village of Norashen,  3kms to the south east of the regional town of Hadrout. Armenian church and castle ruins in Norashen date back to medieval times and the village was burnt to the ground by the Azeris during the 1988-1994 war.

Today, Norashen is home to a community of 20 farming families, a kindergarten, primary school and a modern multi-purpose medical centre established with the support of the Union of French Armenian Doctors. The medical centre is equipped with modern medical equipment unprecendented by Artsakh village standards and matching in sophisticaption with medical centres built for European villages. It has a pharmacy, a patient’s room and a doctor’s room and also serves as the Village Head's office. It has a hall for social meetings, where the village folk can gather and talk about their problems and find solutions.

Residents of Norashen receive medical care and medicines for free. Occasionally, the Union of French Armenian Doctors send physicians to Norashen to provide the best medical care for the people. With the agreement of the NK Health Ministry a doctor from Hadrout has been appointed to head the medical centre. The nurse is from Norashen.

The AGBU recognised early that just building homes  for villagers was not enough to create the necessary living conditions. In addition to the government package of support, Nadia Kebabdjian’s “Femmes Courage Solidarite” , wife of the Central Board Director co-ordinating the AGBU Centennial Programme, Levon Kebabdjian, helped  to settle each family with one cow, one calf and 150kg of flour to overcome the difficulties of the first winter. The AGBU also donated a tractor to the village.

Home building has also been accompanied with plans for the provision of comprehensive education  and attention to spiritual needs. Two rooms of the  kindergarten of Norashen are for toddlers, with the others dedicated for primary schooling to accommodate the increase in the number of school age children.

A secondary school is currently under construction with funds donated by AGBU Sydney and Southern California. Contributions from other AGBU Chapters followed the success of the Norashen project and the initiation of the Norashen Centennial Reconstruction & Repopulation Programme at the AGBU Biennial Assembly in New York in 2004 with the intention of redoubling the worldwide organisation’s efforts in Artsakh and to celebrate the 100 year long AGBU heritage of accomplishments. AGBU London has committed to establish the new village of Pareshen, 2kms away from Norashen and within easy reach of the health and schooling facilities of Norashen.

Norashen has more then 100 residents today, 32 of them are of school age, 15 of pre-school age. Three weddings took place in the village in the past two years but the people of Norashen express their concern half-joking: “We have many girls of marriagable age and so far we have only given our brides away and have not brought any to the village”. People of Norashen are very enthusiastic about the construction of the neighboring village of Pareshen: “There are three children in our class. It will be great if the children of Pareshen also come to our school. Once in a while I will not be the one to answer the teacher's questions at least, and I will have more friends”, said Khachik, a sixth-grade pupil with excellent marks and the wish to become a doctor.