Since 2017, Teach For Armenia has worked to advance educational equity among children from the most underserved communities in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). Between 2017 and 2023, our Teacher-Leaders served in communities across Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), collaborating closely with stakeholders to strengthen learning environments and advance student potential. Through these committed Teacher-Leaders, we supported student learning, strengthened the local education system, and built enduring relationships with families, schools, and community leaders. These years laid the groundwork for what became a long-term commitment to the region, one rooted in trust, resilience, and a shared belief in the transformative power of education.

Learn how Teach For Armenia advanced educational equity in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) by exploring our 5-Year Impact Report.

In the wake of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) War, launched by the Government of Azerbaijan and resulting in mass displacement and a deep humanitarian crisis, Teach For Armenia responded swiftly with an Education in Emergencies program to support forcibly displaced students across Armenia. Recognizing the urgent need for both academic continuity and emotional healing, we mobilized resources to meet students where they were, providing support and guidance. Through this effort, we distributed over 500 care packages to families and, in partnership with the Armenian Missionary Association of America, provided tablets and internet access to 250 students who lacked digital connectivity, ensuring their continued ability to learn remotely. In parallel, we partnered with local coalitions and mental health professionals to offer trauma-informed teaching, social-emotional learning, and art therapy, including sand-art classes, to help children process the psychological toll of war and rebuild a sense of safety, expression, and community.

In September 2022, the Government of Azerbaijan launched a series of attacks targeting civilian communities within the Republic of Armenia—specifically in the regions of Gegharkunik, Syunik, and Vayots Dzor—including areas where Teach For Armenia places Teacher-Leaders in partner schools. These assaults marked a troubling continuation of the broader conflict, bringing renewed violence directly onto Armenian soil.

From December 2022 to September 2023, Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) was subjected to a total blockade that cut off access to food, healthcare, and education. Over 30,000 children were affected, in blatant violation of their rights under international law. The closure of the Goris–Stepanakert corridor halted all movement, preventing local and international organizations from delivering essential aid. Civilians were stranded—many, including members of our own community (staff, alumni, teachers, and students), found themselves trapped in siege-like conditions without basic resources or safety. Access to education was entirely disrupted, while our communities faced severe malnutrition and life-threatening health crises due to the lack of medicine, heating, and basic necessities.

During the forced and total displacement of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)’s civilian population in September 2023, Teach For Armenia’s students, teachers, alumni, staff, stakeholders, and partner communities were profoundly impacted. Tragically, some of our students and community members lost their lives as a result of shelling and bombing of civilian areas. These are not just personal tragedies; they are violations of the fundamental rights of children to learn, to thrive, and to live in safety and dignity.

In response to the 2023 forcible displacement of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), Teach For Armenia launched a coordinated emergency initiative to support students and families as they resettled into new communities and began the long process of healing. Building on lessons learned from our 2020 war response, we established the 405 Educational Alliance, a coalition of organizations dedicated to providing comprehensive, wraparound support for forcibly displaced students. In close collaboration with the Government of Armenia, we are working to transform public schools into local hubs of resilience, coordinating access to education, psychosocial support, nutrition, and other essential services. Our goal is to ensure that every child and family affected by displacement has the foundation they need to begin rebuilding their lives with dignity and hope.

 World Bank in Armenia

Since 2023, Teach For Armenia has served as a key implementation partner in a $2.9 million World Bank-funded initiative to support teachers in providing psycho-social Support to displaced children from Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) across more than 200 schools. 

Co-led with Armenia’s Ministry of Education and other key institutions, the initiative focuses on building the capacity of school staff to embed mental health services into daily learning environments, strengthening students’ emotional resilience, fostering inclusion, and supporting long-term societal integration.

In parallel, Teach For Armenia is contributing to broader World Bank efforts to modernize Armenia’s education system, including improvements to school infrastructure and the advancement of STEM curricula, ensuring that all students, regardless of background, have access to a high-quality, future-ready education.

UNICEF Armenia

Drawing on its experience in emergency response, Teach For Armenia helped establish trauma-informed frameworks within schools, embedding mental health services, social-emotional learning, and therapeutic approaches such as art and play-based healing.

This initiative complemented UNICEF Armenia’s broader efforts, which included the distribution of essential school kits and learning materials, as well as the delivery of teacher training in trauma-sensitive practices. Together, these efforts aimed to ensure that forcibly displaced students from Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) could begin to recover, reconnect, and reintegrate—both emotionally and academically — into their new communities.