Armenia is a small country whose people have faced intense political violence throughout their history. The Armenian Genocide, committed by the former Ottoman Empire in 1915, claimed an estimated 600,000 to 1.5 million Armenian lives. War and conflict continued with neighboring Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which the Soviet Union controversially placed in Azerbaijani territory despite its Armenian-majority population. 

As a result, hundreds of thousands of Armenian lives were lost, and tens of thousands were displaced. Most recently, starting in late 2022, Azerbaijan blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh, sparking more conflict and fears of genocide by starvation. Eventually, in September 2023, the Armenian separatist government in Nagorno-Karabakh announced its dissolution, and nearly 80 percent of remaining Armenians fled in fear as Azerbaijan seeks greater control of the region.

Armenia’s economy has remained weak and has been made worse by these conflicts as well as ongoing trade conflicts with Turkey. Unemployment and poverty soar at an estimated 20 and 26 percent, respectively. Many working-age people have left Armenia for work abroad, putting increasing pressure on the government’s struggle to fund the pension system, health care, and other services for the growing senior population. Armenia has heavily depended on Russia, both economically and politically—however, Russia has neglected its peacekeeping promises and strengthened its political and economic ties with the Azerbaijani government. The future of Armenia remains very uncertain.

While Armenia prides itself as the world’s first officially Christian nation, the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church that represents the vast majority of Armenian Christians remains a mostly cultural rather than spiritual institution. Though “Armenian” and “Christian” are considered synonymous, many Armenians have never heard the gospel. Through our School Without Walls (SWW) initiative, however, young leaders are being trained and equipped to share the hope of Christ with their neighbors. In 2023, you supported our SWW ministry training for 95 enrolled leaders, 32 of whom graduated from the full two-year program.