BLOCKADE
The only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia and the outside world , the Lachin Corridor , is closed by Azerbaijan at the time of writing , effectively blockading the 120,000 people who live there , including 30,000 children , since December 12 , 2022 . Food shortages and the lack of consistent heating and electricity has caused kindergartens and schools to close for days and weeks at a time . In some cases , power outages and intermittent heating cuts have forced schools to reduce class time by up to 25 minutes when they are open .
There are 26 Teacher-Leaders and three Teach For Armenia staff members in Artsakh . As a result of the blockade , however , two Teacher-Leaders and one Instructional-Leader , as well as one Stepanakert-based staff member have been unable to return to Artsakh from Armenia . Three hundred students from Artsakh are also stranded in Armenia , unable to return home , with nearly 50 sheltering in Goris near the Lachin Corridor . In December 2022 , Teach For Armenia organized educational activities for these students in Goris , including games , language lessons , and workshops on Social-Emotional Learning and media literacy . On average , 21 students participated in five sessions per day at two local hotels where students are being temporarily housed .
In addition to the physical limitations created by the blockade , the situation is also impacting the mental health of our staff and school communities , who face an uncertain future . Nonetheless , Teacher- Leaders are making incredible efforts to continue teaching in-person and virtually , serving as exemplary leaders for their students and communities . To support their efforts , Teach For Armenia has arranged for psychological support to be available upon request . Previous emergency situations like the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 war have prepared us to continue operating during challenging times , with safety guidelines for future emergencies already in place .
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